It is not usually the custom for the priest to hear the Confessions of his own wife and children or other close family members, although it is not entirely forbidden, especially in case of emergency. A bishop does not normally hear the Confessions of any of his priests. I should think that the principle operating here could be extended to close friends (or adversaries, for that matter).
Meanwhile, just to reassure people: I've been hearing Confessions for forty years myself. It's amazing how rapidly the priest forgets what he has heard - or maybe it's the amazing grace of God, to Whom the Confession is actually addressed.
I advise people looking for a spiritual director to try across the hall, unless they really want me for whatever reason. Then I remind them that most of such a relationship must take place outside the "confessional" (a purely metaphorical reference), because the spiritual director, unlike the confessor, needs to be able to remember what the spiritual son has been saying and needs to be able to pick up the conversation again [such conversations remain privileged under civil law].
Very few priests actually enjoy hearing Confessions.
Fr. Serge
