Texts in the sections below are taken from
The Roman Ritual and The Saint Andrew’s Daily Missal

TEXTS

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION and § 1-26

 

 

I. THE PENITENT’S PREPARATION

1. EXAMINATION of CONSCIENCE

2. CONTRITION

 

 

 

 

 

II. CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

III. SATISFACTION

 

 

 

 

 

IV. THANKSGIVING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

THE ROMAN RITUAL, 1963

 

 


THE ROMAN RITUAL, 1963

INTRODUCTION and § 1-26
 

 

 


 


PENANCE
 

 


 


INTRODUCTION
[This Introduction is not part of the Official Text of the Ordo Poenitentiae
 

 


WHEN the fathers of the Church say that penance is a second plank of salvation for all who have suffered supernatural shipwreck after baptism, it is implied that they conceive of a real dependence of the former upon the latter. And we understand from the development of doctrine that this dependence rests absolutely on the baptismal character, which is the basis in the subject for reconciliation and renewed friendship with God, if such is to be accomplished by sacramental means. For the character, the indelible seal of our organic union with Christ, is not destroyed by sin, no matter how heinous. Even the crime of unbelief, which alone severs all communion with Christ in His body, the Church, does not destroy the sacramental character. Tragic though it is, the culprit’s soul retains the mark of the divine Lamb — to its condemnation, it is true; yet in this case too rehabilitation or reincorporation in Christ will be founded on the same basis. It is owing to the ineffaceability of the character that baptism can never be repeated, and that there must be in the dispensation of Providence another sacrament of reconciliation, similar to baptism, but still distinct in its purpose and to certain defined limits in its effects. For baptism is a new creation, the sacrament of regeneration and incorporation in the mystic body, the bestowal of the pristine robe of sanctifying grace, which involves a total obliteration of both sin and its punishment in time and in eternity. Penance, on the other hand, is the sacrament of reanimation and healing of an unhappily fallen member of Christ, bruised and broken and dead in sin — the sacrament of restoration to friendship with God and renewed union with Christ. It also brings full pardon of sin, with full remission of eternal punishment, but a part of the debt remains to be paid. This is the temporal punishment, which even sacramental absolution does not cancel entirely.

Only by exercising the virtue of penance as an integral part of the sacrament can full satisfaction be rendered to God in this world and all debts canceled by Him. It is from this necessity that the recipient approach the sacrament in a penitential spirit and laden with the fruits of penitential works, whether they anticipate or more generally follow the actual pronouncement of absolution that the sacrament has its very name.

Through the sacramental mystery of penance, the passion of Jesus comes down to us anew; and His saving blood flows anew as a purifying stream over the filth of our wickedness. We have been made a new creature by death and resurrection with Christ in baptism, and have received from the Church the admonition to carry our new life without stain to the judgment seat of our Lord. But Christ knew what is in man; therefore, on the day He arose from the dead, He instituted the sacrament which would again and again, as often as we have need of it, put us in contact with the paschal mystery of redemption, in order that we might renew in ourselves His new and glorious and immortal life. It is the risen Savior Himself who lifts us up when we are prostrate in sin, albeit the operation takes place through the instrumentality of a priest. Yet He left no doubt that the minister of penance acts in the name of God, when He prefaced the granting of power to absolve with the words: “As the Father has sent me, I also send you. When He had said this, He breathed on them, and He said to them: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”‘(Jn 20.21-23) True, the priest, in the capacity of minister of penance, is a physician in the sense that he makes a spiritual diagnosis and prescribes a remedy; and judge in that he decides whether or not the subject is properly disposed; but he becomes in one act physician, judge, and mediator when he dispenses this grace-laden mystery through the rite of absolving. The most essential act, therefore, in the whole process of this sacrament is absolution, under which sign divine grace is infallibly conveyed (providing no obstacle is placed in the way), and under which operation Christ is present as priest, physician, and judge. Other external acts like declaration of sins and satisfaction sometimes may be dispensed with; absolution never, for it is unconditionally of the essence of the sacrament. By this sacramental act the passion of Christ belongs to us as though we ourselves had suffered it. Much can be said for the psychological and therapeutic value of confession, but apart from sacramental absolution about the same results can be obtained in a psychiatrist’s office. And the peace of soul, which we desire and obtain when we receive penance, is a concomitant of our real supernatural resuscitation through being absolved, much more than it is a moral consequence of merely revealing our inner wretchedness.

It is in virtue of the sacrament itself, rather than owing to any other accompanying and accidental advantages, that devotional confession is so earnestly recommended. Penance, like all sacraments, has a medicinal character and effect, and as such it was instituted immediately for the healing of a soul afflicted with grievous sin. However, the sacramental principle must be retained and applied in each case, making no exception for penance — that sacraments have a consecratory (or reconsecratory) and an elevating function, and besides they are the chief means by which we tender worship to God as members of His Son and of His Church. It is this latter function of transfiguration which is chiefly operative and which must be emphasized in the practice of devotional confession, because the penitent in such confession, guilty of only venial sin or entirely free from sin, does not require the healing of penance venial sin may be expiated in other ways but he is seeking in penance its secondary effects: blotting out of venial sins, increase of divine life, remission of temporal punishment, divine assistance in future combat against the powers of darkness, and last but not least the glory of God.

We are going to consider below how the subjective dispositions of the recipient play a more significant part in penance than they do in the other sacraments. Nonetheless, it may not be overlooked that here, as in all intercourse between Creator and creature, God’s operation in us through grace is paramount.

 “Convert us, O Lord, to you, and we shall be converted; renew our days as from the beginning.” (Lam 5.21) Christ goes out to seek the sinner. The sinner does not stand abandoned in his misery, nor does he attempt on his own initiative, no matter how strong the personal effort, to struggle up to the heights from whence he has plunged. God calls the sinner back to Himself, by instilling confidence in His tender forgiveness or fear of His just retribution. And if the lost sheep heeds the call, he appears before God, not in isolation and loneliness, but in the unity and faithfulness of Christ and succored by the compassionate tears and prayers of the Church. He is led back in repentance by One who is not only the divine transcendence but also the humanly immanent One — by the God-man, the mediator, who as man is not insensible to the penitent’s lapses, and who as God is capable of absolving, of binding up his wounds and pouring in oil and wine. Moreover, when it comes to satisfaction for sin, the Church prays in the rite for confession: “May the passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, and all the good you do and the suffering you endure, gain for you the remission of your sins, increase of grace, and the reward of everlasting life.” Herein lies a wealth of teaching and a world of consolation. Christ our head has made satisfaction for all our iniquity by His atoning sacrifice. Left to ourselves we would be powerless to do anything of the kind. Therefore, every penance that we perform by way of expiation and every cross we endure, all are meritorious only because they receive consecration from being drawn into the all-redeeming and all-satisfying, yes, the superabundant sacrament of God’s condescension to us. And more — Christ and the penitent are supported in the expiatory act rendered to the Almighty by the entire communion of saints, the merits won for the penitent by the Mother of the Redeemer and all His faithful members triumphant in heaven, militant on earth, and suffering in purgatory.

What does the sacrament of penance demand from the recipient? We indicated above that his personal contribution to the validity and efficacy of penance is of greater moment here than in the case of the other sacraments. The dispositions required of the subject can best be summed up in the Greek word metanoia, a transformation, a conversion of mind and will. The act of “going to confession,” consequently, is infinitely more than a revealing of one’s miserable plight, in the manner of unloading a heap of refuse without further ado. Too much emphasis can be laid on the declaration of faults, to the neglect of the far greater importance of genuine conversion which includes, above all, sorrow, and sorrow contains implicitly permanence of resolve and the will to make satisfaction. “Be converted and do penance for all your iniquities, and iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, and make to yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; and why will you die, ) house of Israel?”‘ (Ezech 18.30-31) Grace presupposed, metanoia, conversion, is an act of the mind in apprehending the havoc of sin as an offense against God with detriment to the soul, along with the knowledge obtained from positive divine law that transgressions must be confessed. Conversion is a movement of the affections in experiencing sorrow for sinful actions, either because they have offended God’s love and holiness, or, falling short of this, at least because of the reprobation they deserve. Conversion is an act of the will, first, in that it contains the resolve of permanent repudiation of past conduct and a wholehearted turning to God; second, in that it is a willingness to exercise works of penance as satisfaction for the injury done to the divine majesty. Penitence results from enduring sorrow and expresses itself in outward acts of satisfaction, of which prayer, fasting, and almsdeeds are the most approved and salutary.

In her present discipline, the Church sees fit not to impose as strict obligation the rigorous penances of former times, wisely cognizant that her members are not made of the same stern stuff as in the days of enthusiastic Christian fervor.

Nevertheless, her mind in this regard is not altered to the extent that the penance which is of obligation should be merely a token. As the Roman Ritual still has it:

“He (the minister) shall impose a suitable and salutary satisfaction, as wisdom and prudence will dictate, keeping in mind the state of the penitents and other considerations such as their sex, age, and disposition. But let him take heed lest he impose too light a penance for grievous sins, and by such possible connivance become a party in another’s sins. The confessor must bear in mind that satisfaction is not intended merely as a means for betterment and a remedy for weakness, but also as a chastisement for past sins.”

Whatever happens in actual practice, the subject of the sacrament of penance should know that he is acting in full accord with the true Christian spirit if he goes beyond fulfilment of a token penance, if such is prescribed, and, by taking upon himself works of supererogation, derives benefits in a measure pressed down and running over. Equally explicit is the Ritual regarding the type of penances to be enjoined. They should be “practices which are opposed to the sins confessed, for example, almsgiving in the case of the avaricious, fasting or other mortifications of the flesh for the dissolute, acts of humility for the proud, exercises of piety for the lax.” All earnest members of Christ’s mystic body, sincerely desirous of advancing in perfection through this most personal of the sacramental mysteries, will attach utmost importance to the prescriptions given above, so that the heavenly mediator may come to them unimpeded in His redeeming might, to heal His sheep and to set them back in the pasture of refreshment, to ennoble and prepare them for eternal peace and light.

— Translator


 


PART V.
THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
(1925 Rituale Romanum)
 

 


§1-5 General Rules for Administering Penance  
§6-26 Rite for Administering the Sacrament of Penance  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER I
[
GENERAL RULES for ADMINISTERING]
THE SACRAMENT of PENANCE

[TITULUS III] CAPUT 1
DE SACRAMENTO
POENITENTLE

 

 

 

 

1. The holy sacrament of penance was instituted by Christ the Lord so that the faithful who have fallen back into sin after baptism may be restored to God’s grace. This sacrament must be dispensed all the more carefully where it is approached with greater frequency, thus demanding so much for its worthy and proper administration and reception.

1. Sanctum Poenitentiw Sacramentum, ad eos, qui post Baptismum lapsi sunt, in gratiam Dei restituendos a Christo Domino institutum, eo diligentius administrandum est, quo frequentior est ejus usus, et quo plura requiruntur ad illud recte digneque tractandum ac suscipiendum.

  The three things required essentially are

matter,

form,

and minister.

Cum autem ad illud constituendum tria concurrant,

materia,

fonna,

et minister:

  Its remote matter are the sins in question,

  its proximate matter the acts of the penitent, namely,

contrition,

confession,

and satisfaction.

illius quidem remota materia sunt peccata,
 proxima vero sunt actus pcenitentis,

 nempe contritio,

confessio,

et satisfactio.

  The form consists in the actual words of absolution: I absolve you, etc. The minister is a priest who possesses either ordinary or delegated power to absolve. Yet when there is danger of death any priest, whether approved for hearing confessions or not, can validly and licitly absolve any penitent from all sins or censures, no matter how reserved or how notorious; and this even when an approved priest is available. Forma autem, ilia absolutionis verba: Ego te abs6lvo, etc. Minister denique est Sacerdos habens potestatem absolvendi vel ordinariam vel delegatam. Sed in periculo mortis omnes Sacerdotes, licet ad confessiones non approbati, valide et licite absolvunt quoslibet pcenitentes a quibusvis peccatis aut censuris, quantumvis reservatis et notoriis, etiamsi prwsens sit Sacerdos approbatus.

Required in the minister of this sacrament are

goodness,

knowledge,

and prudence;

In ejus ministro requiritur etiam

bonitas,

scientia,

atque prudentia,

moreover, he is obligated by the seal of a secret confession to strictest perpetual silence regarding it. Confessors must conscientiously see to it that they are well grounded in these and other requisite qualifications.

  cum sigillo secretae confessionis sub exacto, perpetuoque silentio. Quibus et aliis ad id opportunis ut optime sint instructi, omni studio curare debent Confessarii.

 

 

 

 

2. A confessor should keep in mind above all that he holds the office of both judge and physician, and that he has been constituted by God a dispenser equally of divine justice and mercy, so that like an arbiter between God and men he may advance
     the cause of God’s honor
     and souls’ salvation.

2. In primis meminerit Confessarius, se judicis pariter et medici personam sustinere, ac divinae justitiae simul et misericordiw ministrum a Deo constitutum esse, ut tamquam arbiter inter Deum et homines, honori divino et animarum saluti consulat.

 

 

 

 

3. So that he may be competent to judge rightly, discerning between one leper and another leper, and like a skilled physician understand how wisely to heal the diseases of souls and know how to apply a suitable remedy to each case, let him strive to the utmost — by means of fervent intercession before God, judicious counsel from men of experience, and consultation with experienced authors, especially the Roman Catechism — to acquire the fullest knowledge and prudence for his office

3. Ut ergo recte judicare queat, discernens inter lepram et lepram, et tamquam peritus medicus animarum morbos prudenter curare, et aptca cuique remedia applicare sciat, quantam potest maximam ad id scientiam atque prudentiam, tum assiduis ad Deum precibus, tum ex probatis auctoribus, pffesertim e Catechismo Romano, et prudenti consilio peritorum studeat sibi comparare.

 

 

 

 

4. He should know which cases and censures are reserved to the Holy See or which ones to his bishop, as well as the regulations of his particular diocese, and carefully observe them.

4. Sciat casus et censuras Sedi Apostolicw, et Ordinario suo reservatas, et suw cujusque Ecclesiae constitutiones, easque diligenter observet.

 

 

 

 

5. Lastly, he shall be studious in learning the full doctrine of this sacrament, together with any other matters necessary to its correct administration; and in exercising this ministry he should follow the rite as given below.

5. Denique hujus Sacramenti doctrinam omnem recte nosse studebit, et alia ad ejus rectam administrationem necessaria. Atque in hoc ministerio ita procedat, ut infra priescribitur.

 

 

 

 

RITE for ADMINISTERING
T
HE SACRAMENT of PENANCE

ORDO MINISTRANDI SACRAMENTUM POENITENTLE

 

 

 

 

6. A priest who is called upon to hear confessions should do so promptly, and make himself easily available. Before he enters the confessional, he shall, if time allows, earnestly implore God’s help, so that he may rightly and devoutly fulfill this ministry.

6. Sacerdos ad audiendam confessionem vocatus, promptum facilemque se priebeat; ac priusquam ad audiendum accedat, si tempus suppetat, ad hoc ministerium recte, sancteque obeundum, divinum auxilium piis precibus implorabit.

 

 

 

 

7. The proper place for sacramental confession is a church or a public or semipublic oratory.

7. Sacramentalis confessionis proprius locus est ecclesia vel oratorium publicum aut semi-publicum.

 

 

 

 

8. The confessional for female penitents should always be located in an open and conspicuous place, generally in a church or otherwise in a public or semipublic oratory designated for women. The confessional should be built so that there is a stationary perforated grating between confessor and penitent.

8. Sedes confessionalis ad audiendas mulierum confessiones semper collocetur in loco patenti et conspicuo, et generatim in ecclesia vel oratorio publico aut semi-publico mulieribus destinato. Sedes confessionalis crate fixa ac tenuiter perforata inter poenitentem et confessarium sit instructa.

 

 

 

 

9. Confessions of female penitents should never be heard outside a confessional, except in the case of illness or some other real necessity, and observing then such precautionary measures as the local Ordinary deems opportune. Confessions of men, however, may be heard even in a private home.

9. Feminarum confessiones extra sedem confessionalem ne audiantur, nisi ex causa infinnitatis aliave verw necessitatis et adhibitis cautelis quas Ordinarius loci opportunas judicaverit. Confessiones virorum etiam in aedibus privatis excipere licet.

 

 

 

 

10. A surplice and purple stole should be worn by the priest, as occasion and place warrant.

10. Superpelliceo, et stola violacei coloris utatur, prout tempus, vel locorum feret consuetudo.

 

 

 

 

11. The penitent, when necessary, should be instructed to approach this sacrament with becoming humility of soul and demeanor, to kneel upon entering the confessional, and to sign himself with the sign of the cross.

11. Poenitens, si opus sit, admoneatur, ut qua decet humilitate mentis et habitus accedat, et flexis genibus signo crucis se muniat.

 

 

 

 

12. After which the confessor shall inquire about the penitent’s state of life (unless he already is aware of it), how long since his last confession, whether he has fulfilled the penance imposed, whether his past confessions have been made properly and completely, and whether he has examined his conscience as he ought.

12. Mox Confessarius inquirat de illlus statu (nisi aliter notus sit) et quampridem sit confessus, et an impositam poenitentiam adimpleverit; num rite atque integre alias confessus fuerit; num conscientiam suam, ut debet, prius diligenter discusserit.

 

 

 

 

13. If the penitent is involved in some reserved case or is under a censure from which the confessor himself cannot absolve, the latter must delay absolution until he has obtained faculties from his superior.

13. Quod si poenitens aliqua censura, vel casu reservato sit ligatus, a quo ipse non possit absolvere, ne absolvat, nisi prius obtenta facilitate a Superiore.

 

 

 

 

14. Whenever the confessor perceives that the penitent (depending on the individual’s capability) does not know the rudiments of Christian faith, he should briefly instruct him if time allows, explaining the articles of faith and other matters which must be known in order to be saved. In fine, he should reprove the penitent for his lack of knowledge, and admonish him to familiarize himself thoroughly with these things in the future.

14. Si vero Confessarius, pro personarum qualitate, cognoverit pcenitentem ignorare Christianas fidei rudimenta, si tempus suppetat, eum breviter instruat de articulis fidei et aliis ad salutem cognitu necessariis, et ignorantiam ejus corripiat, illumque admoneat, ut ea postmodum diligentius addiscat.

 

 

 

 

15. The penitent says the Confiteor, either in Latin or in the vernacular, or at least the following words: I confess to Almighty God and to you, father. Next he confesses his sins in detail, being aided whenever necessary by the priest. The latter is not to reprove the one confessing until the enumeration of sins is completed (see below), nor is he to interrupt with questions, unless this becomes necessary for fuller understanding. Accordingly he will instill confidence in the penitent, kindly encouraging him to acknowledge all sins honestly and in their entirety, undaunted by that false shame which hinders some, at the devil’s prompting, from courageously confessing their sins.

15. Tum poenitens confessionem generalem latina, vel vulgari lingua dicat, scilicet Confiteor, etc., vel saltem utatur his verbis: Confiteor Deo omnipot6nti. et tibi, pater. Peccata sua exinde confiteatur, adjuvante, quotiescumque opus erit, Sacerdote: qui confitentem non reprehendet nisi finita, ut dicetur, confessione; neque interpellabit, nisi opus sit aliquid menus intelllgere; proinde fiduciam ei praebeat, et humaniter suggerat, ut omnia peccata sua rite et integre confiteatur, remota stulta ilia quorumdam verecundia, qua prwpediti, suadente diabolo, peccata confiteri non audent.

 

 

 

 

16. If the penitent does not mention the number, species, and circumstances of sins which require such explanation, the priest shall prudently question him.

16. Si pcenitens numerum, et species, et circumstantias peccatorum explicatu necessarias non expresserit, eum Sacerdos prudenter interroget.

 

 

 

 

17. But he must be careful not to discourage anyone by curious or useless questions; let him especially avoid imprudent questioning of young boys or girls (or others) concerning matters with which they are unacquainted, lest they be scandalized and learn thereby to commit certain sins.

17. Sed caveat, ne curiosis, aut inutllibus interrogationibus quemquam detineat, prwsertim imprudenter interrogans juniores utriusque sexus, vel alios, de eo, quod ignorant, ne scandalum patiantur, indeque peccare discant.

 

 

 

 

18. Only after he is finished hearing the confession does he weigh the gravity and number of the sins acknowledged by the penitent, and administer with fatherly understanding the rebuke and admonition that he considers necessary, in keeping with the individual’s condition in life and the gravity of his sins. Moreover, he will attempt in moving words to inspire the penitent with contrition, induce him to amend his life, and suggest remedies against sin.

18. Demum, audita confessione, perpendens peccatorum, quae ille admisit, magnitudinem, ac multitudinem, pro eorum gravitate, ac pcenitentis conditione, opportunas correptiones ac monitiones, prout opus esse viderit, paterna caritate adhibebit, et ad dolorem et contritionem efficacibus verbis adducere conabitur, atque ad vitam emendandam ac melius instituendam inducet, remediaque peccatorum tradet.

 

 

 

 

19. Finally, he shall impose a suitable and salutary satisfaction, as wisdom and prudence will dictate, keeping in mind the state of the penitents and various considerations such as their sex, age, and disposition. But let him be careful not to impose too light a penance for grievous sins, and by such possible connivance become a party in another’s sins. The confessor must bear in mind that satisfaction is not intended merely as a means for betterment and remedy for weakness, but also as a chastisement for past sins.

19. Postremo salutarem et convenientem satisfactionem, quantum spiritus et prudentia suggesserint, injungat, habita ratione status, conditionis, sexus, ei aetatis et item dispositionis poenitentium. Videatque, ne pro peccatis gravibus levissimas pcenitentias imponat, ne si forte peccatis conniveat. Alienorum peccatorum particeps efficiatur id vero ante oculos habeat, ut satisfactio non sit tantum ad novae vite remedium, et infinnitatis medicamentum, sed etiam ad preteritorum peccatorum castigationem.

 

 

 

 

20. Therefore, he should strive as far as possible to enjoin as penances practices which are opposed to the sins confessed, for example, almsgiving in the case of the avaricious, fasting or other mortifications of the flesh for the dissolute, acts of humility for the proud, exercises of piety for the lax. In the case of persons who come to confession irregularly or very seldom, as well as such who fall back readily into sin, it will be most advantageous to counsel frequent confession, about once a month or on occasions of special feast days. Likewise he will advise them to communicate that often, if this is practicable.

20. Quare curet, quantum fieri potest, ut contrarias peccatis pcenitentias injungat, veluti avaris eleemosynas, libidinosis jejunia, vel alias carnis afflictiones, superbis humilitatis officia, desidiosis devotionis studia. Rarius autem vel serius confitentibus vel in peccata facile recidentibus, utilissimum erit consulere, ut saepe, puta semel in mense, vel certis diebus solemnibus, confiteantur, et si expediat, communicent.

 

 

 

 

21. A confessor must not enjoin a penance which would be remunerative to himself, neither may he exact nor accept anything at all from the penitents in return for his services.

21. Poenitentias pecuniarias sibi ipsis Confessarii ne applicent, neve a poenitentibus quidquam tamquam ministerii sui prwmium petant, vel accipiant.

 

 

 

 

22. He must not impose a public penance for sins that are secret, no matter what their enormity.

22. Pro peccatis occultis, quantumvis gravibus, manifestam poenitentiam ne imponant.

 

 

 

 

23. The priest must take great pains to decide in which instances absolution should be given, denied, or deferred, lest he absolve such as are indisposed for this benefit — persons, for example, who give no indication of contrition, who refuse to put an end to hatred and enmity, to make restitution when they are able, to give up an approximate occasion of sin, or in any other way refuse to forsake their sins and amend their life. To this class belong also persons who have given public scandal, unless they make public satisfaction and remove the scandal. Moreover, he cannot absolve any whose sins are reserved to higher authorities.

23. Videat autem diligenter Sacerdos, quando, et quibus conferenda, vel deneganda, vel differenda sit absolutio, ne absolvat eos, qui talis beneficii sunt incapaces: quales sunt qui nulla dant signa doloris; qui odia et inimicitias deponere, aut aliena, si possunt, restituere, aut proximam peccandi occasionem deserere, aut alio modo peccata derelinquere, et viam in melius emendare nolunt: aut qui publicum scandalum dederunt, nisi publice satisfaciant, et scandalum tollant: neve etiam eos absolvat, quorum peccata sunt Superioribus reservata.

 

 

 

 

24. But if anyone who is in danger of death goes to confession, he must be absolved from all sins and censures, regardless of how they are reserved, for in this case every instance of reserved sin becomes void. Yet whenever possible he should first make satisfaction, if any is required of him. And if later he recovers, and there is any reason why he would normally have had to seek absolution from higher authority, he must have recourse to this authority as soon as possible, and be ready to do whatever is required.

24. Si vero quis confiteatur in periculo mortis constitutus, absolvendus est ab omnibus peccatis et censuris, quantumvis reservatis (cessat enim tunc omnis reservatio): sed prius, si potest, cui debet, satisfaciat: ac si periculum evaserit, et aliqua ration Superiori, a quo alias esset absolvendus, se sistere teneatur; cum primum poterit, coram eo se sistat, quidquid debet praestiturus.

 

 

 

 

25. If a sick person while he is confessing or even before he begins should happen to lose the power of speech, the priest should endeavor to ascertain the penitent’s sins by means of nods and signs, in so far as he is able. And having ascertained them either in a general way or in detail, the party is to be absolved, whether he gave evidence directly or through another that he was desirous of confessing.

25. Quod si inter confitendum, vel etiam antequam incipiat confiteri, vox et loquela egro deficiant, nutibus et signis conetur, quoad ejus fieri poterit, peccata poenitentis cognoscere, quibus utcumque vel in genere, vel in specie cognitis, vel etiam si confitendi desiderium sive per se, sive per alios ostenderit, absolvendus est.

 

 

 

 

26. Furthermore, the priest should remember that one may not impose a heavy or onerous penance on the sick. At most he may simply indicate the type of penance which they could fulfill at an opportune time, should they get well. In the meantime, the priest may enjoin a type of prayer or light satisfaction suitable to the condition of the sick person, and after the latter has accepted it he should be absolved, as the case requires.

26. Meminerit porro Sacerdos, gegris non esse injungendam gravem, aut laboriosam poenitentiam; sed indicendam tantum illam, quam, si convaluerint. opportune tempore peragant. Interim juxta gravitatem morbi, aliqua oratione, aut levi satisfactione imposita, et acceptata, absolvantur, prout opus erit.

 

 

 

 

   

 

 


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