Morals of the Church
Library › Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology › Volume II › Book III. On the Aids of the Christian Life, or on the Sacraments › Treatise V. On Penance › Dissertation II. On the Sacrament of Penance › Part II. On the Ministration of the Sacrament of Penance › Section I. On the Ministration of the Sacrament of Penance Generally › Chapter I. On the Required Power › Article II. On Sacramental Jurisdiction Over Some Classes of Persons Specifically › Scholion. On Confessors to Be Deputed for Religious

Section — Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology

I. Clerical Religion of Men

374.

I. In individual houses of a clerical religion, several confessors legitimately approved should be deputed in proportion to the number of members, with the power, if the case concerns an exempt religion, of absolving even in cases reserved in the religion (can. 518, § 1).

Note 1. Religious Superiors having the power of hearing confessions can, with the things to be observed by law observed, hear the confessions of subjects who spontaneously and of their own motion ask this from them, but they should not do this habitually without grave cause (can. 518, § 2). Grave causes are, for example, a shortage of confessors, an anxious state of conscience in a subject, and the like. But a petition made spontaneously and of one's own motion suffices for the Superior to hear confessions by way of an act.

Note 2. Superiors should take care not to induce any subject, either personally or through another, by force, fear, importunate persuasions, or in any other way, to confess sins to them (can. 518, § 3). Simple counsel or persuasion in a particular case is not excluded.

II. With the constitutions remaining firm which command or counsel confession to be made at stated times with determinate confessors, if a religious, even an exempt one, for the quiet of his conscience, approaches a confessor approved by the local Ordinary, even though not listed among those designated, the confession, any contrary privilege being revoked, is valid and licit; and the confessor can absolve the religious even from sins and censures reserved in the religion (can. 519). These things were explained in n. 372.

III. As regards novices, these things hold:

  1. In proportion to the number of novices, one or more ordinary confessors should be had (can. 566, § 2, 1); these should stay in the novitiate house itself (can. 566, § 2, 2).

  2. Besides ordinary confessors, some confessors should be designated whom the novices can freely approach in particular cases, and the Master should not show that he takes this ill (can. 566, § 2, 3).

  3. At least four times a year an extraordinary confessor should be given to the novices, to whom all should approach at least to receive a blessing (can. 566, § 2, 4).

  4. Also for novices the things said in n. 374, II hold.

Note 1. The master of novices and his associate, and the Superior of a Seminary or college, should not hear the sacramental confessions of their students staying with them in the same house, unless the students ask this spontaneously from a grave and urgent cause in particular cases (can. 891). Therefore novices cannot habitually confess to the master of novices even for a grave and urgent cause. It is not clear that the prohibition of confessing to the master of novices should also be extended to postulants, since the Master is not of himself set over postulants.

Note 2. Novices can confess to the Superior of the house for a just cause in particular cases; for a grave cause, habitually (cf. can. 518, § 2).

IV. As regards postulants, nothing special is established by the Code, so that they are subject only to the common governance of religious.

PostulancyThe Office of the ConfessorClerical Religion of Men