36. On Correction and Admonition

1. Calpurnia, a mother, sees her daughter Lucina given too much to vanity. But since at the same time she sees that she herself is given to vanity, although she would wish to admonish her daughter for her good, nevertheless she does not dare to admonish.

2. Catharina, a maidservant, notices that Olympia, daughter of the household, admits her lover Damian alone, at night, into her bedroom. Hence she prevents his entrance into the house by various devices. Olympia, discovering this, who seems to have the governance of the house, very angry, rebukes Catharina and threatens her that she will treat her harshly and will even cast her from the house, if either she attempts anything similar thereafter or manifests the matter to anyone.

Q. 1. Is there a precept of fraternal correction? - 2. What as to the cases?

R. To the first, cf. I. M. 409 seqq. As to the statute of Religious Congregations in this matter, cf. I. M. 416, 417; Elbel 314; St. Thomas, Quodlibet 11, a. 13. To the second: Calpurnia indeed is less apt for making an efficacious correction, since she herself is subject to the same vice. Nevertheless, she is not therefore exempted from the obligation of correcting her daughter, because on account of sin no one is exempted from the divine law. But correction is owed by superiors to inferiors by natural and divine law. Wherefore let Calpurnia first precede her daughter by example, so that afterward she may correct her daughter more efficaciously, if she is not first moved by the mother's example. Elbel 311.

If Catharina cannot prevent the aforesaid meetings without grave detriment to herself, as in fact appears from the case, she can with a safe conscience dissemble the whole matter and behave permissively. The reason is that charity does not oblige one to impede the sins of others, unless this can be done without grave inconvenience. Besides, admonition in the case can in no way prudently be estimated as going to be profitable. Nevertheless Catharina will in no way be able positively to concur in fostering those little meetings. Elbel 301; G. 225.

3. Xaverius, a missionary, knows well that those celebrated eight permissions of the Patriarch of Alexandria, Apostolic Visitor General in the kingdom of China, in which prostrations and ceremonies toward the dead, with some cautions, were permitted, had been condemned by Benedict XIV in his Constitution Ex quo singulari, and their practice execrated as superstitious. But since he sees that several of the neophytes still perform superstitious rites of this sort from ignorance and in good faith, and that, if they were admonished, no fruit of the admonition would follow, except that formally they would be sinning in the same rites, he remains altogether silent and abstains from making any admonition.

Q. Does Xaverius act rightly?

R. Negatively. This is established from the Instruction of the Holy Office, 14 Jan. 1753, given to the Bishop of Coricus, Apostolic Vicar of Eastern Tonkin, and approved and confirmed by Benedict XIV. "As regards the controversy... whether the confessor is held to admonish and teach penitents who invincibly are ignorant of the prohibition of certain superstitious rites, or of the condemnation of the Alexandrian permissions, when he foresees that the penitents, admonished and instructed, will not amend themselves, or whether he ought to leave them in good faith; the Supreme Pontiff considers that to leave such ignorant persons in their own ignorance concerning the cases of which there is question is not only the same as to close every entrance to all those Christians, lest they furnish uniform obedience to the Apostolic Constitution, the same as to elude the mind of the Holy See, which prudently commanded that the declarations narrated concerning the aforesaid rites be notified to all Christians; but also that the omissions of such instruction tend to grave scandal of the gentiles, and to public harm of the Christian name in those parts. His Holiness furthermore declares that, even if in some cases... confessors can omit the instruction of penitents... nevertheless in the present case this doctrine has no place... therefore confessors and missionaries ought to admonish and teach not only penitents, but also other Christians, who invincibly are ignorant of the prohibition of certain superstitious rites and of the condemnation of the Alexandrian permissions, even if no fruit from such admonition were hoped for; for the instruction of such ignorant persons is incumbent upon evangelical workers as the proper duty of their office enjoined on them by the aforesaid Apostolic Constitution."