Question VII: Concerning Priests and Pastors

I. Importance of the question. - To hear confessions of priests is a work of highest importance, which must be fulfilled with great discretion and prudent zeal, both on account of their dignity and on account of the great influence which they were born to exercise. For just as their holy life contributes to forming the morals of the people, so their evil examples or neglected duties contribute to the corruption of the people. For they must preside over others in virtue and not cease to feed the sheep of Christ with doctrine, prayer and example, and the sacraments. Hence the confessor must take pains to retain them in the fervor of priestly life, and to preserve them from tepidity or relaxation.¹

¹ On this argument St. Alphonsus, Homo apost., app. IV, section 1, n. 9; Praxis Conf., nn. 49-52, 183, 196 sq.; Aertnijs, Th. P., nn. 153-162 and n. 42; Reuter, Neo-Conf., n. 154.

II. Manner of conducting oneself with priests. - The confessor, in receiving the confessions of priests:

1. Let him conduct himself altogether reverently.

2. If they are upright, since they know moral theology, there is generally no need to question them concerning the species and number of sins, unless their confession is manifestly insufficient or they are of neglected conscience; in doubt concerning the gravity of fault, it can be asked of them whether they thought themselves to sin gravely.

3. The exhortation is not to be omitted, but let it be brief and modest, and made indirectly, saying for example: "we priests."

4. Let him proceed firmly in making corrections if they should be necessary, and let him be constant in denying absolution if it should be fitting, for example if some were recidivists or occasionaries without amendment.

5. Nor let him be disturbed if at times he hears many sins. Priests live in the midst of solicitations, and it would be a wonder if, among so many priests, some did not sometimes fall, at least secretly.

III. Admonitions to be furnished to priests. - The confessor can persuade priests before other things:

1. That they apprehend well the dignity of their vocation and its obligations.

2. That they devote themselves wholly to the sheep and try to profit them by prayers, example, and ministry; especially that they have special care for the sick, the poor, and children.

3. That with the greatest zeal they avoid four vices which are most unbecoming to a cleric and more dangerous to him, namely idleness, lust, drunkenness, and avarice.

IV. Means opportunely to be inculcated. - To lead a truly priestly life, there contributes much, first of all, the firm purpose of such a holy life; if this purpose is lacking, life will be unstable, fruitless, and full of dangers; but if it stands, there will arise cheerfulness in discharging ecclesiastical duties, delight in the exercise of virtues, strength against rushing temptations, and perseverance in all these things.

For putting the purpose into execution and standing firm in it, the following are especially powerful:

1. Zeal for prayer, both mental meditation and consideration of divine things ordered to pious affections: without mental prayer, says St. Alphonsus,² a priest will most difficultly be good, since there will be lacking light in the mind for understanding supernatural truths and the warmth of fervor in the will by which he may be moved to live holily; and also prayer strictly so called and vocal prayer, necessary so that he may obtain graces for himself and for his ministry, and others may understand this necessity of praying.

² Praxis Conf., n. 183.

2. The divine office, than which, among prayers to be poured forth, nothing is more excellent and salutary after the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. And indeed, in it the priest uses words inspired by the Holy Spirit in Scripture or composed by the Church of God, joins himself to the heavenly court, continues the work of Christ, performs the work of the whole Church whose legation he bears, by his praises repairs sins, elicits acts of the theological virtues, and implores divine help for himself and the whole human race.

3. The Sacrifice of the Mass, which is the center of our religion, to which all ceremonies and prayers of the Church are ordered, and to which the priest ought to refer every care. Let him avoid a threefold abuse: celebrating in an incongruous manner, namely too slowly or too hastily, which contains irreverence; celebrating from mere custom, without preparation and thanksgiving, with tepidity and coldness; celebrating with consciousness of mortal sin, so that, as the Apostle says, he is guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord.

4. Frequent confession, every week or fortnight, necessary for greater purity and for safer direction. Let every priest have a confessor in whom he places full confidence, and to whom he perfectly lays open his conscience.

5. Love of study, according to that saying, I Tim. IV, 13, 16: "Attend to reading, exhortation and doctrine... Attend to thyself and to doctrine; be earnest in them. For doing this, thou shalt save both thyself and those who hear thee." Hence all priests ought to take pains that for several days in the week, indeed daily, they devote some time to the study of sacred doctrine, chiefly dogmatic and moral theology, as is required for their own salvation and that of neighbor. For they must propose doctrine to the people, explain the sacraments, inculcate the precepts to all and proper duties to individuals, and judge concerning cases of conscience. Nor let them pretend that all time for study is lacking to them: for how much time is worn away uselessly!

6. Spiritual exercises held every year, for exploring the state of conscience more diligently and ordering the state of the soul, for healing languor and stirring up fervor, in solitude and perfect separation from every business, so that the priest may be able to be wholly for God, to meditate on eternal truths, to pray in secret, and to hear the voice of God.

V. The principal obligations proper to priests are usually numbered as:

1. To lead a holy and perfect life, in imitation of Christ, whose ministers they are on earth.

2. To recite the divine office daily.

3. Also to observe continence, if they belong to the Latin Church.

4. To celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass at least several times in the year: thus by reason of the priesthood; for they can be bound more often by reason of a special office, benefice, or stipend.

5. To exercise the sacred ministry and administer the sacraments, if necessity is present or a special office falls upon them.

6. To abstain from those things which are unbecoming to their state, as from worldly spectacles, dances and pageants, business and trade, games of chance, etc. (can. 138-142).

7. To expend revenues superfluous from ecclesiastical goods for the poor and for pious causes (can. 1473).

VI. A priest is to be questioned concerning his obligations if he seems to be of neglected conscience:³

³ St. Alphonsus, Praxis Conf., n. 49 sq.; Aertnijs, Th. P., n. 42.

A. A simple priest: whether he has recited the canonical hours, whether he has satisfied Mass burdens or has deferred celebrating these for a long time, whether he does not finish Mass too hastily, whether he has observed ecclesiastical law as to business transactions, games of chance, or speculations, worldly affairs which are unbecoming, whether in a case of necessity he has not refused to exercise the sacred ministry, whether he has lived piously and ordered his time well.

B. A confessor: whether he has acquired the knowledge necessary for hearing confessions, whether he has given sufficient labor to study and whether he continues to study, whether he has absolved those who remained in a proximate occasion of sin, or were recidivists and brought no extraordinary signs of their disposition, whether he administers the sacrament of Penance with great care, and is neither more rigorous nor more benign toward penitents. But if he confesses a grave sin against chastity committed with another person, let him be questioned whether it was with his own penitent, whether he heard the confession of the accomplice and absolved from that sin, whether perhaps he solicited a penitent.

C. A pastor: whether, as far as he can, he corrects the vices of subjects, especially of those who provide public scandal; whether he watches that all fulfill the paschal precept and has admonished those who have neglected it; whether he has administered the sacraments in danger of death, or when he himself was requested; whether he has furnished due assistance to the dying; whether on Sundays he has held sermons; whether he has instructed the people concerning Christian doctrine, especially the ignorant concerning the mysteries of faith and the means to salvation, and those about to marry on the occasion of future marriage, but midwives and physicians concerning the right manner of baptizing in a case of necessity; whether he has rightly instructed children in the catechesis of Christian doctrine and prepared them for holy communion at the age when they can already be suitable; whether he has given good example and avoided everything which could scandalize the sheep; whether he has also promoted the faithful to piety and devotion; whether he has celebrated Mass for the flock and bestowed the alms due.

VII. Observation. - Since a pastor and other priests upon whom the ministry of souls rests must always be ready for administering the sacraments, they must always be in the state of grace, lest they minister sacrilegiously.