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What Constitutes Absolution

Question:

What is required for a valid absolution?

Answer:

The most essential words of absolution are: “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Rite of Penance, 19). Although the fuller prayer (“God the Father of mercies . . .”) should be used in most cases, it is not essential to the validity of the absolution.

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