The Priest, the Woman, and the Confessional

by Charles P. Chiniquy, Alberto Rivera (Introduction)

Former priest reveals a tragic danger of the confessional What happens when women are commanded, under penalty of eternal damnation, to confess to a man their deepest sexual thoughts and sins? Former priest, Charles Chiniquy, continually dealt with this problem. He personally heard the confessions of over 200 priests. All but 21 admitted falling prey to Satan's devices in this area. This book reverently and tastefully exposes why confession of sins to a man cannot be of God. You'll see how this practice destroys both the priest and the person doing the confessing.

Genres: Catholic

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1875

About the author

Charles Paschal Telesphore Chiniquy (30 July 1809 – 16 January 1899) was originally a Canadian Catholic priest who became a Presbyterian pastor and mad conspiracy theorist.

Reviews

[Gordon Weatherby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in 1875 by a former Roman Catholic priest who had served for twenty five years in this position.

As one who is not from the Roman church the whole idea of the confessional seems so terrible and wrong at the best of times.

This book was certainly eye opening in regards to the confessional, and just how degrading it is and has been to most people, but especially to women. This former priest brought out that in the confessional the priest would ask the deepest and darkest secrets of a person, and even wanting every detail of the sexual experiences, and even their sexual thoughts.

According to the author many women and priests have been brought to sexual degradation, and lusts as a result of the activity within the confessional. He said that many women have also entered into sexual affairs with Roman priests because of these talks in the confessional.

Certainly the entire book was illuminating of this situatIon.

I do feel this former priest elaborated more than he needed to with examples of this and could have effectively covered everything he had to say even cutting out as much as half of the book.

[Khrisered · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enlightening study from an expert in this field

[Steven H · Rating 1 out of 5]

THE INFAMOUS EX-PRIEST'S POLEMIC AGAINST THE CONFESSIONAL

Charles P. Chiniquy (1809-1899) was a Canadian Catholic priest who in about 1858 was either (a) excommunicated as a schismatic, or (b) resigned as result of becoming a "true" Christian, and then became a Presbyterian pastor. He also wrote books such as 'Fifty Years in the "Church" of Rome.'

He begins this 1874 book with the statement, "There are two women who ought to be the constant objects of the compassion of the disciples of Christ... the Brahmin woman who... burns herself on the corpse of her husband... and the Roman Catholic woman, who... suffers a torture far more cruel and ignominious in the confessional-box to appease the wrath of her wafer-god.' (Pg. 13)

He states, "The cause of the supreme... immorality of the priests of Rome is a very evident and logical one. By the diabolical power of the Pope, the priest is put out of the ways which God has offered to the generality of men to be honest, upright and holy. And after the Pope has deprived them of the ... remedy which God has given to man against his own concupiscence---holy marriage, they are placed unprotected and unguarded in the most perilous, difficult, and irresistible moral dangers which human ingenuity or depravity can conceive. Those unmarried men are forced, from morning to night, to be in the midst of beautiful girls, and tempting, charming women, who have to tell them things which would melt the hardest steel. How can you expect that they will cease to be men, and become stronger than angels?" (Pg. 34)

He suggests that a woman in the confessional "freely speaks with her confessor on matters, for reprinting which a printer in England has lately been sent to jail.... with a real sensual pleasure, that fallen angel, when alone, will think on what she has heard, and what she has said in the confessional-box. Then... the vilest thoughts will... irresistibly fill her mind; and soon... engender temptations and sins... The convictions of her sins is now immediately connected with the thought of a man with whom she will have to speak, and who will easily make everything right and pure in her soul by his absolution... Her most happy hours are when she is at the feet of that spiritual physician... explaining all her constant temptations, her bad thoughts, her most intimate secret desires and sins." (Pg. 51-52)

He suggests, "through the confessional, an unfathomable abyss has been dug by the Church of Rome, between the heart of the wife and the heart of the husband... The confessor is the master, the ruler, the king of the soul; the husband, as the graveyard-keeper, must be satisfied with the carcass!" (Pg. 62) He adds, "Would the priest so freely ask this and that from a married woman, if he knew that her husband could hear him? No, surely not! for he is well aware that the enraged husband would blow out the brains of the villain who, under the sacrilegious pretext of purifying the soul of his wife, is filling her breast with every kind of pollution and infamy." (Pg. 72)

He concludes, "like the priests of the Pope, the priests to Bacchus, to console themselves for the restraints of celibacy, had invented auricular confession. Through the secret confidences of the confessional, the priests of the old idols, as well as those of the newly-invented wafer gods... knew to whom they should address themselves, and make their vows of celibacy an easy yoke." (Pg. 140)

This book is as "over the top" as was his '50 years' book. The assertions against Chiniquy's own moral character (e.g., the accusation that he was excommunicated for "moral turpitude") suggest that one should approach his books warily. Caveat Emptor...

[Monika Rizova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Конечно ја завршив!!! Quite an eye opener. Се работи за книга полемика и нефикција за опасноста од чинот на исповед пред свештеник (со акцент на римокатоличките свештеници)
Писателот, и самиот свештеник предупредува дека чинот на исповед е сериозна опасност за душата на жената што се кае, а е искушение за свештеникот. Наведува огромен број случаи, кадешто чинот на исповед се претворил во сексуални врски помеѓу конфесорот и покајничката! Самата исповед, како тајна, tete-a-tete со неоженет маж, во кој што свештеникот ќе поставува детални прашања за гревови од деликатна природа, многу често водела до чинови на најголем грев. Ова важело и за мажени жени и за девојки, па дури и деца. Страшно кога ќе размисли човек. Дури и кога ќе се откриела измамата, свештеникот само бил преместуван во друг град или парохија.
Понатаму, авторот посочува дека премисата на исповедта како “чистење“ на гревови е невозможна, бидејќи само Бог е единствениот што може да прости, никакви други негови министри, зашто сите се луѓе - и грешни. Истакнува дека самата Црква го испрашува во исповедта свештеникот дали слушал за да задоволи зли импулси во себе со цел да греши.
Многу животи биле упропастени од чинот на исповед во минатото и тоа неповратно, засекогаш. Не сум запознаена со исповедта во денешно време, дали прашањата се се' уште толку бесрамни, бескрупулозни, детални (за деликатни гревови), но ова четиво беше просветлувачко. 4/5

[Arash Ahsani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Confessional is no longer limited to Catholicism for it has grown roots in every aspect of the Secular World in the name Psychiatry and Psychology, this newly made priesthood class of the Heathen World Order claim moral superiority the same way the Catholic priesthood claimed holiness through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, and they offer what the priesthood calls Remission of Sin by naming every evil action of their patients as a disorder, but only after the patient has completely confessed to every evil action he has done in the name of the Therapeutic Session, no wonder that criminals seek to visit a psychiatrist before their sentencing because they know that the holy order of mental health experts are the only class who have the power of remitting sin through diagnosing a person as mentally disordered and consequently justifying one's criminal behavior.

[Rocky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Other books are general in an overview of mystery babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. This book is a biography of what Charles P. Chiniquy saw daily within the roman catholic institution, its priests { Luke 11, 22, 23; Matthew 23, 24, et cetera , abbots, "fathers" - Matthew 23:9 ! } , nuns and jesuit priests. The book has been widely condemned, as are the books, illustrated pamphlets and tapes by Alberto Rivera. Goodreads "rating" table does not work. I would rate the book as a "5" out of 5; "10 out of 10 - what ever scale goodreads uses. I selected 1989 as the date I began reading; 1990 as the date I finished. Software is terrible at best. Definitely DO read this book. - Nextaxpro http://Nextaxpro.wordpress.com

[Mrs PH Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

.

This book is a real eye opener to all who are concerned for the truth ,and desire to warn others of the danger of the confessional and in my humble opinion it's diabolical doctrines .It is also a great aid to those who loves Catholics but hates Catholicism .

[yórgos]

complete waste of time.

[Melissbian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire premise of this book is that women, because they are women, should not have to be questioned during confession and, moreover, not have to confess at all. While I agree with doing away with confession, the arguments that are used against it are sexist and antiquated. The anecdotes are designed to be titillating and hedge around subjects the book is condemning, rather than addressing them outright. Priests, he says, introduce corruption into the innocent by planting sinful ideas where they previously had no chance to grow. However, he is attacking the act of confession, rather than the whole of religion, which allows corruption to hold sway over the masses. He, of course, is protecting himself with these arguments (he left the Catholic church, but continues to be a man of the cloth). Essentially he's saying, "Hide yo' wives, hide yo' children, OTHER GUYS are coming to get them (obviously I am not one of them)."

I read this book because it is mentioned in Ulysses by James Joyce. Bloom mentions it in reference to the catholic church and its corruption, particularly pertaining to women. I'm glad I read it to inform my future re-readings of Ulysses, but I don't consider it worthwhile otherwise.