Confession
If a person is so ashamed of some sin that he feels absolutely cannot tell
it to a priest, is there some other way he can be forgiven?
Not really. We are supposed to be ashamed of all of our sins. Priests are bound in a most serious way to the secret of the confessional and are not only highly skilled in moral matters, but generally "have heard it all," including all sorts of shameful things. All mortal sins must be submitted to the "power of the keys," which means they must be confessed, with their number and any specific circumstances which may change or influence their nature, In an emergency, a perfect act of contrition can remove our mortal sins, but it is not perfect if it does not include the sincere intention to tell the sin in confession as soon as possible. (Perfect contrition means being sorry not out of fear of hell and of toss of heaven but because of the realization of God's love for us.) General absolution, given in some emergency (such as a sinking ship or an army marching off to war), when individual confession would be impossible, is not valid to take away mortal sins unless those absolved, if they survive, tell all their mortal sins in confession as soon as possible. See the Catechism of the Catholic Church, numbers 1425 to 1492.
Reprinted April 30, 1999
Does a school or CCD teacher have a right to ask a child what he or she said
in confession?
Absolutely not. Nobody has such a right. It would be seriously sinful for anyone including a spouse, parent, or teacher to even make such an inquiry. A penitent of any age, may, if he or she wishes, disclose what he or she said in confession, but may never be cajoled directly or indirectly to do so. A priest, of course, without the permission of the penitent, may never, under any circumstances , reveal what is heard in confession.
Reprinted from May
15, 1998