(ZENIT News / Rome, 09.28.2026).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: At confession, if a confessor says, “I forgive you all your sins” instead “I absolve you of your sins,” is that confession valid? — B.B., Calgary, Alberta
A: While there are differences of opinion among experts regarding the possibility of this adaption, the majority would seem to hold that it is an invalid formula.
The formula of absolution is:
“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his son has reconciled the world to himself and poured out the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God grant 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.”
Priests should always and everywhere use the proper formula of the sacraments. Of the above formula, the expression «I absolve you of your sins» has been customarily considered as constituting the essential words that may be used alone in emergencies with imminent danger of death.
Indeed, St. Thomas Aquinas and the majority of classical manuals held that the nucleus of the formula was the expression «I absolve you.» A few also sustained that the words «from your sins» were also necessary. All agreed that the Trinitarian invocation and the other prayers were not required for validity but were necessary for the sacrament’s licit celebration in non-emergency situations.
We can also take into account the Thomistic doctrine that holds that a change of wording that does not compromise the sacrament’s meaning would still be valid, albeit illicit. Hence a slight lapse or omission in reciting the formula of absolution would not affect its validity, provided that the essential words are said and the meaning is not changed. For example, if the priest slips up and says, “All your sins” rather than just “your sins,” the absolution is still valid as the essential meaning has not been changed.
However, in the opinion of many theologians, the use of the form «I forgive you» would change the meaning of the formula and hence be invalid.
This is because, while they may appear to be synonymous, they actually describe two different actions.
Absolution is the act by which a duly authorized priest, acting in the person of Christ, declares that he remits the guilt and penalty due to sin.
Forgiveness is not a juridical but a personal act. Since all sin is an offense against God, only God can forgive sins and restore the person to the fullness of the state of grace removing all sinfulness from the soul (John 20:22-23).
The priest, as a human person, can certainly forgive another human being who has offended him personally, but strictly speaking, he cannot forgive offences made against God. As God’s representative, he can authoritatively absolve or remit those sins.
While it is probably certain that the priest in question had no intention of using an invalid formula, and indeed likely believed he was absolving the penitent, this is insufficient in itself to remedy the lack of validity.
If the penitent realizes immediately that the priest has used an invalid formula, he or she should gently point it out to the priest and request the proper formula. It may have been a momentary lapse.
The penitent who realizes only at a later stage that the formula was invalid should approach the priest and inform him of this situation. If the priest insists on using this formula, the bishop should be informed for appropriate action.
Since some penitents will never realize that the formula was invalid, the fact that he or she fulfilled all that was usually required for a valid confession would assure that the sins confessed have been effectively forgiven by God, albeit in an extra sacramental manner. This would probably be analogous to the situation of a penitent who confessed to a priest unaware that he lacked proper faculties.
Because of this, even the penitent who later becomes aware of the incorrect formula may in good conscience receive the Eucharist while awaiting a convenient time in which to approach another confessor, explain the situation, and receive valid absolution.
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Readers may send questions to zenit.liturgy@gmail.com. Please put the word «Liturgy» in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the great number of questions that arrive.
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