Editing Absolution (section)

==Oriental Orthodox Churches==
The [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox Churches]] are [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern Christian]] churches which recognize only the first three [[ecumenical council]]s—the [[First Council of Nicaea]], the [[First Council of Constantinople]] and the [[First Council of Ephesus]]. Often called [[Monophysite]] by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, the Oriental Orthodox reject this description as inaccurate, having rejected the teachings of both [[Nestorius]] and [[Eutyches]]. They prefer to be called [[Miaphysite]].<ref name="first seven">{{cite book |last=Davis, [[Society of Jesus|SJ]] |first=Leo Donald |url=https://archive.org/details/firstsevenec_davi_1990_000_6702418/page/342 |title=The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325–787): Their History and Theology (Theology and Life Series 21) |publisher=Michael Glazier/Liturgical Press |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-8146-5616-7 |location=Collegeville, MN |pages=[https://archive.org/details/firstsevenec_davi_1990_000_6702418/page/342 342]}}</ref>

Although not in communion with the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Assyrian Churches, ecumenical dialogues with The Oriental Orthodox Churches have led to common declarations concerning shared doctrines. The Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Malankara, and Syriac Orthodox Churches are in full communion with each other, but have slight variations in their practice and teaching on absolution and penance.<ref name="sor.cua.edu">{{Cite web |title=Margoneetho: Syriac Orthodox Resources |url=https://syriacorthodoxresources.org/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=syriacorthodoxresources.org}}</ref>

===Armenian Orthodox===
[[Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger]], in his ''Ritus Orientalium'' (1863), gives us a full translation from Armenian into Latin of the penitential ritual used by the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]. This version is attested to as far back as the 9th century.  Notably, the form of absolution which is declarative, is also preceded by a deprecative prayer for mercy and for forgiveness.

:May the merciful Lord have pity on you and forgive you your faults; in virtue of my priestly power, by the authority and command of God expressed in these words, 'whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven', I absolve you from thy sins, I absolve you from thy thoughts, from your words, from your deeds, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and I restore you to the Sacrament of the Holy Church. May all your good works be for you an increase of merit, may they be for the glory of life everlasting, Amen."<ref name="Catholic"/>

A more modern version is as follows:
:May God who loves mankind have mercy on you and forgive all of your sins, both those which you have confessed as well as those which you have forgotten. Therefore, with the priestly authority committed to me and by the Lord’s command that ‘whatever you forgive on earth shall be forgiven in heaven’; by His very word I absolve you of all participation in sin committed in thought, in word, and in deed, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and I reinstate you in the sacraments of the Holy Church, that whatever you may do, may be accounted to you for good and for the glory in the life to come. Amen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.holy-martyrs.org/article.asp?article_id=6|title = Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs}}</ref>

'''Non-sacramental absolutions'''
:With the Divine Liturgy, just before the administration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the priest prays:
:Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy.
:May God who loves mankind have mercy on you and forgive all of your sins, both those which you have confessed, as well as those which you have forgotten. Therefore, with the priestly authority committed to me and by the Lord’s command that “Whatever you forgive on earth shall be forgiven in heaven,” by his very word, I absolve you of all participation in sin, in thought, in word, and in deed, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And I reinstate you in the sacraments of the holy Church, that whatever you may do may be accounted to you for good and for the glory of the life to come. Amen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stjamesevanston.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/The_Divine_Liturgy-English.pdf|title=The Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church|date=June 2013|website=stjamesevanston.org}}</ref>

===Coptic Orthodox===
[[Henri Hyvernat]] asserts that the [[liturgical book]]s of the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Copts]] have no penitential formulæ, however, this is because the Copts include in the ritual books only those things which are not found in other books. The prayers of sacramental absolution are the same as those which the priest recites at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy.

William du Bernat in his {{lang|fr|Lettres édifiantes}} written to Fleurian says, in reference to the Sacrament of Penance among the Copts, that the Copts believe themselves bound to a full confession of their sins. He also remarks that after the absolution by the priest, the same priest adds a "Benediction." Bernat compares this to the prayer to the {{lang|la|Passio Domini}} used in the Roman Rite (see above) after absolution has been imparted. This is rejected by Hyvernat.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01061a.htm|title = CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Absolution}}</ref>

After the recitation of psalm 51 and the penitent's confession, the priest, standing, places the cross in his right hand on the confessing person's head, holding their temples between his fingers, and prays three prayers. The first two prayers do not mention absolution, but prepare for it by acts of faith and adoration with a plea for good things.

First:
:O Lord, who have given authority unto us to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon all the power of the enemy, crush his heads beneath our feet speedily, and scatter before us his every design of weakness that is against us. For You are the King of us all, O Christ our God, and to You we send up the glory and the honor and the adoration, with Your good Father and the Holy, life-giving, and consubstantial Spirit, now and at all times, and unto the age of all ages. Amen.

Second:
:You, O Lord, who created the heavens, You descended and became man for our salvation. You are He who sits upon the Cherubim and the Seraphim, and beholds them who are lowly. You also now, our Master, are He unto whom we lift up the eyes of our hearts, the Lord who forgives our iniquities and saves our souls from corruption. We worship Your unutterable compassion, and we ask You to give us Your peace, for You have given all things unto us. Acquire us unto Yourself, God our Savior, for we know none other but You; Your Holy Name we do utter. Turn us, God, into fearing You and desiring You. Be pleased that we abide in the enjoyment of Your good things, and those who have bowed their heads beneath Your hand, exalt them in their ways of life, and adorn them with virtues.  And may we all be worthy of Your Kingdom in the heavens, through the goodwill of God, Your good Father, with Whom You are blessed with the Holy, Life-giving Spirit, Consubstantial with You, now and forever, and unto the age of all ages. Amen.

The third is properly the "Absolution of the Son." The first part of this prayer is deprecative imploring Christ's forgiveness which was conceded by Him to His Apostles and the priests who have received the apostolic ministry. The final part uses the imperative. The prayer is also used by Coptic Catholics:<ref name="Irenee-Henri Dalmais 1960 pp. 100-101">Irenee-Henri Dalmais, ''The Eastern Liturgies'' (London: Burns & Oates, 1960), pp. 100–101.</ref>
:Master, Lord Jesus Christ the only-begotten Son and Logos of God the Father, Who has broken every bond of our sins through His saving, life-giving sufferings; Who breathed into the faces of His holy disciples and saintly Apostles, and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you will remit, they are remitted to them, and whose sins you will retain, they shall be retained.” Now, our Master, through Your holy apostles, You have also deigned to give grace to their successors in the priestly ministry in the bosom of your Holy Church, the faculty of remitting sins on earth, of binding and to loosing every bond of iniquity. Now, also, we pray and entreat Your goodness, O Lover of Mankind, for Your servant, N., whose head is bowed in the presence of Your Holy Glory, that he (she) may obtain your mercy and that you loose every bond of his (her) sins, which he (she) has committed against You, whether knowingly or unknowingly, or by fear, in word, in deed, or by weakness. You, O Master, who know the weakness of men, as a good and loving God, grant us the forgiveness of our sins ♱ (''The priest crosses himself''). Bless us, purify us, absolve us and absolve your servant N (''The priest crosses the penitent''). Fill us with Your fear, and straighten us unto Your holy, good will, for You are our God, and all glory, honor, dominion, and adoration are due unto You, with Your good Father, and the Holy Spirit, Consubstantial with You, now and forever, and unto the age of all ages. Amen.<ref>"Liturgy of Saint Basil," ''The Coptic Liturgy'' (Los Angeles: St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, No Date), pp.75–83</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sacraments of Repentance and Confession – CopticChurch.net |url=http://www.copticchurch.net/topics/thecopticchurch/sacraments/3_repentance_confesstion.html}}</ref>

'''Non-sacramental Absolutions'''

The above ''Absolution of the Son,'' with slight modification, namely to absolve one penitent rather than a group of people, is part of the Eucharistic Liturgy of Saint Basil. Irenee-Henri Dalmais points out that a common practice is to regard the censing at the beginning of the Eucharistic Liturgy as the sacrament of penance. Worshippers make their confession to the [[thurible]] and the priest prays a solemn form of absolution called the "Absolution of the Son."<ref name="Irenee-Henri Dalmais 1960 pp. 100-101" /> Whichever priest is the main celebrant or the eldest prays the following absolution:

:May Thy servants, O Lord, ministering this day, the hegumenos, the priest, the deacons, the clergy, the congregation, and my own weakness, be absolved and blessed from the mouth of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, from the mouth of the One Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church, the mouths of the twelve apostles, of the beholder of God, Mark the Evangelist, the holy Apostle and Martyr, of the Patriarch Saint Severus, of our teacher Dioscorus, of Athanasius the Apostolic Saint, of Saint Peter the high- priest and seal of the Martyrs, of Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Cyril, Saint Basil, Saint Gregory, from the mouths of the three hundred and eighteen who met at Nicaea, the one hundred and fifty who met at Constantinople, and the two hundred who met at Ephesus, from the mouth of our honored high-priest and father [Anba ... ] and his assistant in the apostolic ministry, our honored metropolitan [Bishop] and father [Anba ... ], and from the mouth of my own weakness. For blessed and full of glory is Thy Holy Name, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Another absolution, called the "Absolution of the Father" is found after the Lord's Prayer which itself follows the [[Eucharistic Prayer]]. In this Absolution, the priest prays:

:Master, Lord God, the Pantocrator, healer of our souls, our bodies and our spirits, Thou art He who said to our father Peter, through the mouth of Thine Only-begotten Son our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, “Thou art Peter, and on this rock I build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. I will deliver the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to thee, what thou bindst on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what thou loosest on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” May, O lord, Thy servants, my fathers, and brethren, and my own weakness, be absolved from my mouth, through Thy Holy Spirit, O good and lover of mankind. O God, who hast borne the sin of the world, vouchsafe to accept the repentance of Thy servants—as a light toward knowledge and remission of sins. For Thou art a kind and merciful God, forbearing, righteous, and compassionate. If we have sinned against Thee in word or in deed, do forgive us, for Thou art good and lover of mankind. Absolve us, O God, and absolve all Thy people [here the priest makes mention of the names of living and dead persons, and himself] of every sin, every curse, every ungratefulness, every false oath, every encounter with ungodly heretics. Bestow upon us, O Lord, a good mind and a power of understanding, to flee from every iniquity till the end, and to do those things which satisfy Thee every time. Write our names together with all the hosts of Thy Saints in the Kingdom of Heaven. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.<ref>''The Coptic Liturgy ("Liturgy of Saint Basil")'', (Los Angeles: St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, No Date), pp. 213–216</ref><ref name="coptic.net">{{Cite web|url=http://www.coptic.net/prayers/StBasilLiturgy.html|title = Liturgy}}</ref>

:Remember, O Lord, my own weakness and forgive my many sins, and where transgression has abounded, let your grace be multiplied in abundance. Because of my own sins and the abomination of my heart, deprive not your people of the grace of your Holy Spirit. Absolve us and absolve all your people from every sin, from every curse, from every denial, from every false oath, and from every encounter with the heretics and the heathens. O our Lord, grant us a reason, power, and understanding to flee from any evil deed of the adversary, and grant us to do what is pleasing unto you at all times. Inscribe our names with all the choir of your saints in the kingdom of the heavens, in Christ Jesus, our Lord, through whom the glory, the honour, the dominion, and the adoration are due unto you, with him and the holy spirit, the life-giver who is of one essence with you, now and at all times and unto the age of all ages. Amen.<ref name="coptic.net"/>

===Ethiopian Orthodox===

===Syriac and Malankara Orthodox===
The [[Syriac Christianity|Syrians]] who are united with the Roman See use a relatively recent declarative form in imparting absolution. The present Miaphysite Churches, sometimes called [[Jacobite Church|Jacobite]], of [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syria]] and of [[Malankara Orthodox|India]] not only teach that their priests have power from Christ to absolve from sin, but their ritual is expressive of this same power. Denzinger in his ''Ritus Orientalium'' preserves a 12th-century document which gives in full the order of absolution.<ref name="Catholic"/>

One example of absolution is declarative but in the third person in two petitions invoking Father and Son, respectively, and deprecative in the final invoking the Holy Spirit.
:Sin is taken away from your soul and your body in the name of the Father. Amen. You are made clean and holy in the name of the Son. Amen. May you be forgiven and share the holy mysteries in the name of the Holy Spirit (for everlasting life). Amen.<ref>Robert L. Fastiggi, ''The Sacrament of Reconciliation: An Anthropological and Scriptural Understanding'', (Chicago: Hillenbrand Books, 2017), p. 51.</ref>

The form currently in use for absolving the laity uses a first person indicative form while the absolution of the clergy is a third person deprecatory form.<ref name="books.google.com"/> The Malankara Church which derives from the Syriac Orthodox Church uses the same formula.

To absolve a member of the laity, the priest lays his right hand on the head of the penitent and says: 
:May God have mercy upon you and guide you to eternal life. By the authority of the sacred priesthood, which was entrusted by our Lord, Jesus Christ, to His disciples, who, in turn, handed it to their successors, until it was given to my humble person. I absolve you, my brother, from all sins that you have confessed and repented of them, as well as all the transgressions that have escaped your memory, in the name of the Father ♱, Son ♱ and Holy Spirit ♱ for ever-lasting life. Amen.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dss-syriacpatriarchate.org |title=Penance Rites |website=dss-syriacpatriarchate.org |access-date=14 August 2022}}</ref>

To absolve a member of the clergy, the priest says:
:May God, Who blessed his holy disciples, bless you. May He preserve you from all evil deeds and perfect you in the gracious ones that you may be the keeper of His commandments and the fulfiller of His laws. May He make you a chosen vessel that is fit for the service of His glory. May you enjoy peace in Him, and may He be pleased with you and according to His Good Will, may you be blessed, absolved and consecrated, in the Name of the Father ♱, amen, and of the Son ♱, amen and of the Holy Spirit ♱ for everlasting life. Amen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://syriacorthodoxresources.org/Liturgy/Anaphora/Repentance.html |title=The Sacrament of Repentance |website=syriacorthodoxresources.org |access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Holy Confession |url=https://malankara.com/node/206 |website=malankara.com |access-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111094233/https://malankara.com/node/206 |archive-date=11 January 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>