Article III. On the Existence of the Sacrament of Penance

316. Errors. Besides certain ancient heretics (such as the Montanists, Novatians, and so forth), the Calvinists, Lutherans, and in general almost all heretics teach that external penance, as it is now employed in the Catholic Church and will be explained in the following article, is not a true and properly so-called sacrament of the New Law. Thus, for example, the Calvinists think that no other remedy for actual sins exists than baptism itself recalled to mind with a certain confidence in the remission of sins. Harnack teaches that a theory concerning penance had indeed always flourished in the Church, and that the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) prescribed annual auricular confession, but that St. Thomas was the first to assert that this auricular confession is a true sacrament. The Modernists also taught false things concerning the sacrament of penance, as is evident from propositions 46 and 47 of the Syllabus of Pius X (Denz., nn. 2046 and 2047). Against all these, it is established with the Catholic Church:

317. Thesis. External penance, which is performed in the Catholic Church, is a true and proper sacrament of the New Law.

Proof 1. From the definitions of the Church. The Council of Trent:²³ "If anyone says that in the Catholic Church penance is not truly and properly a sacrament instituted by Christ our Lord for reconciling to God the faithful as often as they fall into sins after baptism, let him be anathema." The Council of Florence defines the same thing, saying: "The fourth sacrament is penance."

Proof 2. From Sacred Scripture. Three things are required for a sacrament, namely, a sensible sign, productive of grace, and institution by Jesus Christ. But these three are found in penance. For a) there is a sensible sign, namely, the sacramental judgment itself, consisting of a twofold element, that is, of the confession of sins and of absolution pronounced by mouth. It is evident of itself that this sensible sign of penance is distinct from the sensible sign of baptism, and accordingly the sacrament of penance is distinguished from the sacrament of baptism. b) Then sanctifying grace is produced in penance. For sins are remitted in penance. But sins cannot be remitted without sanctifying grace at the same time being infused. That sins are truly remitted in penance, however, follows from the power of the keys conferred upon the Church by Christ, which power the Church exercises in the sacrament of penance. Christ conferred the power of the keys both upon Peter and upon the other Apostles, saying: "Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven."²⁴ c) The institution of the sacrament by Jesus Christ follows from His words uttered after the resurrection and directed to the Apostles: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."²⁵ This power handed down to the Apostles is not merely the power of declaring that sins have been remitted, but the power of truly remitting sins. For immediately beforehand Christ had said: "As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you," by which words He signified that He was giving the Apostles a mission similar to that which He Himself had received from the Father. Now Christ not only declared that sins were remitted, but He Himself truly remitted them;²⁶ indeed, He came into the world for this. Moreover, when Christ conferred this power, He acted in a very solemn manner, for He first breathed upon the Apostles and then said: Receive ye the Holy Ghost, and so forth. Now to announce the remission of sins is not so new and singular a privilege that it can be exercised only with the special assistance of the Holy Ghost, since even the prophets of the Old Testament did this, and indeed any preacher is able to do it.

Proof 3. From tradition. In the book which is called the Doctrine of the Twelve Apostles and which was published in the second century, it is read: "But on the Lord's day, having come together, break bread and give thanks, after you have confessed your transgressions, so that your sacrifice may be clean."²⁷ Although this text is understood in diverse ways by diverse authors, nevertheless it is sufficiently evident from it that sacramental confession was already employed by the faithful in the second century, so that the sacrifice might be clean. Tertullian, living at the beginning of the third century, speaks sufficiently clearly concerning the sacrament of penance, but as a rigid Montanist he judged that it was to be administered to each person only once in life. At that time confession was first made by the sinner, which had to be made to the bishop or his delegate. Nothing, however, proves that this confession was always public. In the second place there was exomologesis, that is, satisfaction. At that time exomologesis was not the same as confession (as several have erroneously thought), but consisted of works of penance to be performed in satisfaction for sins committed. Hence Tertullian says: "And so exomologesis is the discipline of prostrating and humbling a man." In the third place absolution or pardon was given by the bishop.²⁸

The institution of penitentiary priests, already known in the third century, proves not obscurely the existence of the sacrament of penance. Socrates²⁹ writes concerning this institution: "From that time [the Decian persecution, 250] the bishops added a penitentiary priest to the ecclesiastical register, so that those who had fallen after baptism might confess their transgressions before the priest appointed for that purpose." Sozomen,³⁰ however, adds that this priest absolved sinners. From the fifth century and thereafter the existence of the sacrament of penance is clear. Thus, for example, Innocent I (fifth century) writes to Decentius, Bishop of Gubbio: "But concerning penitents who do penance either for graver offenses or for lighter ones, if no illness intervenes, the custom of the Roman Church shows that they are to be remitted on the Thursday before Easter. But it belongs to the priest to judge the weight of the offenses, so that he may attend to the confession of the penitent and to the weeping and tears of the one correcting himself, and then order him to be dismissed when he has seen that his satisfaction is fitting. Or if anyone has fallen into illness and has come even to desperation, he is to be released before the time of Easter, lest he depart from the world without Communion."³¹

These things suffice for our purpose. He who desires more should consult the dogmatic theologians and apologists.

²³ Session 14, can. 1, On Penance (Denz., n. 911).

²⁴ Matt. 18:18; cf. 16:18.

²⁵ John 20:22 ff.

²⁶ Cf. Matt. 9:6.

²⁷ Didache, n. 14 (ed. Funk).

²⁸ Cf. P. Galtier, De poenitentia, n. 143 ff.

²⁹ Hist. eccl. l. 5, c. 19 (Migne, Patr. graec. 67, 614).

³⁰ Hist. eccl. l. 7, c. 16 (Migne, loc. cit. 67, 1459).

³¹ In Migne, Patr. lat. 20, 559.

318. Necessity of the sacrament of penance. The necessity of the virtue of penance has already been proved above. But since it was said there that in the present order of things the virtue of penance cannot justify without the sacrament at least in voto, it is evident that the sacrament itself also is necessary, at least by divine precept. Hence the Council of Trent³² defined: "If anyone denies that sacramental confession either was instituted or is necessary for salvation by divine law, ... let him be anathema." The desire for the sacrament is understood as a serious purpose of making a sacramental confession, not indeed as soon as possible, but at the due time.

By ecclesiastical law the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) defined that the sacrament of penance must be received at least once a year by him who is guilty of mortal sin;³³ this indeed was confirmed by the Code of Canon Law, c. 906.

³² Session 14, can. 6, On Penance (Denz., n. 916).

³³ Denz., n. 437.