Chapter VII. The Minister of Penance

Christ our Lord gave his Apostles and their successors a twofold spiritual power to enable them to do the work which he commissioned them to do for the sanctification and salvation of souls. This twofold spiritual power is the power of Orders and the power of Jurisdiction, The power of Orders has reference to the holy Eucharist, and it was conferred on the Apostles at the Last Supper when, after consecrating the blessed Eucharist, our Lord said to them: “Do this for a commemoration of me.” The power of Orders has reference not only to the blessed Eucharist but to everything that is required to prepare and dispose men for the worthy and fruitful reception of it. And so, by the disposition of Christ our Lord the power of Orders is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. In other words, only priests can be ministers of the sacrament of Penance (Can. 871).

The power of jurisdiction is the power of ruling subjects, and it was given to the Apostles by Christ our Lord when he said to them: “ 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. Both powers are implied in the institution of the sacrament of Penance when our Lord said to his Apostles: ‘‘ As the Father hath sent me I also send you. Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain they are retained.”

The power of Orders is conferred by the sacrament of Orders. We will treat of the power of jurisdiction in a separate chapter,