Morals of the Church
Topics › The Nature of an Ecclesiastical Censure › Fear and ignorance as excuses from censures

A Topic of Moral Theology

Fear and ignorance as excuses from censures

When they prevent contumacy; the exceptions.

The works themselves ask 7 questions under this heading — see them together with their answers.

See also Ignorance — in Obstacles to Voluntariety · Fear — in Obstacles to Voluntariety

In the index as Censure · Ignorance · Fear · Ecclesiastical censure · Gross Ignorance · Affected ignorance · Appeal · Censures · Excuse from a law · Inability · Reserved Case · Sin, causes of · Those Ignorant

In the manuals

Read the manuals side by side → — each work's whole treatment in its own column

Summa of Moral Theology (Summa Theologiae Moralis)

Hieronymus Noldin, S.J. — 4 passages

Noldin, Summa of Moral Theology, On Ecclesiastical Penalties, Second Book. On Ecclesiast…, Question One. On Censures …, Article Five. On Causes Excusing from Censures., nn. ¶1, 23, 24 & 25 (4 passages — hover a number to read it)

A Manual of Moral Theology for English-Speaking Countries

Thomas Slater, S.J.

Vol. II, Bk. X, Pt. I, Chapter I. The Nature of an Ecclesiastical Censure, n. 6 — Grave fear and ignorance prevent contumacy, and therefore hinder one who commits a crime under their influence from incurring any censure by which such crime is punished. Grave fear, however, does not excuse from censure… Read in context →

Institutions of Moral Theology (Institutiones Theologiae Moralis)

Gennaro Bucceroni, S.J. — 3 passages

Vol. IV, On Censures, I. On the Nature of Censure, nn. 1094, 1095 & 1096 (3 passages — hover a number to read it)

Compendium of Moral Theology of Fr. John Peter Gury, S.J., with the Notes of Antonio Ballerini, S.J.

Jean-Pierre Gury, S.J.; notes by Antonio Ballerini, S.J. — 12 passages

Vol. II, Treatise On Censures, Ch. I, Art. I, Division, and Conditions of Censures, nn. 937, 938, 939 & 940 (12 passages — hover a number to read it)

Manuale Theologiae Moralis

Dominic M. Prümmer, O.P. — 6 passages

Vol. III, Pt. II, Tr. VI, Ch. II, Article V. On Causes Excusing From Censures, n. ¶64 — Some causes excuse from the incurrence, others from the effects, of censure.Read in context →

Vol. III, Pt. II, Tr. VI, Ch. II, Art. V, § 1. On Causes Excusing From The Incurrence Of Censure, nn. ¶65, 486, 487 & 488 (4 passages — hover a number to read it)

Vol. III, Pt. II, Tr. VI, Ch. II, Art. V, § 2. On Causes Excusing From The Effect Of Censure, n. 489 — 489. Since the effects of censure are nothing other than statutes of merely ecclesiastical law, all those things which excuse from the observance of ecclesiastical statutes also exempt from observing the effects of censu… Read in context →

Summa Summae S. Thomae (Billuart)

Charles-René Billuart, O.P. — 17 passages

Billuart, Summa Summae, Tomus II. On the Prima Sec…, On Sins, On the Causes of Sins, Whether ignorance excuses from the penalties established by positive laws?, nn. 1–17 (17 passages)

Compendium of Moral Theology

Aloysius Sabetti, S.J., and Timothy Barrett, S.J.

Vol. II, Tr. XIX, Ch. II, Art. I, Division, and Conditions of Censures, n. 946, Q. 4 — Question 4. Does ignorance excuse from censure? Resp. Ignorance of fact certainly excuses, namely when someone does not know that he is placing an act prohibited under censure. Thus, for example, if someone strikes a pri… Read in context →

Christian Theology, Dogmatic and Moral, in Compendium

Daniele Concina, O.P. — 2 passages

Diss. IV, Chapter II — On the fault on account of which a censure can be passed, and what causes excuse from censures, nn. VII & XIII (2 passages — hover a number to read it)

Treated under the broader heading The Nature of an Ecclesiastical Censure — Bucceroni, Moral Enchiridion (4th ed., 1905) · Tanquerey · Merkelbach, Summa Theologiae Moralis — these works do not divide the matter as finely as we do here, so their treatment stands one heading up (ed.)