Chapter VI. The Form of Penance

WE must distinguish the form which is required for the validity of the sacrament from the form which is commonly used according to the Ritual. ‘‘ I absolve thee from thy sins ” is sufficient for the validity of the sacrament, and probably even the mere words “I absolve thee.” The Ritual form consists of the four short prayers beginning with Misereatur, etc., of which the third is the most important, as it contains the absolution from censures and from sin. The absolution from censures is always given before the absolution from sin for the sake of greater security, because if the penitent were under censure, he could not lawfully receive a sacrament. A rubric of the Ritual expressly lays down that the other three prayers may be omitted in shorter and more frequent confessions, but it is better always to add the last prayer, as it probably gives a special satisfactory efficacy to the good works which the penitent subsequently performs.

We saw above that absolution cannot be given validly by a priest to a penitent who is not morally present at the time. This sacrament is a judicial process, and the priest, who is the judge, pronounces sentence on the culprit who is present in court. The absolution must be pronounced by word of mouth, and the penitent must be within hearing distance, not farther distant than the ordinary tone of voice carries.

The priest cannot pass sentence without having a sufficient knowledge of the sins to be absolved and the dispositions of the penitent. It is not necessary, however, nor is it possible to have a distinct knowledge of the subjective malice with which the sins of the penitent were committed. The confessor may presume that the subjective malice of the penitent corresponds with the objective malice of the sin, unless he has special reasons for concluding otherwise. With his habitual knowledge of the malice of different sins the confessor passes a sufficient judgement on them if he quietly listens to the self-accusation of the penitent.

A merely historical account of the sins which a person has committed may suffice for absolution if the penitent resumes them under some brief formula by which he expresses his desire to confess them and receive absolution for them. The priest must in this case, of course, retain at least a general and vague knowledge of the sins which he absolves.

A dying person, who through weakness or other causes is unable to make a full confession, may be absolved absolutely if he mentions what sins he can, or even if he asks for the absolution of his sins, for such a confession is formally integral.

The Ritual prescribes that a dying person who has lost the use of his senses is to be absolved even if he previously only expressed a desire himself or through others to receive absolution. In this case, also, it would seem that the absolution should be absolute.

Dying persons who have lost the use of their senses may be absolved conditionally even if they give no certain signs of a desire to confess or of sorrow for their sins. It may be that in such a state the dying person has the requisite dispositions, and is trying his best to give expression to them, and so the movements of the body or his laboured breathing may be indications of a wish to receive absolution. At any rate, in such a case of necessity we may use even a slenderly probable opinion, and it is now the common practice to absolve conditionally in such cases.