День Седьмой. Alexey Uminskiy
YouTube
Priest's harsh confession demands called violence against the person
12:45
What the video says
A layperson describes a painful confession experience where the rector, serving alone and irritable, angrily rejected their attempt to shorten confession due to a long line, demanded a list of sins, and criticized their absence from the all-night vigil. The layperson explains they and their wife are full-time students undergoing expensive psychotherapy for serious mental health conditions, making Saturday evening their only rest time, and the encounter left the wife in tears and both shaken before communion.
The responding priest calls this violence against the person, arguing that Christ invites the sick to communion, not the sinless, and that priests who impose formal barriers, lengthy rules, mandatory canons, vigil attendance, act like border guards rather than physicians. He notes that the only sin barring communion is unrepented enmity, citing the pre-communion prayer and Christ's command to reconcile before offering one's gift.
He contrasts this with priests themselves, who serve the Eucharist weekly but are required to confess only twice yearly in the Moscow diocese, their confession untied to each liturgy.
Key moments
- The layperson recounts being forced into infrequent communion in 2020-21 due to excessive preparation requirements, later finding priests who explained the rules were not mandatory.
- At today's liturgy, only the rector was present to serve and hear confessions simultaneously; he appeared irritable and angrily rejected the layperson's offer to skip a detailed sin list to save time.
- The priest insisted on a formal confession, leading the layperson to list made-up sins, and criticized their absence from the Saturday all-night vigil.
- The layperson explains they and their wife are in psychotherapy for a mental disorder and a personality disorder, are full-time students working to afford therapy costing far more than 500 rubles per session, and need Saturday evening to rest.
- The wife left the church in tears, already in a spiritual crisis unable to accept God's love; both eventually communed but found the sermon on God's love and joy unbearable after the encounter.
- The responding priest calls the incident real violence against the human person, emphasizing that the faithful come to God at communion, not to a priest acting as a controller.
- The priest argues that treating confession as a checkpoint requiring sinlessness before communion contradicts Christ's words that the sick need a physician, and cites 1 John on sins leading to death versus the daily Christian state.
- The priest notes that priests in the Moscow diocese are required to confess only twice yearly, their confession never tied to each Eucharist they serve, unlike the heavy burdens they lay on the laity.
A layperson describes a confession where the rector, serving alone and visibly irritated, angrily refused a request to shorten the confession because of a long line. The priest demanded a detailed list of sins and criticized the layperson for missing the Saturday all-night vigil. The layperson explains that both they and their wife are full-time students undergoing expensive psychotherapy for serious mental health conditions, making Saturday evening their only time to rest. The encounter left the wife in tears and both shaken before communion.
The responding priest calls the incident real violence against the human person. He argues that Christ invites the sick to communion, not the sinless, and that priests who impose formal barriers, mandatory canons, and vigil attendance act like border guards rather than physicians. He states that the only sin barring communion is unrepented enmity, citing the pre-communion prayer and Christ's command to reconcile before offering one's gift.
He contrasts this with the practice for clergy: priests in the Moscow diocese are required to confess only twice yearly, and their confession is never tied to each Eucharist they serve, unlike the heavy burdens they lay on the laity.
Main points
- Layperson and wife are full-time students in psychotherapy for mental health conditions; therapy costs far exceed 500 rubles per session, leaving Saturday evening as only rest time.
- Rector served alone, appeared irritable, rejected shortened confession, demanded formal sin list, and criticized absence from all-night vigil.
- Wife left church in tears, already in spiritual crisis; both communed but found sermon on God's love unbearable after the encounter.
- Responding priest calls the incident violence, says Christ invites the sick not the sinless, and only unrepented enmity bars communion.
- Moscow diocese priests confess only twice yearly, their confession untied to each liturgy they serve, unlike requirements imposed on laity.