Confessing To A Non-Parish Priest.

[TeenApologist]

I'm home schooled and in studying the history of our church, I am currently in the renaissance time period, the thirteenth century. Pope Innocent III decreed that all Catholics must go to confession AT LEAST once a year. What struck me however was the next part.

It was also mandatory that one go to their parish priest for confession, and must obtain their parish priest's permission to go to confession with another priest. If they did not receive this permission, the confession they made was invalid. This was in response to catholics sinning more, and then going to a traveling friar who didn't know them for confession.

Is this something that has been changed? Or just something that I was unaware of that we are ignoring.

Thanks,
-TeenApologist

[cappie]

The Code of Canon Law as enacted suppresses laws that existed before there the current code replaced the 1917 Code.

The present Code states:

CHAPTER III : THE PENITENT
Can. 987 In order that the faithful may receive the saving remedy of the sacrament of penance, they must be so disposed that, repudiating the sins they have committed and having the purpose of amending their lives, they turn back to God.

Can. 988 §1 The faithful are bound to confess, in kind and in number, all grave sins committed after baptism, of which after careful examination of conscience they are aware, which have not yet been directly pardoned by the keys of the Church, and which have not been confessed in an individual confession.
§2 The faithful are recommended to confess also venial sins.

Can. 989 All the faithful who have reached the age of discretion are bound faithfully to confess their grave sins at least once a year.

Can. 990 No one is forbidden to confess through an interpreter, provided however that abuse and scandal are avoided, and without prejudice to the provision of can. 983 §2.

[b]Can. 991 All Christ's faithful are free to confess their sins to lawfully approved confessors of their own choice, even to one of another rite. [/b]