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Hello,
I'm eastern orthodox. I am not sure what to do about my situation. The last time I went to confession at my church, my priest said some things that made me uncomfortable and not wanting to go back there for confession. There are no other orthodox churches in my area. Is it possible to confess at a catholic or byznatine catholic church?

maybe you were meant to be uncomfortable its hard to say since you just mentioned some thing.
Stephanos I

No, not quite...of course it is always hard for me to confess sins to another human. The response is what made me very uncomfortable. I wasn't even offerred any advice.

How many times have you confessed with that priest?

He hasn't been with our parish that long...I'd say about 5.

From the Catholic side there is no hindrance to you Confessing to any of our priests, even Latin ones; the Orthodox are viewed as truly Sacramental Churches, and therefore are welcome to share in the Sacraments in certain circumstances. The Canons of your own Church may prevent you from doing so, however, so I'd check into that carefully; we wouldn't want you getting in trouble with your own Church in the process!

Peace and God bless!

Hmmm....good point...

So, what would you all do if you were in my situation?...

It depends on you to make the decision respecting your conscience.
Is there no other Orthodox jurisdiction nearby?
If yes I would go there. But it is clear that you have to something for the good of your soul.
Stephanos I

Contact your former priest.

When my former pastor moved, I did keep in contact with him for about two years until I found another spiritual father with his blessing.

I have chemical sensitivities and some priests just do not understand me. Some types of incense, especially the more expensive Rose-incense really makes me deathly ill and causes my bronchitis to flare up. Yet, they want to use it. So the priest will tell me to take some medicine, but I am allergic to almost all medications, so that even my allergist does not know what to do with me except to tell me to drink water. It becomes a vicious circle especially when I cannot come to church.

Do not seek Confession or any other Mysteries outside of the Orthodox Church.

If you are unable to travel to another Orthodox Parish or Monastery, you could probably arrange (with your Parish Priest AND another Orthodox Priest attached to a different Parish, Monastery, or Seminary) to Confess your Sins and receive Spiritual guidance over the telephone, mail, or perhaps even e-mail, and then after Confessing receive Absolution through your Parish Priest.

I just wouldn't want to collaborate that with my current priest since it is him that made me feel very hesitant to go back.

Incogneat, is it imperative that jkay's parish priest be involved? Are Orthodox priests generally that involved in a parishioners confession? It would seem that not every parishioner is going to be able to relate to a priest.

How about a videocam confession?

Dear jkay,

As stated before, the Catholic Church has no objection for you to receive the sacraments from a Catholic minister, if you so freely wish.

The Orthodox Church, though, would probably excommunicate you if you do.

If this is the only Orthodox church in your area and if it is not doing you much spiritual good and if you beleive there is grace in the Catholic sacraments/mysteries, would you consider entering into full communion with the Catholic Church?

You do not have to reply here. Think about it and pray for guidance.

Rest assured, we are praying with you.

Shalom,
Memo

It's hard to know exactly what advice to give when you are so vague about what made you uncomfortable. Everybody's mind is probably racing, drawing perhaps unwarranted conclusions. I can tell you from experience that although there are some priests that cross the line at times, there are many more 'sensitive' parishioners who will accept no spiritual advice at all because (although they are standing there at Confession) they really don't see themselves as sinners. This is why I now try to size people up and see if they are serious about wanting to change anything. If not, I just listen and absolve. It's easier on me anyway.

That being said, I'm sure that you have a legitimate concern, so I'll treat it that way.

As an Orthodox Christian, you are not free to receive the Mysteries outside the Orthodox Church.

Other possibilities exist:

1) Travel to another Orthodox parish for Confession every so often. (There seem to be a lot more Orthodox parishes around than Greek Catholic ones anyway.) If you go to Confession elsewhere, but will be receiving Holy Communion at your parish, your priest is going to have to be informed so that he doesn't think you are coming to Holy Communion without going to Confession. I, myself, would have no difficulty with plan this if you were my parishioner.

2) See if there is an Orthodox priest you are comfortable with who would hear your Confession over the telephone. If so, see if your parish priest will absolve you after confessing to your Spiritual Father this way. Catholic sacramental theology would not allow this arrangement, but Orthodox would and does. Many Presbyteras/Matushki and priestly families do things this way when they are in isolated parishes.

Fr David Straut