integre exponantur, nec judicibus innotescant; et fieri nequeat, ut de gravitate criminum recte censere possint et poenam, quam oportet, pro illis poenitentibus imponere. Unde alienum a ratione est docere, circumstantias has ab hominibus otiosis excogitatas fuisse, aut unam tantum circumstantiam confitendam esse, nempe peccasse in fratrem. Sed et impium est, confessionem, quæ hac ratione fieri præcipitur, impossibilem dicere, aut carnificinam, illam conscientiarum appellare; constat enim, nihil aliud in Ecclesia a poenitentibus exigi, quam ut, postquam quisque diligentius se excusserit et conscientiæ suæ sinus omnes et latebras exploraverit, ea peccata confiteatur, quibus se Dominum et Deum suum mortaliter offendissi meminerit; reliqua autem peccata, quæ diligenter cogitanti non occurrunt, in universum eadem confessione inclusa esse intelliguntur; pro quibus fideliter cum propheta dicimus: Ab occultis meis munda me, Domine. Ipsa vero hujusmodi confessionis difficultas ac peccata detegendi verecundia, gravis quidem videri of the sin are also to be explained in confession, because that, without them, the sins themselves are neither entirely set forth by the penitents, nor are they known clearly to the judges; and it can not be that they can estimate rightly the grievousness of the crimes, and impose on the penitents the punishment which ought to be inflicted on account of them. Whence it is unreasonable to teach that these circumstances have been invented by idle men; or that one circumstance only is to be confessed, to wit, that one has sinned against a brother. But it is also impious to assert, that confession, enjoined to be made in this manner, is impossible, or to call it a slaughter-house of consciences; for it is certain, that in the Church nothing else is required of penitents, but that, after each has examined himself diligently, and searched all the folds and recesses of his conscience, he confess those sins by which he shall remember that he has mortally offended his Lord and God: whilst the other sins, which do not occur to him after diligent thought, are understood to be included as a whole in that same confession; for which sins we confidently say with the prophet: From my secret sins cleanse me, O Lord. [217] Now, the
posset, nisi tot tantisque commodis et consolationibus levaretur, quæ omnibus digne ad hoc sacramentum accedentibus per absolutionem certissime conferuntur. Ceterum, quoad modum confitendi secreto apud solum sacerdotem, etsi Christus non vetuerit, quin aliquis in vindictam suorum scelerum et sui humiliationem, cum ob aliorum exemplum, tum ob Ecclesiæ offensæ ædificationem delicta sua publice confiteri possit: non est tamen hoc divino præcepto mandatum, nec satis consulte humana aliqua lege præciperetur, ut delicta, præsertim secreta, publica essent confessione aperienda; unde cum a sanctissimis et antiquissimis patribus magno unanimique consensu secreta confessio sacramentalis, qua ab initio Ecclesia sancta usa est et modo etiam utitur, fuerit semper commendata, manifeste refellitur inanis eorum calumnia, qui eam a divino mandato alienam et inventum humanum esse, atque a patribus in concilio lateranensi congregatis initium habuisse, docere non verentur; neque enim per lateranense concilium Ecclesia statuit, ut Christi fideles confiterentur, very difficulty of a confession like this, and the shame of making known one's sins, might indeed seem a grievous thing, were it not alleviated by the so many and so great advantages and consolations, which are most assuredly bestowed by absolution upon all who worthily approach to this sacrament. For the rest, as to the manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone, although Christ has not forbidden that a person may,--in punishment of his sins, and for his own humiliation, as well for an example to others as for the edification of the Church that has been scandalized,--confess his sins publicly, nevertheless this is not commanded by a divine precept; neither would it be very prudent to enjoin by any human law, that sins, especially such as are secret, should be made known by a public confession. Wherefore, whereas the secret sacramental confession, which was in use from the beginning in holy Church, and is still also in use, has always been commended by the most holy and the most ancient Fathers with a great and unanimous consent, the vain calumny of those is manifestly refuted, who are not ashamed to teach that confession is alien from the divine command, and is a human invention, and that it took its
quod jure divino necessarium et institutum esse intellexerat, sed ut præceptum confessionis, saltem semel in anno, ab omnibus et singulis, cum ad annos discretionis pervenissent, impleretur; unde jam in universa Ecclesia cum ingenti animarum fidelium fructu observatur mos ille salutaris confitendi sacro illo et maxime acceptabili tempore quadragesimæ: quem morem hæc sancta synodus maxime probat et amplectitur, tamquam pium et merito retinendum. rise from the Fathers assembled in the Council of Lateran: for the Church did not, through the Council of Lateran, ordain that the faithful of Christ should confess,--a thing which it knew to be necessary, and to be instituted of divine right,--but that the precept of confession should be complied with, at least once a year, by all and each, when they have attained to years of discretion. Whence, throughout the whole Church, the salutary custom is, to the great benefit of the souls of the faithful, now observed, of confessing at that most sacred and most acceptable time of Lent,--a custom which this holy Synod most highly approves of and embraces, as pious and worthy of being retained. Caput VI. Chapter VI. De ministro hujus sacramenti et Absolutione. On the ministry of this sacrament, and on Absolution. Circa ministrum autem hujus sacramenti declarat sancta synodus, falsas esse et a veritate evangelii penitus alienas doctrinas omnes, quæ ad alios quosvis homines, præter episcopos et sacerdotes clavium ministerium perniciose extendunt, putantes verba illa Domini: Quæcumque alligaveritis super terram, erunt alligata et in coelo, et quæcumque solveritis But, as regards the minister of this sacrament, the holy Synod declares all those doctrines to be false, and utterly alien from the truth of the Gospel, which perniciously extend the ministry of the keys to any others soever besides bishops and priests; imagining, contrary to the institution of this sacrament, that those words of our Lord, Whatsoever you shall bind, upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven, and
super terram, erunt soluta et in coelo; et: Quorum remiseritis peccata, remittuntur eis, et quorum retinueritis, retenta sunt: ad omnes Christi fideles, indifferenter et promiscue, contra institutionem hujus sacramenti ita fuisse dicta, ut quivis potestatem habeat remittendi peccata, publica quidem per correptionem, si correptus acquieverit, secreta vero per spontaneam confessionem cuicumque factam. Docet quoque, etiam sacerdotes, qui peccato mortali tenentur, per virtutem Spiritus Sancti in ordinatione collatam, tamquam Christi ministros, functionem remittendi peccata exercere, eosque prave sentire, qui in malis sacerdotibus hanc potestatem non esse contendunt. Quamvis autem absolutio sacerdotis alieni beneficii sit dispensatio, tamen non est solum nudum ministerium vel annuntiandi evangelium, vel declarandi remissa esse peccata; sed ad instar actus judicialis, quo ab ipso, velut a judice, sententia pronuntiatur. Atque ideo non debet pænitens adeo sibi de sua ipsius fide blandiri, ut, etiam si nulla illi adsit contritio, aut sacerdote animus serio whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed also in heaven, [218] and, Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained, [219] were in such wise addressed to all the faithful of Christ indifferently and indiscriminately, as that every one has the power of forgiving sins,--public sins to wit by rebuke, provided he that is rebuked shall acquiesce, and secret sins by a voluntary confession made to any individual whatsoever. It also teaches, that even priests, who are in mortal sin, exercise, through the virtue of the Holy Ghost which was bestowed in ordination, the office of forgiving sins, as the ministers of Christ; and that their sentiment is erroneous who contend that this power exists not in bad priests. But although the absolution of the priest is the dispensation of another's bounty, yet is it not a bare ministry only, whether of announcing the Gospel, or of declaring that sins are forgiven, but is after the manner of a judicial act, whereby sentence is pronounced by the priest as by a judge; and therefore the penitent ought not, so to confide in his own personal faith as to think that,--even though there be no contrition on his part, or no intention on the
agendi et vere absolvendi desit, putet tamen se propter suam solam fidem vere et coram Deo esse absolutum. Nec enim fides sine poenitentia remissionem ullam peccatorum præstaret; nec is esset nisi salutis suæ negligentissimus, qui sacerdotem joco se absolventem cognosceret, et non alium serio agentem sedulo requireret. part of the priest of acting seriously and absolving truly,--he is nevertheless truly and in God's sight absolved, on account of his faith alone. For neither would faith without penance bestow any remission of sins, nor would he be otherwise than most careless of his own salvation, who, knowing that a priest but absolved him in jest, should not carefully seek for another who would act in earnest. Caput VII. Chapter VII. De casuum reservatione. On the reservation of cases. Quoniam igitur natura et ratio judicii illud exposcit, ut sententia in subditos dumtaxat feratur, persuasum semper in Ecclesia Dei fuit, et verissimum esse synodus hæc confirmat, nullius momenti absolutionem eam esse debere, quam sacerdos in eum profert, in quem ordinariam aut subdelegatam non habet jurisdictionem. Magnopere vero ad Christiani populi disciplinam pertinere sanctissimis patribus nostris visum est, ut atrociora quædam et graviora crimina non a quibusvis, sed a summis dumtaxat sacerdotibus absolverentur; unde merito Pontifices maximi pro suprema potestate sibi in Ecclesia universa tradita causas aliquas criminum Wherefore, since the nature and order of a judgment require this, that sentence be passed only on those subject [to that judicature], it has ever been firmly held in the Church of God, and this Synod ratifies it as a thing most true, that the absolution, which a priest pronounces upon one over whom he has not either an ordinary or a delegated jurisdiction, ought to be of no weight whatever. And it hath seemed to our most holy Fathers to be of great importance to the discipline of the Christian people, that certain more atrocious and more heinous crimes should be absolved, not by all priests, but only by the highest priests; whence the Sovereign Pontiffs, in virtue of the supreme power delivered to them in
graviores suo potuerunt peculiari judicio reservare. Neque dubitandum esset, quando omnia, quæ a Deo sunt, ordinata sunt, quin hoc idem episcopis omnibus in sua cuique diæcesi, in ædificationem tamen, non in destructionem liceat, pro illis in subditos tradita supra reliquos inferiores sacerdotes auctoritate, præsertim quoad illa, quibus excommunicationis censura annexa est. Hanc autem delictorum reservationem consonum est divinæ auctoritati non tantum in externa politia, sed etiam coram Deo vim habere. Verumtamen pie admodum, ne hac ipsa occasione aliquis pereat, in eadem Ecclesia Dei custoditum semper fuit, ut nulla sit reservatio in articulo mortis; atque ideo omnes sacerdotes quoslibet poenitentes a quibusvis peccatis et censuris absolvere possunt; extra quem articulum sacerdotes cum nihil possint in casibus reservatis, id unum poenitentibus persuadere nitantur, ut ad superiores et legitimos judices pro beneficio absolutionis accedant. the universal Church, were deservedly able to reserve, for their special judgment, certain more grievous cases of crimes. Neither is it to be doubted,--seeing that all things, that are from God, are well ordered,--but that this same may be lawfully done by all bishops, each in his own diocese, unto edification, however, not unto destruction, in virtue of the authority, above [that of] other inferior priests, delivered to them over their subjects, especially as regards those crimes to which the censure of excommunication is annexed. But it is consonant to the divine authority, that this reservation of cases have effect, not merely in external polity, but also in God's sight. Nevertheless, for fear lest any may perish on this account, it has always been very piously observed in the said Church of God, that there be no reservation at the point of death, and that therefore all priests may absolve all penitents whatsoever from every kind of sins and censures whatever: and as, save at that point of death, priests have no power in reserved cases, let this alone be their endeavor, to persuade penitents to repair to superior and lawful judges for the benefit of absolution.