Case 4. An Erroneous Conscience

Caia confesses that she omitted a Mass of obligation. When asked by the confessor whether she omitted it through her own fault, however, she replies that she was ill and had not been permitted by the doctor to leave her room. The confessor clearly perceives that Caia objectively committed no sin, yet that she evidently thinks she sinned because she did not hear Mass on a day of obligation. Hence he is doubtful whether she sinned at least subjectively or not. From this it is asked:

1. What sort of conscience is required for acting honestly?

2. What is an erroneous conscience, and how does it bind?

3. What kind of sin is committed if someone acts against an erroneous conscience?

4. What is to be said concerning the case?

1. What sort of a conscience is required in order to act honestly ?

Before doing anything the conscience of the agent must at least implicitly pass judgment on the morality of the action, so that the agent judges for certain that this action which he contemplates is allowable. Before many of our actions we are not perhaps conscious of forming such a moral judgment, nor is it necessary to do this explicitly, because we ordinarily act from habit; but whenever we act consciously, at any rate an implicit judgment concerning its morality precedes the putting of the action. That judgment must not be a doubting one, but certain at least with the subjective certainty which excludes all prudent doubt about the morality of the action. For all that is not of faith is sin.¹ In this text it is clear from the context that St. Paul understands by faith a conviction that the action is right; in other words, a certain conscience of its morality.

1 Romans xiv. 23.

2. What is an erroneous conscience and how does it oblige?

An erroneous conscience is an erroneous judgment about the morality of an action; it decides that what is wrong is right, or what is right is wrong. As conscience is the subjective rule of conduct and we are bound to follow it, therefore we are bound to follow an erroneous conscience when it is certain and no wise doubtful. If we do not do this, we act against conscience and commit sin. It may be that we have an erroneous conscience on the point through our own fault, inasmuch as we did not care to instruct and educate it aright, or wilfully closed our eyes to the truth. If this was the case, the objective evil which we do through an erroneous conscience is voluntary in the cause and imputable to us, but at the time when it is done it is subjectively right as it is according to conscience.

3. What sort of a sin is committed by acting against an erroneous conscience ?

The sin committed in this case is of that species which it is supposed to belong to by the erroneous conscience. This follows from the fact that even an erroneous conscience is the rule and measure of subjective morality. The species and gravity of the sin are measured by the rule.

4. The case. "Caia confessed that she had omitted Mass on a day of obligation. She had been ill on the day and had been forbidden to go out by her doctor. Of course there was no objective sin, but did she commit sin by going against her erroneous conscience which judged wrongly that the omission was sinful? There was probably some confusion in Caia’s mind; she can hardly have thought that she was committing sin by not hearing Mass when she could not go on account of illness and because the doctor forbade her to go. Even if she thought that she was committing sin, she nevertheless would not do so for want of liberty if she was physically too ill and weak to go. If she could physically go, and if she thought that she was bound to go, she committed a sin of violation of the precept of hearing Mass on account of her erroneous conscience.