It occurs to me, as I set about writing my current WIP, that I really don't know much about the Catholic confessional except what I've seen on TV. I was wondering if anyone here could give me a hand.
There IS a forumla, isn't there? It isn't my imagination that, when a person sits down in the confessional they say, "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned." Then they say, "It has been __ since my last confessional." And then they describe their sins and the confessor listens. He then gives them pennance.
My major question: would a confessor give advice? If someone came into the confessional, confessed their sin, admitted they were in a bad spot (spiritually and/or temporally), and asked for some advice, would this surprise the confessor? Or would he be used to being asked for advice?
[ If you don't know and if it makes much of a difference, this is late 18th century (still Catholic) France. ]
There IS a forumla, isn't there? It isn't my imagination that, when a person sits down in the confessional they say, "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned." Then they say, "It has been __ since my last confessional." And then they describe their sins and the confessor listens. He then gives them pennance.
My major question: would a confessor give advice? If someone came into the confessional, confessed their sin, admitted they were in a bad spot (spiritually and/or temporally), and asked for some advice, would this surprise the confessor? Or would he be used to being asked for advice?
[ If you don't know and if it makes much of a difference, this is late 18th century (still Catholic) France. ]