Francis’ errors are causing ‘many invalid confessions’: Italian priest and theologian
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis’ errors regarding sacramental absolution and contrition are causing “many invalid Confessions,” an Italian priest and theologian is warning.
Don Tullio Rotondo, author of the book Betrayal of sound doctrine through “Amoris Laetitia,” is raising the alarm that any attempt by a priest to grant absolution in Confession without the penitent expressing sorrow for all mortal sins committed – which must all be confessed – or without the penitent’s firm intention to avoid sin in the future, are not valid confessions.
Don Rotondo warns that Pope Francis’ instructions to priests to never refuse absolution, therefore, runs contrary to Catholic teaching on what is required in the sacrament for the actual forgiveness of sins and is likely causing many confessions to be invalid.
In a recent video, the priest said that in his book he states that “Pope Francis’ errors are certainly causing many invalid Confessions, that is, which do not forgive sins, despite the priest administering absolution.”
Laying out basic Catholic teaching on Confession, he continued, “If contrition is lacking, absolution is invalid and the sins remain unforgiven. For there to be true contrition in order to make a valid Confession, a true intention not to sin and a true intention to avoid imminent occasions of sin are needed.”
“Unfortunately, the errors of Pope Francis affect both the intention not to sin and the intention to escape the next occasions of sin and therefore determine invalid absolutions and invalid Confessions, that is, which do not forgive sins. In some cases Pope Francis has indicated or ordered priests to always absolve the penitent, using negative terms for confessors who do not give absolution. This is radically contrary to Catholic doctrine and produces invalid absolutions.”
Admonishing fellow priests about the grave sinfulness of attempting to absolve sinners without contrition, Don Rotondo insisted, “If the penitent does not have the appropriate disposition, he cannot be absolved, any absolution is invalid. Furthermore, confessing guilt without contrition is sacrilege, an objectively very serious sin. Guiltily administering sacramental absolution to those without contrition is sacrilege.”
The Italian priest further accused Pope Francis of repeatedly making statements “that minimize or eliminate the need for a precise accusation of sins,” without which, again, Confession is invalid.
READ: Church leaders must correct Pope Francis on his demand to absolve the unrepentant
Don Rotondo said he feared that “many Confessors, precisely for fear of going against the Pope and against the Bishop (faithful to papal errors) avoid asking questions and denying absolution to indisposed penitents. It is to be feared that if any confessor currently asks appropriate questions in Confession or denies absolution when necessary, he will be deprived, due to the Pope’s errors, of the faculty to confess.”
“All this evidently leads to invalid and sacrilegious Sacraments administered to the faithful under the illusion that they are valid and effective,” he lamented.
The priest linked these errors about Confession and contrition to Pope Francis’ proposal in Amoris Laetitia that Communion could be given to the divorced and “remarried” who continue to have sexual relations in the sin of adultery and the Pope’s open support of pro-abortion “Catholic” politicians such as Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi who publicly deny Catholic morals.
READ: Pope Francis on Communion for pro-abortion politicians: ‘Don’t go condemning’
“The discipline of the Church which prohibits Communion to known sinners is a confirmation and support of the doctrine according to which those who confess validly must be truly contrite and therefore have a true intention of conversion,” Don Rotondo said.
Relating the denial of the Church’s Eucharistic discipline to the denial of the need for contrition in Confession, he continued, “Pope Francis, by setting aside the discipline of the Church which prohibits the administration of the Eucharist to people known to be in serious sin, also collapses the doctrine on the need for contrition and the resolution not to sin for a valid Confession, because it implies that people who live notoriously in grave sin are in grace, are well disposed for the Eucharist, and therefore well disposed for a valid Confession, which is the Sacrament that prepares the sinner to receive the Eucharist worthily.”
“The Pope’s error with which he set aside the Catholic discipline that prohibits the administration of the Eucharist to known sinners forms, in a certain way, a whole with the errors already seen above,” Don Rotondo declared.
“We are therefore witnesses of something unheard of for the Catholic Church,” the priest said, lamenting that, “under the direction of the Pope, Vicar of Christ, the Sacraments are invalidly and/or sacrilegiously administered, with colossal scandal and damage to souls.”