Not that long ago I mentioned a film sequence from Roman Polanski's Pirates!, in which one pirate proposes to eat the other rather than starve at sea on a the equivalent of a life boat.
"Cannibalism is a mortal sin," the other says. "You will burn in hellfire."
"What about confession?" asks Captain Red. "What do you think confession is for?"
These questions come up from time to time.
The Vatican does not have the authority of the apostles, so it doesn't matter whether you confess to their priests or some random body on the street.
ReplyDeleteThey do not speak with the authority of the Holy Spirit, nor its power. If they had that, then just lying to them, as the same people did with Peter, would cause certain consequences.