Case 5. Was Confession Obligatory?

Caius, a missionary Rector in England, sinned at night with the maidservant. Obliged to celebrate Mass the next morning, since he was unwilling to confess to the young priest who was his curate, inasmuch as the curate would suffer scandal and might suspect who the accomplice was, and since no other priest lived within three miles, he elicited an act of contrition and celebrated Mass. Afterwards, however, he was tormented by scruples when he considered that he could have confessed to the curate without making any mention, or making only some mention under general terms, of the sin with the maidservant, or at least could have gone by tramway to another priest without grave inconvenience. Hence it is asked:

1. What integrity is required in confession, and by what law?

2. Must the integrity of confession be procured even by revealing the sin of an accomplice?

3. What obligation rests upon a priest who, burdened by mortal sin, has celebrated with contrition alone because of the lack of a confessor?

4. What is to be said of the case?

1. What sort of integrity is required in confession and by what law?

By divine law formal integrity is required in confession, which consists in mentioning all the mortal sins which occur to the mind after a diligent examination of conscience and which have not previously been directly absolved, or at least those mortal sins which the penitent is bound under the circumstances to confess.¹

1 Manual of Moral Theology, vol. ii, p. 164 f.

2. Is the integrity of confession to be procured by manifesting also the sin of one’s accomplice?

If the penitent can not confess a sin without thereby making known his accomplice in the sin to his confessor, it is probable that he is not bound to confess that sin to this confessor. The contrary opinion that he is bound to confess it is also probable, so that he is free to do so if he choose.²

2 Bucceroni, vol. ii, n. 720.

3. What obligation rests on a priest who because he had not a confessor merely made an act of contrition for a mortal sin and celebrated Mass?

He is bound to go to confession as soon as possible according to the decree of the Council of Trent (Sess. XIII, c. 7).

4. The case. Caius was not bound to go to confession so early in the morning to the neighboring priest. His going and inquiring for his confessor at so unusual a time could scarcely help creating suspicion and comment. If he had no other mortal sins on his conscience he was not bound to go to his curate; for the danger of causing him scandal and the probability that he would suspect who was the accomplice excused Caius from confessing this sin to him. If he had other mortal sins not yet confessed which he could confess to his curate without these inconveniences he would be bound to confess them before Mass. Otherwise if he has the grace to make a good act of contrition he will only be obliged to confess his sin as soon as possible, i.e., within the next three days.