General absolution: when the Church allows it

General absolution is absolution a priest gives to a group of people at once, without each person first confessing individually. The Church allows it only in grave necessity: when people are in imminent danger of death and there's no time to hear each confession, or when there are so few priests that people would go a long time without the sacraments through no fault of their own (CCC 1483). Even then, anyone with grave sins must confess them individually afterwards.

What is general absolution?

In ordinary Confession, you tell your sins to a priest and he absolves you personally. That one-to-one meeting is the only ordinary way to be reconciled with God and the Church after grave sin. Only physical or moral impossibility excuses from it (Code of Canon Law, can. 960; CCC 1484).

General absolution is the exception. The priest invites everyone present to repent, they make an act of sorrow together, and he absolves the whole group. It's one of three ways of celebrating the sacrament in the Rite of Penance, and by far the rarest. The other two are individual Confession and a communal penance service, where people pray together and then each person confesses privately to a priest.

When is general absolution allowed?

Church law allows it in two situations (can. 961 §1):

1. Imminent danger of death. There isn't time for the priest or priests to hear each person's confession. Think of soldiers about to go into battle, a ship in distress, or a disaster with many people dying at once.
2. Grave necessity. There are so many penitents and so few confessors that people can't be heard properly within a reasonable time, and so they would be deprived of sacramental grace or Holy Communion for a long time, through no fault of their own. This can happen in mission territories, where a priest reaches remote villages only now and then.

In the second case, the diocesan bishop judges whether the conditions are met, not the individual priest (can. 961 §2; CCC 1483). During the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, for example, the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican office for matters of Confession, said such cases were arising in the hardest-hit places, giving the example of priests at the entrance to hospital wards with infected patients in danger of death, and left the judgment to each bishop.

The Church is specific about what doesn't count. A large crowd on a great feast or a pilgrimage is not grave necessity (CCC 1483). A long Confession line before Christmas or Easter isn't enough, however long it is. The answer there is more priests and more hours in the confessional.

What does general absolution require?

For the absolution to be valid for you, two things are needed (can. 962 §1):

• You must be properly disposed. That means sorry for your sins and intending to turn away from them. Before giving general absolution, the priest is to urge everyone to make an act of contrition, even in danger of death if there is time (can. 962 §2).
• You must intend to confess your grave sins individually in due time. Without that intention, the absolution isn't valid for you (CCC 1483).

In the rite, the priest usually asks those who want absolution to show it with a sign, such as kneeling or bowing their heads. Then he prays the words of absolution over everyone. If you're unsure what absolution itself is, we explain it in what is absolution?

Do you still have to go to Confession after general absolution?

Yes, if you had grave sins. They are truly forgiven by the general absolution, and you may receive Communion. But Church law says that anyone whose grave sins were forgiven this way should go to individual Confession as soon as they have the chance, and before receiving another general absolution unless there's a just cause (can. 963). The yearly duty to confess grave sins still applies too (can. 989).

Why confess sins that are already forgiven? Because the Church holds that the personal meeting with Christ belongs to the sacrament itself. In Confession, the Catechism says, Christ "personally addresses every sinner" (CCC 1484). General absolution brings forgiveness when that meeting is impossible. Once it becomes possible again, you go.

Venial sins aren't part of this obligation. If none of your sins were grave, you don't owe a follow-up Confession, though going is still good for you. More in do you have to confess venial sins?

Why is general absolution so rare?

Because the Church sees individual Confession as a gift worth protecting. You name your own sins, a priest answers you, and you hear that you are forgiven. A crowd can't give you that.

In some places in the decades after the Second Vatican Council, general absolution became a regular parish event, offered in place of individual Confession. The Church corrected this. In 2002, Pope John Paul II's letter Misericordia Dei restated the strict limits and asked bishops to make sure individual Confession is easy to find.

So in ordinary times, outside a real emergency, you won't be offered general absolution, and you don't need it. The confessional is open, usually every week.

If you're in danger and no priest is near

General absolution still needs a priest. If none can reach you, turn to God directly. Sorrow from love of God, with the intention of confessing when you can, obtains forgiveness even of mortal sins (CCC 1452). Pray an act of contrition in whatever words come, and help anyone with you to do the same.

And in ordinary life, if it's been a while, look up your parish's Confession times this week. If none fit, call the office and ask for an appointment. Priests are glad to make time.