Article II. On Scrupulous Conscience

319. Notion and effects. Scrupulous conscience is that which from futile and altogether insufficient motives thinks and fears that some act is sinful. And so a scruple or so-called scrupulous conscience is rather fear or empty anxiety than conscience properly so called or the judgment of a sound mind.⁵² Hence although it is never licit to act against conscience, it is not only licit but also necessary to act against scrupulous conscience. Such a conscience is a true torture almost equally for the penitent and for the confessor. Rather rarely does it produce good effects, but often it causes harms both of body and of soul. For it weakens the brain and the nervous system, sometimes harms health, impedes spiritual progress, renders life sad, indeed sometimes leads to madness or to suicide. Sometimes also suddenly, as if from desperation, a scrupulous man becomes of lax conscience and loosens the reins to vices. - Scrupulous conscience is by no means to be confused with tender conscience, which flees all sins, even small ones. Hence the signs proving the existence of scrupulous conscience are to be attended to.

⁵² Therefore physicians deservedly call scruples a phobia (religious compulsory ideas); cf. P. Raymond, O. Pr., Le guide des nerveux et des scrupuleux. Paris 1911, p. 100 sqq.

320. Signs⁵³ (Symptomatology). 1. Excessive anxiety concerning the sufficiency of actions⁵⁴ and notably concerning past confessions. But I say: excessive anxiety; for sometimes anxiety of this kind is present not without foundation. But that excessive anxiety is truly present may be concluded from this, that it returns again and again in the penitent, even if the confessor has certainly declared it unfounded.

2. Prolix accusations of circumstances which do not pertain to the matter. This holds especially concerning internal sins. For the scrupulous are accustomed to have great anxieties concerning depraved thoughts and desires freely admitted, and concerning a depraved or at least not sufficiently good intention had in acting.

3. Obstinacy of judgment, which refuses to acquiesce in the decisions of the confessor and leads the penitent to migrate from one confessor to another. - Scruples sometimes turn on the whole state of the soul and on all sins; but more often they touch a special object, for example, chastity, the recitation of the Breviary, the pronunciation of words during the consecration, etc.

⁵³ Cf. A. Gemelli, O. M., Skrupulositat u. Psychasthenie (1915) 91 sqq.

⁵⁴ By moderns it is called sentiment d'incompletude, Gefuhl der Unzulanglichkeit.

321. Causes (Aetiology) of scrupulous conscience sometimes (although rather rarely) are supernatural, namely God, who sends scruples that the soul may be exercised in patience and humility, as is narrated concerning St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis de Sales, and other saints; but such scruples are not accustomed to last for a long time, but, once they are soon overcome, the sweet peace of the soul is reborn. - God permitting, the devil sometimes causes scruples in order to disturb the soul or to take vengeance on it; but these scruples also are not accustomed to persevere for a long time, but they will cease with divine grace assisting and with the soul's strenuous struggle.

Much more often natural causes produce scruples, although God must be said to be the first cause, who employs natural causes to produce effects. The natural causes which proximately produce scruples are either moral or physical. Among the physical causes of scruples there stands out a pathological⁵⁵ bodily disposition, namely of the brain, heart, and nerves, arising not rarely from heredity or atavism. Hence often with a bodily pathological disposition of this kind scruples not only arise, but also cease with it. Those things are to be recalled which were said above in n. 95 concerning "fixed ideas." Perhaps it is not alien from the truth if someone were to say that the greatest part of scruples is nothing other than religious fixed ideas, or rather a religious phobia. Sometimes the physical cause of scruples is also weakness and inconstancy of soul, which modern psychiatrists call "psychasthenia." - The moral causes of scrupulous conscience are excessive flight from human intercourse and honest recreation, intercourse with fearful men,⁵⁶ reading of writings that are too rigid, hidden pride, by which someone trusts his own judgment more than the opinion of the confessor.⁵⁷ Hence St. Alphonsus⁵⁸ says: "Often scruples have their origin from the vice of pride."

⁵⁵ St. Antoninus (Sum. theol. I, 3, 10) already recognized this, saying: "Sometimes pusillanimity or scruple is caused from manic or melancholic illness ... through which imagination and sometimes reason are injured... But sometimes it proceeds ... from negligence of bodily regimen, namely through excessive abstinence ... vigils and things of this kind."

⁵⁶ Beaudouin, O. Pr., rightly writes, Tract. de consc. p. 57: "An extrinsic cause of scrupulous conscience is the society of the scrupulous; for one scrupulous person makes another scrupulous, just as one fearful person makes another fearful."

⁵⁷ Cf. S. theol. 2, 2, q. 173, a. 2; Billuart, De consc. diss. 5, a. 5, quaer. 4°.

⁵⁸ Theol. mor. l. 1, n. 12.

322. Remedies of scruples. (Therapy.) 1. The first remedy, from which the cure of this disease is to be begun, consists in the removal of the causes which produced and produce scrupulous conscience. Hence if the cause of scruples is a pathological bodily quality, this is to be eliminated through a good and God-fearing physician. Certainly, since very often a disturbance of the nerves is the cause of scruples and since this disturbance can be healed only with difficulty, great patience is necessary. When the confessor suspects that a bodily disease is the cause of scruples, let him use skillful prudence and circumspection, especially with younger scrupulous women, lest he give occasion to malicious detractions. Let him say simply to the penitent: moral Theology teaches us that scruples rather often arise from an unhealthy bodily disposition, and therefore go to a prudent and God-fearing physician, so that it may be detected whether a disease is truly present.

2. The second remedy, and one proclaimed with one voice both by psychiatrists and by theologians, is perfect obedience to be rendered to a wise director.⁵⁹ For the scrupulous person cannot direct himself nor judge rightly concerning his own state and his own acts, and therefore he is bound to submit himself to the direction of a prudent man, by whose help he will gradually cast away vain fears. Therefore the confessor, as soon as he has clearly known that the penitent labors under scrupulous conscience, ought to strive: a) by paternal kindness to capture his perfect trust. This indeed he will obtain if he clearly shows that he is affected with great Christian charity toward the penitent and is prepared to help him with all the powers by which he can. But the penitent ought not only to have persuaded himself of the charity of the confessor, but also to revere his authority. b) Let the confessor always speak with the penitent not hesitantly and doubtfully, but as one knowing with certainty and speaking from the authority of God. Therefore again and again let him inculcate that he does not speak by his own authority only, but also as a minister of God, to whom the illumination of the Holy Spirit will most certainly never be lacking when he rightly performs his office. Let him bring forward either no reasons at all, or only brief reasons, for his way of acting; otherwise there will be interminable, indeed harmful, discussions between confessor and penitent. This also is a good and efficacious rule to be observed: not only with brief words, but also with the same words, let the confessor constantly judge concerning the acts and state of the penitent; otherwise the scrupulous person easily thinks that he has not rightly understood the words of the confessor. Not rarely good effects are also obtained if the confessor gives the penitent in writing a way of acting; then he has greater security, often reading the things which have been written.

3. The third remedy against scruples is: not continually to approach other confessors or directors for the sake of taking counsel. For if the scrupulous person goes about from one confessor to another, his disturbance becomes greater as he hears diverse answers, and he himself does not obey so perfectly as if he were always directed by the same man.

4. The fourth remedy is suitable bodily or spiritual labor drawing the mind away from scrupulous thoughts, and honest recreation. For experience establishes that the scrupulous think too much about their own state; and therefore, if their mind is detained by other suitable occupations, their scruples are diminished.

5. The fifth remedy (which should never be omitted) is fervent and assiduous prayer to God, the Father of light. From such prayer not only is special grace obtained, but trust in divine mercy is also increased and peace of soul is gradually restored.

⁵⁹ "Let him earnestly take care to persuade penitents troubled by scruples that he walks altogether safely who acquiesces in and obeys the counsels of his director in all things in which evident sin does not appear: for then he does not obey man, but God Himself saying: He who hears you, hears Me, and he who despises you, despises Me (Luke 10, 16)." Thus St. Alphonsus, Theol. mor. l. 1, n. 13.

323. The so-called privileges of the scrupulous. Since the judgment of the scrupulous is so disturbed that they themselves are not able to judge clearly and certainly in that matter around which their scruples turn, hence neither can they sin gravely in such a matter, since clear and certain knowledge is necessary for grave sin. Hence the first privilege of the scrupulous is that they are excused from diligent examination of conscience, and are not burdened with grave sin in such a matter unless they are able to swear that they certainly and with clear knowledge committed an act gravely sinful. - The other privilege of the scrupulous is excuse from the material integrity of confession. For the integrity of confession is prescribed by a positive divine precept, which does not oblige with great extrinsic inconvenience or with moral impossibility. Now the scrupulous are in such moral impossibility, and therefore they are not bound to the material integrity of confession. Hence let the confessor not permit the scrupulous to make long confessions, but let him say to them: I know sufficiently the state of your soul, so that I am able to bear a right judgment concerning it. Therefore say nothing further concerning your sins. - But if the scrupulous penitent has already exercised strict obedience for some time, a general confession could be permitted to him if he asks, but only once.