Absolution

October 10, 2008

(Lat. ab “from” + solvere “free”)

A practice that varies in many Christian traditions, but primarily emphasized in the Roman Catholic church, absolution involves the act of a priest pronouncing the remission of sin upon the confessor. This remission normally comes after repentance and penance have been fulfilled. For Roman Catholics, absolution is an important part of the sacrament of penance. According to Catholics, the observing duty was given to the Church by Christ in John 20:23 “If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.” Most Protestants do not believe in or practice absolution believing that there is no mediating human agency for forgiveness (1 Tim. 2:5). Roman Catholic prayer of absolution: “God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Absolution now online?

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