Dissertation II. On the Sacrament of Penance

¶1.

(St. Thomas, part 3, questions 84-90; Supplement, questions 1-28; St. Alphonsus, Theologia moralis, book VI, nn. 425-705; Homo Apostolicus, treatise 16.)

Penance and Confession

287.

Before we speak of the sacrament of Penance, it is pleasing to premise certain things concerning the power of the Church to remit sins. And we do this both for the sake of completeness, and so that the connection of the whole theological doctrine on this matter may be clear; since the very use of the power to be explained constitutes the form of the sacrament, so that, once that power has been explained, we shall pass by a natural path to explaining the sacrament of Penance itself. Therefore let these points be set down:

I. Christ granted to the Apostles the power of remitting sins. This is of faith from these words of the Council of Trent: "If anyone says that those words of the Lord Savior, 'Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained,' are not to be understood of the power of forgiving and retaining sins in the sacrament of Penance, as the Catholic Church has always understood from the beginning, but twists them, contrary to the institution of this sacrament, to the authority of preaching the Gospel: let him be anathema."¹

II. The power of remitting and retaining sins differs from the power of baptizing. For the former, as we shall immediately say, is judicial, and therefore does not regard any except subjects, that is, the baptized, or those upon whom the power of baptizing has already been exercised. It is added that the power of baptizing cannot be exercised again upon the same person; otherwise than the power of remitting sins.

III. The power of remitting sins is judicial. This is of faith from the Council of Trent: "If anyone says that the sacramental absolution of the priest is not a judicial act, but a bare ministry of pronouncing and declaring that sins have been forgiven to the one confessing... let him be anathema."² And indeed three things are required for judicial power: 1. that the power be instituted by the supreme prince of the society; 2. that through it the application of law to a particular case be made; 3. that the application be made according to the merit of the cause. And all these things concur in the power of remitting and retaining sins. For: 1. the said power was instituted by Christ, the Prince of the Church (n. I); 2. through it the application of the divine law to a particular case is made, by which God has established that through his ministers he at one time remits, at another time retains, the sins of the baptized; 3. this application is made according to the merit of the cause, namely in such a way that the ministers remit or retain sins not according to their own whim, but according to the conditions required by Christ.

IV. The power of remitting sins extends itself to all sins of the baptized. This is clear from the breadth of Christ's words which were cited above. I said, however, of the baptized, because this power, as judicial, can be exercised upon subjects alone, that is, the baptized. For the rest, it is clear from elsewhere that sins committed before Baptism are remitted through Baptism (n. 61).

V. The power of remitting and retaining sins is perpetual in the Church. This is clear: 1. from the immutability with which Christ willed his Church to be furnished; 2. from the fact that until the end of the world there will exist sinners to be reconciled in the Church.

VI. The Church is bound to use the power explained, so that it is not lawful arbitrarily to repel anyone rightly disposed from the benefit of pardon to be obtained through the power of the keys. Theologians dispute concerning the right, for the public good, of repelling certain sinners in determinate cases; just as there also exists a controversy among dogmatic-historical writers concerning the existence of a universal discipline of excluding certain kinds of sin from pardon to be obtained through the ministry of the keys.³

With these points premised, we shall speak first of the sacrament of Penance considered in itself, then of the ministration, and then of the reception of the sacrament of Penance.

¹ Session 14, canon 3.

² Session 14, canon 9.

³ Ned. Kath. Stemmen, 1909, p. 304 sq.

Penance and Confession

Within this part

Part I. On the Sacrament of Penance Considered in Itselfnn. 288–359
- Section I. On the Existence of the Sacrament of Penancen. 289
- Section II. On the Essence of the Sacrament of Penancenn. 290–356
  - Chapter I. On Remote Matternn. 293–294
  - Chapter II. On Proximate Matternn. 295–339
    Article I. On Contritionnn. 295–306
    § I. On Contrition Taken Integrallynn. 295–300
    § II. On Purpose Specificallynn. 301–306
    Scholion. Sorrow and Purpose Regarding Venial Sinsn. 306
    Article II. On Confessionnn. 307–339
    § I. On Confession Considered in Itselfnn. 307–310
    § II. On the Qualities of Confession Generallynn. 311–314
    § III. On the Quality of Integrity Specificallynn. 315–339
    Point I. On the Notion, Division, and Necessity of Integritynn. 315–317
    Point II. On the Scope of Material Integritynn. 318–324
    Scholion. On Injury to Truth in Confessingnn. 323–324
    Point III. On the Causes Excusing from Material Integritynn. 325–328
    Point IV. On the Means of Procuring Integrity, or on the Examination of Consciencenn. 329–339
    Scholion I. On Repeating Confessions in Generalnn. 332–334
    Scholion II. On General Confessionnn. 335–337
    Scholion III. On Venial Sins to Be Confessed and on Doubtful Matter Alone Confessednn. 338–339
  - Chapter III. On the Form, or on Absolutionnn. 340–344
  - Chapter IV. On the Integral Part, or on Satisfactionnn. 345–356
    Article I. On the Notion and Efficacy of Satisfactionnn. 345–346
    Article II. On the Power and Obligation of Imposing Satisfactionnn. 347–354
    Scholion. On Commutation of Satisfactionnn. 352–354
    Article III. On the Obligation of Accepting and Fulfilling Satisfactionnn. 355–356
- Section III. On the Effects of the Sacrament of Penancen. 357
- Section IV. On the Necessity of the Sacrament of Penancenn. 358–359
Part II. On the Ministration of the Sacrament of Penancenn. 360–474
- Section I. On the Ministration of the Sacrament of Penance Generallynn. 361–443
  - Chapter I. On the Required Powernn. 361–388
    Article I. On Sacramental Jurisdiction Generallynn. 361–367
    Article II. On Sacramental Jurisdiction Over Some Classes of Persons Specificallynn. 368–378
    Scholion. On Confessors to Be Deputed for Religiousnn. 374–378
    I. Clerical Religion of Menn. 374
    II. Lay Religion of Menn. 375
    III. Religion of Womennn. 376–378
    IV. A Society, Whether of Men or Women, Living in Community without Vows
    Article III. On the Limitation of Jurisdiction with Respect to Sins, or on the Reservation of Sinsnn. 379–388
    Scholion. On Supplied Sacramental Jurisdictionn. 388
  - Chapter II. On the Right Use of the Powernn. 389–443
    Article I. On the Things to Be Observed in Confessionnn. 390–407
    § I. On the Office of Questioningnn. 390–395
    § II. On the Office of Instructingn. 396
    § III. On the Office of Judging Sinsn. 397
    § IV. On the Office of Judging and Promoting Dispositionnn. 398–401
    § V. On the Office of Consulting for Amendment of Lifen. 402
    § VI. On the Office of Rendering Sentencenn. 403–407
    Article II. On Things to Be Avoided in Confessionnn. 408–427
    § I. On Inquiry into the Name of an Accomplicen. 408
    § II. On Absolution of an Accomplicenn. 409–415
    § III. On Solicitation to Shameful Thingsnn. 416–427
    Point I. On Those who Must Be Denouncednn. 417–419
    Point II. On Those who Must Denouncenn. 420–421
    Point III. On the Manner of Denouncingn. 422
    Point IV. On the Obligation of the Confessor with Respect to a Penitent who Is Bound to Denouncenn. 423–427
    Scholion I. On the Manner of Receiving a Denunciation, And, Once It Has Been Received, of Proceeding Further Against Those Denouncedn. 426
    Scholion II. On False Denunciationn. 427
    Article III. On Things to Be Observed After Confessionnn. 428–443
    § I. On the Office of Preserving the Sacramental Sealnn. 428–440
    Point I. On the Obligation of the Sacramental Sealnn. 429–434
    Point II. On the Object of the Sacramental Sealn. 435
    Point III. On the Subject of the Sacramental Sealn. 436
    Point IV. Corollaries from the Doctrine Handed Downnn. 437–440
    Scholion. On the Penalties Established Against Transgressorsn. 440
    § II. On the Obligation of Repairing Defects Admitted in Confessionnn. 441–443
- Section II. On the Ministration of the Sacrament of Penance to Certain Persons in Particularnn. 446–474
  - Chapter I. On the Confession of Childrenn. 446
  - Chapter II. On the Confession of the Rude, the Slow, and the Semi-Feeblenn. 447–448
  - Chapter III. On the Confession of Habituated Personsnn. 449–454
    Scholion. On the Confession of Those Given to Pollution or Onanism
  - Chapter IV. On the Confession of Those in Occasions of Sinnn. 455–474
    Article I. On Those in Occasions in Generalnn. 455–465
    Article II. On Some Occasions in Speciesnn. 466–474
    § I. On Concubinagenn. 466–467
    § II. On Courtshipsn. 468
    § III. On Domestic Dangersn. 469
    § IV. On Dancesn. 470
    § V. On Theatrical Spectaclesn. 471
    § VI. On Evil Writingsn. 472
    § VII. On Evil Associationsn. 473
    § VIII. On Evil Schoolsn. 474
Appendix. On External Circumstances to Be Observednn. 444–445
Part III. On the Reception of the Sacrament of Penancen. 479
Appendix. On Indulgencesnn. 480–562
- Part I. On Indulgences Generallynn. 481–507
  - Section I. On the Notion, Existence, and Division of Indulgencesnn. 481–483
  - Section II. On the Concession of Indulgencesnn. 484–490
    Scholion. On the Faculty of Blessing Things with the Application of Indulgencesn. 490
  - Section III. On the Gaining of Indulgencesnn. 491–504
    Chapter I. On the Subject Capable of Gaining Indulgencesn. 491
    Chapter II. On the Requisites So That a Capable Subject May Gain Indulgencesnn. 492–504
    Scholion. On the Application of Indulgences to the Souls in Purgatorynn. 501–504
  - Section IV. On the Transfer, Suspension, and Cessation of Indulgencesnn. 505–507
- Part II. On Some Indulgences in Speciesnn. 508–562
  - Section I. On the Privileged Altarnn. 508–513
  - Section II. On the Way of the Cross and on the Crucifix of the Way of the Crossnn. 514–526
    Chapter I. On the Erection of the Way of the Crossnn. 515–521
    Chapter II. On the Indulgences Attached to the Way of the Cross and on Acquiring Themnn. 522–523
    Chapter III. On the Crucifix of the Way of the Crossnn. 524–526
  - Section III. On the Papal or Apostolic Blessingnn. 527–529
  - Section IV. On the Papal or Apostolic Blessing at the Point of Deathnn. 530–532
  - Section V. On General Absolution with a Plenary Indulgencenn. 533–535
  - Section VI. On Real Indulgencesnn. 536–548
    Chapter I. On Real Indulgences Generallynn. 536–539
    Chapter II. On Some Real Indulgences in Particularnn. 540–548
    Article I. On Chapletsnn. 540–543
    Article II. On Scapularsnn. 544–548
  - Section VII. On the Heroic Act of Charitynn. 549–550
  - Section VIII. On the Jubileenn. 551–562
    Chapter I. On the Notion, Division, and Interpretation of the Jubileenn. 551–553
    Chapter II. On the Benefits of the Jubileenn. 554–559
    Article I. On the Faculty of Choosing a Confessorn. 554
    Article II. On the Special Faculties of Confessorsnn. 555–556
    Article III. On the Indulgencenn. 557–559
    Chapter III. On the Suspension of Indulgences and Faculties on the Occasion of the Jubileenn. 560–562
    Scholion I. On the Plenary Indulgence at the Point of Deathn. 561
    Scholion II. On *Toties-Quoties* Indulgencesn. 562