Can Protestants Go To Confession?

[MStar]

My non-denom. Christian friend (who is seriously looking into becoming Catholic) wants to know if he can go to Confession. He believes in the priest acting in the place of Christ, he believes in the validity of the Sacrament and of course, he's baptized.
??
Thanks!

[Thy Geekdom Come]

This is an interesting question. The short answer is no. Now before you run away with the wrong idea, allow me to explain. In Catholic theology, the Church is saved by being bound to Christ ("the Bride of Christ"), and those individuals who are in union with the Church share in that salvation (just as the Church shares in the salvation of Jesus Christ through His Death and Resurrection). The sacraments bind individuals more closely to Jesus Christ, making them more and more like Him, and making them more capable of sharing in salvation. This requires, of course, that they have the proper disposition (they are open to the grace), which is a matter of living the faith through grace (you might call it putting that grace to work in everyday life).

Baptism is the first sacrament to unite a person to Christ. After that person commits post-Baptismal sin, the person can go to Reconciliation. However, since salvation is accomplished through union with the Church, a person who is not (yet) in complete union with the Church would not have the proper disposition. Such a person is not capable of being reconciled to the Church while at the same time rejecting certain Church teachings. In other words, the Sacrament of Reconciliation wouldn't take with a person who is not capable of being reconciled (at that time).

This is essentially the same reason that we say non-Catholic Christians can be saved, but not if they reject the Catholic faith when they know they shouldn't (in other words, those who don't know better aren't really rejecting the faith, they are accepting all they know to accept, while those who do know better but reject the faith anyway will be held accountable).

Not to despair! Non-Catholics are more than welcome to meet with a priest and get sins off their chests, they just can't receive the sacrament and spiritual cleansing of Confession. Further, any baptized non-Catholic Christian who is in RCIA goes to Confession before receiving the other sacraments. In such a situation, that person is formally a Catholic at Confession (and receives all the benefits of the sacrament), although the official rite has not been entered into yet.

I hope this helps.

God bless,

Micah