§ 2. With Regard to the Persons of Penitents

— The uneducated, even those who are found to have examined themselves negligently, are not to be dismissed⁽¹⁾ so that they may perfect their examination, since no moral hope is given that they will return better prepared, but rather they are to be helped by the confessor so that, by questions adapted to their capacity, he himself may procure sufficient integrity of confession.

And observe that several men, more cultivated in other matters but of modest piety, or immersed in business, are theologically uneducated or must be equated with the uneducated; they think that they have satisfied their obligation, and if dismissed would care for nothing more, but would be cast into bad faith or perhaps would desert the sacraments. The confessor, after making prudent inquiry, has fulfilled his parts; the penitent, from ignorance of his obligation, approaches disposed; imprudent recollection of the obligation is to be avoided.

Nor are the uneducated to be disturbed who confess words and works contrary to chastity, but deny thoughts which, nevertheless, the confessor will probably judge that they have had and admitted. For they answer thus because they do not attend to these things.

The things said are to be transferred by stronger reason to the half-witted, concerning whom we have already treated before.

⁽¹⁾ To dismiss such persons on this account was called by Fr. Segneri, Il confessore istruito, with St. Alph., VI, 607, approving, an intolerable error.

— With children let the confessor especially take care: that they confess sincerely, and therefore by paternal benignity win confidence for himself; that they confess sorrowfully; wherefore, by conversing rather than by a long exhortation during which they may wander in soul, let him hold a manner of aptly proposing to them the motives of contrition; that they have a right conscience by which they are taught to discern grave sins from light ones in such a way that nevertheless they abhor these also; that they confess without danger. Therefore they will have to be questioned by a brief word in such a way that the confessor has their conscience ascertained and detects the beginnings of a depraved custom, yet at the same time they are not instructed before the opportune hour in those things which they more happily do not know. Therefore it will be best that they become accustomed to set forth their doubts candidly to the confessor; that occasions of sin be removed, by effecting, as far as can be done, especially among parents, that under the pretext of poverty children, especially of different sex, already seven years old, not use the same bed. But he will take care lest particular counsels of modesty suggest to them occasions of malicious arts to which they were not attending. For the norms of modesty are not uniform in various homes; imprudently admonished by confessors, they will now begin maliciously to revolve in mind things which they were doing ingenuously, or to do with scruple what nevertheless, for example on account of the authority of parents, they do not dare omit.

— Penitents of little piety and rarely approaching the tribunal of Penance, for example only at Paschal time, must be treated by the confessor with that dexterity by which, in a few moments, he knows how to question them sufficiently, bring them to sincere contrition, and render them, by paternal counsels, more pacified, instructed, and content about the confession made.

Such persons, if they are doubtfully disposed, are to be absolved under condition rather than dismissed with the danger that now they omit the sacraments entirely.

What if, stained by many harmful things, they are foreseen soon to relapse?

Let the confessor discharge his office with all zeal and charity. When he has done this: a) either they appear certainly indisposed, for example because they do not wish to fulfill a grave obligation of which they are conscious: then, as if unwilling, let him deny absolution, indicating the manifest reason of the sentence and adding how gladly they would be received better disposed; let him not neglect to cast seeds of this disposition. Rarely, except sometimes with priests or with the uneducated full of faith, will harsh severity profit anything; b) or they sincerely grieve and resolve: let the confessor absolve them, obtaining, if it can be done, more frequent use of the sacraments; c) if the disposition is doubtful, let him absolve them under condition, with a paternal admonition added, in which he recalls the uselessness of absolution given to him whom God knows to be indisposed.

Thus he will help as much as he can. There is hope of absolution efficaciously given; at the beginning at least sins will be committed less frequently; the soul will not be turned away from religion or the sacraments; and perhaps great scandals will be impeded.

Doctors agree that the greatest indulgence also must be used with those who at the end of a mission approach the sacrament of Penance.

Concerning recidivists and those who are placed in a proximate occasion of sinning, cf. the things said above, n. 543, and the things to be said in the chapter on the penitent.

— Pious penitents must prudently but zealously be brought to following more perfect things, and to exercising the apostolic mission entrusted to every Christian already in these divine words: "That they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (St. Matt. 5:16).

Wherefore:

1. Let the confessor not always, after hearing confession, absolve such persons without any exhortation; nor let this be only about the time or feast occurring, but also about amending such or such a defect, about applying such or such an effort.

Yet lest the confessor anticipate the action of interior grace, but rather prepare and then follow that action, he will abstain from untimely suggestions which beget weariness or less confidence in the penitent. Wherefore it is necessary that he himself know how to discern the various spirits. By opportune praise let him add courage to souls, with the temptation of vainglory or worse pride at the same time avoided. Let him instill a greater esteem of virtue and of the fulfilled office of state than of exterior exercises which, under the appearance of devotion, can foster self-love itself. Let him strive to make the will firmer, with dependence on sensible fervor removed, so that they become accustomed to act more from deliberation than from a sudden impulse of soul. Let him induce the penitent himself to propose more perfect things to be approved or moderated by the confessor, rather than merely execute things indicated by the confessor. In works of exterior mortification, let him rather subtract something from the exercises proposed by the penitent than increase them in quantity, so that the penitent may perform them with a more joyful will and bear a consciousness of relatively complete liberality and fortitude. Let him direct each one according to each one's own state, character, grace, but not according to the confessor's own pleasures. Let him dissuade vows taken without counsel or without the judgment of the confessor having first been asked. Let him effect that penitents with due reverence and contrition accuse past or present venial faults, yet in such a way that they are not scrupulously troubled about the number but rather disclose their habitual disposition. Let him carefully abstain from every command which he has no right to make, and from matters which do not pertain to the use of the sacrament or to spiritual direction. Especially with women let him avoid more prolonged conversations; and, occasion being given, let him always declare that it will be pleasing to him if they should prefer to approach another confessor also (yet to the scrupulous he will commend unity of confessor).

2. Let him exhort nuns and Sisters that they bring every zeal to preserving vows and rules, cultivate due obedience toward Superiors, especially foster mutual charity, removed from every envy and jealousy. Let him not furnish easy ears to complaints, nor rashly carp at the manner of acting of others. Let him carefully unteach whatever things can favor vanity or self-love, yet let him break no effort toward more sublime virtue. Let him hear patiently one reporting portentous or marvelous things, nor show himself moved and curious as about a thing not customary. Let him neither prohibit an extraordinary way of prayer, nor immediately approve it.

But rather let him explore in a discreet manner the solid virtues of the one praying, and, without excessive attention given to extraordinary causes, foster the fervor of true reason. Let him also remember that it easily happens that a confessor, by his very questions, renders persons of this kind persuaded either about marvelous things or about sins. Let him in no way show himself eager for food or drink, but constantly superior to these lowest things. And in all his conversation let him preserve for himself holy authority, such as conciliates fruitful confidence and prevents familiarity.

3. There are men who attempt as it were to redeem suspect arts of conducting business by exercises of piety. It is necessary that the confessor in no way connive at them.

— The sick and the dying must be helped and comforted with the greatest care. "It is expedient that every recently ordained priest compose for himself methods and manners of helping the dying and of acting with the sick." Thus Lacroix, l. 6, p. 2, n. 1864. St. Alph., Praxis confessarii, Appendix II; Reuter-Lehmkuhl, Neo-Confessarius, etc., can be approached. Thus the confessor will strive to act so that he is troublesome to no sick person, and at the same time endeavors to increase the merits of the sick person, by frequent reception of the sacraments, by renewed acts of the theological virtues, by joyful acceptance of the divine good pleasure, for example according to the formula commended by Pius X and Benedict XV, by recalled sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by proposed union of one's own trial with the Passion and death of Christ, by brief little prayers repeated opportunely.

If he has been present in mind, it will help, says St. Alph., op. cit., §5, to confer absolution on him as often as a brief confession can prudently be obtained. But if he has been destitute of senses, the confessor "must direct himself from the conscience which he has known of the sick person. If he had been habituated in depraved thoughts, if he dies from some wound or is entangled by some passion of hatred or impure love, if the illness is too bitter and he himself does not suffer with willing soul, then absolution can be given rather often; but otherwise it suffices that a space of three or four hours intervene; more frequently, however, if he is now about to die. But it will not be beside the matter to admonish the sick person, while he is strong in mind, that, if he cannot speak, he give some determined sign when he seeks absolution, or when the priest wishes to confer it on him; for example, that he close or open his eyes, raise his hand, incline his head, and the like" (St. Alph., l. c.). But scarcely anything will help more than to raise the soul into vivid hope, founded on the mercy of God and the merits of Christ, of which as pledges there are the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the power of the sacraments, especially of the sacrament which gives Christ to be possessed, and of Extreme Unction, which takes away the remains of sin.

But lest the visitation of the priest seem as if to portend proximate death, let the priest to whom souls have been committed take care that from the beginning of illness he visit also those sick persons who are hoped to be going to arrive at convalescence.

— General Counsels.

"To hear confessions," St. J. B. de Rossi used to say, "is, of all ways to heaven, the shortest way"; yet it supposes not a few things in the confessor, that it may bear all the fruits which are deservedly expected from so great a sacrament of mercy. May some general counsels profit him; we have thought fit to add them here.

1. By his own piety and sanctity of life the confessor, as is clear, will be helped very much. But in carrying out this function let him take the greatest care for the purest intention of soul, most remote from every human end. This removes the dangers of temptations; this preserves a holy liberty of responding according to truth, without human respect; this procures great peace of conscience and security, even after errors have been committed. Nor, in his conversation with the penitent, let him foster or tolerate any affection other than supernatural. A safeguard against temptations also will be furnished by consideration of the angels who protect the little ones, and by the persuasion that the matter is conducted between souls, and not between bodies which are informed by the soul.

2. Let him beware lest, deceived by the facility of many confessions, he now neglect the study of moral theology, which, according to the opinion of St. Alph. (Praxis confessarii, n. 17, 18 at the end), is the work of an entire life.

3. Let him hold the golden rule commended by learned and pious men: let the confessor strive, insofar as is lawful for him, to render less difficult for Christians the execution of that office which is among the more difficult things prescribed in the law of grace.

But the use of confession is rendered more difficult not only by him who torments the penitent with importunate questions or by his impatience and anger, but also by him who renders inconvenient for him the revelation of a grave fault which especially dishonors his state.

Therefore, to a person unknown to him, even a religious person or one frequently communicating and confessing, let him allow time for declaring all things, nor from the beginning let him show that he lacks leisure. He will be able to dispatch more quickly a penitent who shows himself scrupulous and fearful.

Nor by any word or manner of acting let him suppose that nothing grave is to be revealed; but, gently extolling the advantages of perfect sincerity, let him bring forward the good occasion which is present for opening the heart fully. But let him begin by saying that the internal state of the penitent is entirely unknown to him, so that he himself does not know whether or not anything is to be supplied.

It sometimes happens that a thing must be opened which a person of the other sex is greatly ashamed to report in a concrete manner, nor dares to press down by silence without fear of culpable reticence. If the confessor advert to this or suspect it, and it does not pertain to the good of the penitent that he himself know the manner, let him declare that the matter is sufficiently understood by him, and that there is no need that more be declared, that the penitent is truly dispensed from every further explanation. And in truth, in the matter of the sixth and ninth precepts, we are persuaded by c. 888, §2 itself to act thus.

4. Because grave authors testify to us that very many confessions are sacrilegious on account of culpable reticence, let us not deny or practically neglect the office of questioning; yet let us fulfill it circumspectly, so that we do not disturb souls and inject into persons who enjoy interior peace a suspicion of former confessions badly made.

5. Let the confessor remember that the principle about not disturbing good faith by admonitions is not fully brought forward unless the word "uselessly" is added.

But the utility can be: a) of the penitent, who, not admonished, may contract a depraved custom, who may lead a life of less integral honesty; b) of another person whom the penitent harms either by his manner of acting or by the manner in which he will interpret the silence or connivance of the confessor; c) of the Christian community, which, with Christianity languishing, is infected too much.

6. Let the first and as it were supreme rule of the confessor be the salvation or greater spiritual utility of the penitent. According to it let him absolve, retain sins, moderate penance. Hence also in doubts about positive obligations, for example of restoring, which have no direct spiritual utility, let the confessor embrace the more benign opinion, which nevertheless is probable.

7. As Lehmk., II, 607, notes after Gobat, a later confessor ought to presume that the former one discharged his function well. Wherefore concerning past confessions, imposed obligations, let him not be solicitous, unless he certainly discovers that the former confessor erred.

8. Let the confessor not be content with necessary absolution having been given, but let him have at heart the spiritual progress of the penitent; and with tireless zeal let him exhort and stimulate him to seeking nobler and more perfect things, which at the same time are more blessed.

9. After confessions have been heard, let the confessor recollect in soul how he acted and how he could have acted better; about doubtful solutions let him question someone more skilled. Let him not trust his own prudence so greatly that he judges that nothing is to be learned by him from others. On the contrary, let him despise no aid, neither divine nor human, so that he may be able better to consult "the divine honor and the salvation of souls" (can. 888, §1).