I that case, I would have thought that they’d just have a different priest come into that parish church to conduct the ceremony. In my experience, couples usually choose a priest and also choose a church, and the one need not be the pastor of the other. I also have a hard time understanding why someone would belong to a parish where the priest didn’t approve of your marriage-- Geography isn’t the restriction it once was, and there are plenty of other parishes around to choose from.
Are there fees involved for one Priest to use another’s church?
Excuse me for the nitpick, and correct me if I am wrong.
In the RCC anyone may and should hear a confession, but only a priest may perform absolution. If I understand correctly, the words are often used interchangeably because the priest must also hear a confession before giving absolution, but confession is encouraged wherever morally appropriate.
I have a question about the specifics of RCC confession/absolution.
In the Orthodox church, I understand that the priest’s role in the confession component of absolution is as a witness, not as a participant. For example, in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and even in modern Judaism, any important thing that’s done basically requires a witness or it didn’t happen (like a mikvah, for example).
This means that you are not confessing to the priest, but to God, with the priest as witness.
So I’ve heard stories of embarrassed sinners finding old priests who don’t speak their language and confessing in front of them. The priest can’t understand what the layperson is saying, but believes she is repentant and must give absolution. I don’t know if these are teaching stories or true stories, but I love the idea.
In the RCC, is the priest’s role in hearing the confession the same, or slightly different? Do you confess TO the priest?