“CONFESSION GAFFES”: DID MY PRIEST VALIDLY ABSOLVE MY SINS? Your questions answered. This is an issue that became annoyingly relevant to me a few months ago, due to the shankery of a couple priests. WHY do people feel the need to inject their own personalities and little phrasings into a sacrament? It is not hard to just say the words everyone knows, so that no one is confused. Via the Old Oligarch, who is back and blogging up a storm.