§ 3. On The Obligation Of Teaching And Admonishing The Penitent

The penitent sometimes needs special instruction concerning things which he ought to know or do. - Hence the following are established:

1808. Principles. I. The confessor is bound TO INSTRUCT the penitent when he observes, or prudently judges, that he is ignorant of things necessary for faith and salvation. - The reason is because one who labors under such ignorance is not capable of absolution (cf. n. 427).

Nor rarely in modern times does it happen that, amid so great a neglect of divine things, men otherwise liberally educated are involved in ignorance of this sort. - Nevertheless a long instruction is not required. It is sufficient that the one to be absolved be taught the principal mysteries, and those things which pertain to receiving the Sacrament here and now rightly. As to the rest, concerning things necessary by precept to be known, it is enough if he promises that he will learn them from others, at least as to the substance. But confessors who are led by the true spirit of charity do not refuse to teach them by themselves.¹⁶

1809. II. The confessor is bound TO ADMONISH the penitent concerning his various obligations, and concerning the gravity of the sins to which he is liable; nevertheless WITH PRUDENCE. - The reason is because he is bound, from his proper office, to direct the penitent into the way of salvation. Obligations of this sort, concerning which he is bound to admonish him, are: the obligation of restoring reputation, honor, or goods; the obligation of avoiding dangerous occasions; the obligation of laying aside hatred, repairing scandal, making fraternal correction, bestowing alms according to his condition, etc.; likewise the obligations of his own state.¹⁷ We said with prudence, namely lest he harm the penitent more than he profit him.

But let him use these FOUR CAUTIONS:¹⁸

1. Lest he present as mortal that concerning which it is probably disputed on either side among the Doctors whether it is such (cf. n. 337).

2. Before he makes a conscience of mortal sin for the penitent, let him be sufficiently certain that he has rightly understood the sense of his words; for not rarely penitents use such expressions which at first sight seem to indicate mortal sins, while in reality there is in no way question of mortal sin. - Thus, e.g., when a penitent says: I have hatred against my neighbor, sometimes there is question only of displeasure and unavoidable antipathy because of some injury received. - The same sometimes happens in girls, who say: I had evil thoughts; I had evil conversations with other girls; I committed immodesties, etc.; or in boys, who say: I did base, foul things, etc. (cf. n. 1806).

3. Let him attend whether a sin truly committed by the penitent is also truly mortal. Thus a confessor would act imprudently if, hearing a penitent accusing himself of some sin against the sixth Precept, immediately and in every case he argued that he was guilty of mortal sin. For although the principle is most true, that in venereal matter there is no smallness of matter, nevertheless this must be understood in the sense in which we spoke at nn. 768 and 769.

4. Let him attend lest perhaps the penitent is in good faith, insofar namely as that which he does is indeed, in itself, a mortal sin, but he thinks that he either does nothing evil, or sins only venially. - But he will seek this from the natural disposition of the penitent, from his instruction, from his manner of expressing himself, and from similar probable conjectures; yet taking care lest he give him occasion for doubting, and bring upon him bad faith, which he previously lacked.

1810. Questions. Q. 1. Whether a penitent who labors under ignorance concerning some obligation is ALWAYS TO BE ADMONISHED?

Resp. Negative; for the RULES of correction must be attended to, which can be reduced to three.¹⁹

Rule 1. The penitent is to be admonished, even if no fruit of amendment is hoped for, as often as he labors under VINCIBLE ignorance. For he who labors under such ignorance is already involved in the state of sin, or at least in the proximate danger of sinning formally, because he acts with a practical doubt, or from culpable ignorance. Therefore admonition cannot harm; and it can profit, since it can happen that afterward it produces its desired fruits.

Whence it follows: 1. As often as the penitent, pressed not indeed by mere scruple but by grave doubt, questions the confessor, the confessor is bound to disclose the truth, nor can he dissemble; because what the penitent was previously doing from ignorance, this same thing he will do after the question, relying on the testimony of the confessor. Nevertheless the confessor ought not respond more than he is asked: e.g. if someone bound by a vow of chastity asks whether marriage was invalid because of the vow, let him respond negatively, keeping silence about the debt; if he asks whether he ought to render the debt to the spouse, let him respond affirmatively, keeping silence about petitioning.²⁰ - 2. The penitent is similarly to be admonished as often as his ignorance concerns those things which he cannot be ignorant of for a long time, especially if the vice, with the progress of time, increases and is rooted out with greater difficulty. Thus impubescents who begin to contract the habit of pollution are to be strongly admonished, even if they are found in some good faith. And the same must be said of those who perhaps in good faith had contracted a merely civil marriage. - 3. Finally he is to be admonished as often as, the admonition being omitted, he would remain in a proximate occasion of formal sin.

Rule 2. The penitent is to be admonished, although he labors under INVINCIBLE ignorance, as often as fruit of amendment is hoped for. - Hence, although it is foreseen that he will not immediately obey, nevertheless the admonition is not to be omitted if there is hope that he will shortly obey; for it sometimes happens that the penitent, disturbed in mind at the beginning, rejects the correction; but afterward, the mind having become calm, thinks it over again with fruit.²¹

We said, as often as fruit is hoped for. For if from the admonition no fruit is hoped for, the common and true opinion teaches that the confessor, speaking in itself (i.e. unless another reason presses, e.g. of the public good), is bound to omit the admonition, and to leave the penitent in his good faith. Hence, e.g., "if the confessor knows that the penitent contracted marriage invalidly, because of some occult impediment, and there is danger of infamy, scandal, or incontinence if he manifests the nullity, he ought to leave him in good faith until a dispensation is obtained"²² (cf. n. 2081). Likewise, the admonition about making restitution, about repairing reputation, etc., is to be omitted if the confessor foresees that it will happen that the penitent, who is in good faith, will not obey the admonition. - The most valid reason is because of two evils the lesser must be permitted. Wherefore, in this case, the confessor ought to be silent and, by not opening the truth of the matter, permit material sin in the penitent, "because one formal sin outweighs all material sins."²³

IN DOUBT whether the admonition will profit or harm, it is to be omitted; on account of the reason already brought forward, namely because formal sins are rather to be avoided than material sins. We said in doubt; because if the admonition will more probably profit, it is still to be made.²⁴ And "Viva and Roncaglia rightly advert that it is not easily to be judged that the penitent, the truth being known, will not obey the admonition."²⁵

Rule 3. The penitent is to be admonished, even if indisposed, as often as, the admonition being omitted, damage would redound to the spiritual COMMON good. - The reason is "because then the confessor, since he himself is constituted a minister for the good of the Christian republic, is bound to prefer the public good to the private good of the penitent."²⁶ Nor does it stand in the way that the admonition here and now may seem to be made uselessly, or even with scandal of the penitent; for such a penitent, when he afterward sees that he is absolved by no one, will more easily be amended; and meanwhile the scandal of others will cease, when they see that he is not admitted to the Sacraments.

Hence: 1. Princes, Governors, Bishops, Prelates, pastors, masters, who fail in their proper office as to those subject to them, must altogether be admonished. The reason is both because their ignorance is not easily to be supposed invincible (since each one is bound to know the obvious obligations of his duty), and "because their ignorance, even invincible, will always be for damage to the community, since with easy business others can think that what they see to be done by Superiors is licit for themselves." And, on account of this same reason, those are to be admonished, as Benedict XIV teaches, who frequently receive the Sacraments, lest namely that be judged licit by others which is noticed to be practiced by these with impunity.²⁷

"Moreover, Lugo well adds that if the confessor reasonably doubts whether penitents of this sort satisfy their duty, he is bound to question them about it."²⁸

2. Penitents are similarly to be admonished as often as the silence of confessors would be the cause why some false dogma, whether against faith, or against the law of God or of the Church, would gradually be scattered among the people: as if it were believed or said that certain illicit things, e.g. the reading of wicked books, frequenting modern dances, entrance into a masonic sect, are not illicit, because confessors seem little to oppose them.

Note. If some admonition is to be made, and it is greatly feared lest the penitent take it in a bad part, there are many authors who think that the penitent is to be admonished in more obscure words only after absolution has been given. Nor does this opinion seem to be rejected, provided it is understood of the sole case in which, on the one hand, it is despaired that the penitent will obey a clear admonition, and on the other hand, no good effect is foreseen as going to flow from denied absolution.²⁹