Under Seal

The lords of Modernity have sacralized the profaned and profaned the sacred, thus having much in common with the lords of Modernism within the counterfeit church of conciliarism.

The Catholic Faith was rejected, mocked, and reviled by the Jews and pagan Romans. Indeed, the full might of the Roman Empire tried to crush Holy Mother Church in her infancy from 67 A.D. to the time of the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. as over eleven million of her children were martyred for her Divine Founder, Invisible Head, and Mystical Bridegroom. In the end, of course, the Roman of the Caesars collapsed from the rot of rampant immorality, including outright deviancy, bureaucratic bloat, excessive taxation and endless wars, making it vulnerable to barbaric invasions from without.

Sound familiar?

As a result, of course, the Rome of Christ the King, the Rome of the See of Saint Peter, emerged from the catacombs, and was the undisputed center of the Christian world until the Protestant Revolution, which enabled various princes, kings, and potentates to rule in a Machiavellian manner without the “interference” of the Roman Pontiff while persecuting faithful Catholics in the process, none more so than the wretched King Henry VIII of the House of Tudor in England, at whose command over 72,000 Catholics in England and Ireland who remained faithful to Rome were martyred for their refusal to submit to his absurd claim of being the “Supreme Head of the Church in England.”

Protestantism’s revolution again the Social Reign of Christ the King would provide the seedbed for the rise of the secular civil government that arose from the American Revolution, which coopted Catholics into believing everything about the American founding was compatible with Catholicism, and the French Revolution, which was a direct, frontal assault against the Holy Faith as the Cross of the Divine Redeemer had been implanted deep into the soul of France, the eldest daughter of the Church. Direct assaults against the Holy Faith by secular authorities continued throughout the Nineteenth Century, including by Freemasons of the Italian Risgorgimento and the Freemasonic Chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck, during his Kulturkampf. These assaults were but a kind of “Spring Training,” if you will, for the Marxist, Maoist, Castroist, and Sandinista revolutions of the Twentieth Century.

Conciliarism’s “official reconciliation” with the “new principles of the era inaugurated in 1789,” far from aiding Catholics, has emboldened secular officials worldwide to promote a wide variety of unspeakable evils that have gone even beyond the decadence of the pagan Romans and Greeks of antiquity as state religious indifferentism has evolved quite naturally into practical atheism and, in many places, open celebrations of the adversary himself.

Nothing about the Catholic Faith is held sacrosanct by many secular officials, including those who are themselves professedly Catholic even though they support the slaughter of preborn human beings under cover of the civil law by chemical and surgical means as well as the whole panoply of perversities in violation of Holy Purity, including the inviolable Seal of Confession, which is being attack frontally by Washington State Governor Robert Ferguson, himself a pro-abortion, pro-perversity Catholic, who signed a bill into law on May 2, 2025, the Feast of Saint Athanasius, requiring priests, both presumed and actual, to violate the Seal of Confession.

The following article about this assault, which was found on the America magazine website, demonstrates, without the authors understanding this, of course, the inability of those within the conciliar structures to oppose errors in the civil realm by appealing to the heresy of religious liberty. Only one excerpt from the article will be included here, followed by my own commentary:

Governor Bob Ferguson of Washington State recently signed into law legislation obligating Catholic clergy to disclose reports of child abuse heard during sacramental confessions, adding “members of the clergy” to a list of other professionals who are mandatory reporters on child abuse.

The new law, signed on May 2, has been denounced by local Catholic leaders as an infringement on Catholic religious freedom, forcing priests to choose between ecclesial and secular authority, as Washington’s bishops say that priests who violate the seal of confession will incur an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication. Similar laws have been defeated in other U.S. states over the past several years.

Washington is not the first state to enact or introduce legislation on this matter. New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia all already require clergy to disclose information about sexual abuse obtained in the context of a confession. In 2023 a flurry of legislation was introduced on the matter, with bills mandating disclosure from the confessional coming to the floor of state legislatures in Delaware, Hawaii, Utah and Vermont. In none of these states, however, did the bills in question advance to the governor’s desk. In February 2024, the Utah legislature voted instead to shield clergy from criminal and civil liability if they disclose information obtained in confessions, while not requiring them to do so. 

Testifying before the Vermont State Senate in 2023, then-Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of the Diocese of Burlington (now archbishop of the Diocese of Hartford) argued that the proposed bill in that state “crosses a constitutional protective element of our faith: the right to worship as we see fit.” (State laws require priests to disclose abuse revealed in confession.)

Commentary:

Bills and/or bills such as the one in the State of Washington that have been passed and signed into law are not matters of “religious liberty” or “religious freedom” or “the right to worship as we see fit.”

The inviolable Seal of Confession is part of the very nature of the Sacrament of Penance and, though enshrined in Canon Law, is part of the Divine Law, something that Father Francis George Belton explained in 1916 in A Manual for Confessors: Being a Guide to the Administration of the Sacrament of Penance for the Use of Priests of the English Church.

The seal of confession (sigillum confessionis) is the obligation imposed upon the priest to keep secret everything made known to him in sacramental confession. This obligation binds by natural, divine, and ecclesiastical law, and admits of no exception. It is of the utmost importance that we should recognise the absolutely binding nature of the seal; justice, religion, and charity demand it. The penitent lays bare his most secret sins to the confessor, and he must have full assurance that such confidence will be respected. This obligation holds even after the death of the penitent. It is recognised by medical and legal practitioners that a professional secrecy must be observed, and that the affairs of the client are not to be discussed with outsiders; still more is absolute secrecy necessary with regard to the confessional. If, for a moment, the idea could be entertained that the confessor might make use of any information he received in confession, or mention even the smallest sin confessed to him, the usefulness, sanctity, and benefits of the sacrament would be rendered absolutely null and void.

Priests should constantly emphasise, both in sermons and in instructions upon confession, the absolute integrity of the seal, and tell their people that under no circumstances (even if his life were endangered by it) could the priest ever mention the sins told him in confession. Penitents have stated that they object to making their confessions to married priests on the ground that they might mention sins in the intimacy of their homes. Such an objection shows a deplorable lack of knowledge regarding the nature of the seal on the part of the penitent, and consequently the need of teaching most emphatically on the subject. It may also serve as a warning to priests, and indicate their great responsibilities in the matter.

There is no direct obligation mentioned in Holy Scripture with regard to the keeping of the seal; it is, nevertheless, of Divine law, for it arises naturally out of the Divine institution of the sacrament of penance. With regard to the Church law on the subject, the Fourth Lateran Council (1215 A.D.), after stating that the duty of the confessor to keep the seal has existed in the constant tradition of the Church, forbids any priest, under heavy penalties, ever to betray, ' by word, sign, or in any way,' what he has learned in sacramental confession. (Father Francis George Belton, A Manual for Confessors: Being a Guide to the Administration of the Sacrament of Penance for the Use of Priests of the English Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Young Churchman Company, 1916, 89-93.)

Not only is the Seal of the Confession sacrosanct, part of the traditional seminary education of the priest is to emphasize that he does not as a man what he has learned as a priest when hearing confessions nor can a priest bring into the confessional knowledge gained from the external forum into the internal forum without the explicit permission of the penitent. A priest must will to forget what is confessed to him as he can violate the seal by changing his attitude towards a penitent outside of the confessional, thus signifying the priest’s displeasure with a penitent’s fall into one or more Mortal Sins.

Indeed, Fater Francis George Belton noted that there are various direct and indirect ways  by which a priest can violate the Seal of Confession:

Ways in which the Seal may be violated. The seal may be violated either directly or indirectly. It is directly violated when anything coming under the seal is openly and expressly made known and the particular penitent indicated. It is indirectly violated when anything coming under the seal is disclosed which may involve risk of discovery of the penitent. The confessor may indirectly violate the seal by word as follows: (a) By speaking in a loud voice to the penitent while he is making his confession so that others may hear what he says. (b) By saying that he has denied the penitent absolution, or that he has not yet absolved him, or that he has imposed a heavy penance. (c) By speaking of sins heard in confession in such a way that the identity of the penitent may be inferred from what he has said. (d) By warning the parents or superiors of penitents to take certain precautions, such a warning being the result of sins heard in confession. (e) By two confessors who have shriven the same penitent talking together about his sins. (f) By stating, after hearing only a few confessions, that such a sin has been confessed; for suspicion might easily fall upon some particular penitent. (g) By mentioning that a certain penitent has not confessed a particular sin, for by this it might be inferred that the penitent has made a sacrilegious confession. To take an extreme case: if it were said to the confessor, 'Mr. A. takes far too much drink,' and he replied, 'I do not think so; he does not confess it.' (h) By speaking to a penitent outside confession about his sins, not having the penitent's permission to do so. (i) By speaking of sins heard outside confession, but adding some circumstance heard in confession to support his statement. The confessor may violate the seal by deed as follows: (a) By a change of conduct towards the penitent after confession, thus showing displeasure or that he thinks less favourably of him than before. (b) By refusing to hear a penitent's confession because of certain facts mentioned in a previous confession. It is difficult to determine how far a priest is justified in denouncing in sermons vices which he knows, from hearing the confessions of his people, are prevalent in the parish or district. It is generally agreed that there is no violation of the seal if the parish is of some considerable size, or if the vices are public. In all cases the priest should weigh the matter carefully before taking action, and guard against any possibility of the sacrament being brought into disrepute. The matter is still more difficult in the case of the confessor of a convent; he would certainly be on the safe side in denouncing sins or omissions which usually occur or may occur in all convents, and would not break the seal in so doing, even when he had specific cases in his own convent. The confessor does not break the seal if he says such a person has made his confession, provided that the person has not made his confession under a condition of secrecy. The seal is not broken if the confessor speaks to the penitent about his sins immediately after giving absolution, since the advice given under such circumstances constitutes one moral act with the confession. Neither is the seal broken when the priest speaks in confession of sins mentioned in a previous confession, although he should not do so without reason. The priest may also make use of what he has heard in confession in order to pray for the penitent, or to consult books and authorities on a difficult point of theology.  (Father Francis George Belton, A Manual for Confessors: Being a Guide to the Administration of the Sacrament of Penance for the Use of Priests of the English Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Young Churchman Company, 1916, pp. 94-97.)

These are very practical considerations that experienced priests who take their duties to maintain the Seal of Confession seriously understand as they pray to the Patron of Secular Priests, Saint John Mary Vianney, to remember that they are Christ’s ministers in the Sacred Tribunal of Penance and, as such, they know must will to forget what has been confessed to them as an alter Christus acting in persona Christi as Our Lord Himself told Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque that He had forgotten what she had confessed after her spiritual director asked her to pose this question to test whether she was actually conversing with Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself, which she was.

Only the penitent can release a priest from the Seal of Confession and, as noted above, the confessor can not bring anything from external forum about a penitent into the internal forum of the Sacrament of Penance without the penitent’s explicit permission:

The penitent may give his confessor permission to mention outside confession things he has heard in the tribunal. St. Alphonsus gives admirable teaching on the subject. He lays down the following rules: The permission must be definitely expressed in words, the priest must not take it for granted; if, however, the penitent begins to speak to the confessor about something said in confession this fact in itself would show that he gave the necessary permission. It must be free and spontaneous; that is, the confessor must not extort permission by threats or repeated requests. The penitent is always quite free to withdraw the permission he has previously granted. The confessor should use the permission given him with discretion, and be careful not to exceed the limits laid down by the penitent. The confessor should be careful not to allow anyone to question him with regard to the sins of his penitents. If such questions are asked he can almost always put a stop to them by saying at once, 'You must not ask such questions. 'The confessor as a man does not know what has been told him as a priest. The information received in confession is, as it were, locked in a mental safe, not to be opened except in the confessional; consequently he can only speak from ordinary knowledge when questioned about a penitent and may deny without the smallest sin what he knows only through confession.  (Father Francis George Belton, A Manual for Confessors: Being a Guide to the Administration of the Sacrament of Penance for the Use of Priests of the English Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Young Churchman Company, 1916, 89-93.)

These are very important points as there have been cases in recent decades known to me personally when a true priest has been questioned by other priests or consecrated religious into revealing what a perceived “enemy” has confessed. This is as direct a violation of the Seal of Confession as bold as the recently enacted legislation in the State of Washington and, I should add, the demand of various penitents to reveal their Confessions in the external forum has been made by presbyters of various lay movements and even by some of those who have belonged to a religious community whose corrupt founder enjoyed the favor of Karol Joszef Wojtyla/John Paul II.

Seeking to ferret out information as whether a penitent had written articles under a pseudonym about a corrupt conciliar “bishops,” one presbyter of a “lay movement” demanded to know if the penitent was the author of those articles. This is forbidden. It is an abuse of the Sacrament of Penance. Nothing from without can be brought by a priest into the Sacred Tribunal of Penance without the explicit permission of the permit and a priest may not reveal anything learned in the administration of the Sacrament of Penance without the penitent’s permission.

Also bound by the Seal of Confession are all those who have obtained knowledge that comes under the seal as, for example, what might happen if a priest is speaking loudly to a penitent who is hard  of hearing or, in today’s term, if a confession made even to a presbyter is broadcast over loudspeakers because he forgot to turn off his cordless microphone.

To wit, I was praying before what I thought was the blessed Sacrament in the Church of Saint Edward on Ash Wednesday, February 25, 1998, when a penitent asked a putative priest to her his confession. The priest/presbyter had just finished some kind of “penance service” for schoolchildren (I had stopped in to pray for a time before I returned home to the apartment where I was living at the time in Bethpage, New York, and had gotten to the church after the service had ended) but agreed to go into the confessional without realizing that he had not turned off his microphone. Knowing full well that I was bound by the seal if I heard anything, I nevertheless plugged my ears and prayed (no one else was in the church at the time other the priest/presbyter, the penitent and me) until the penitent left the confessional.

I approached the priest/presbyter after he came out of the confessional and told he that he had broadcast the confession he just heard, assuring him that I did not hear anything but also explaining that I knew that I would have been bound by the seal if I had heard anything.

The priest/presbyter, who was from Malta, said, “You will never hear me say anything unorthodox. You will never read about me in The Wanderer.”

I smiled as the previous issue of The Wanderer had carried a very long and detailed expose I had written about the heterodoxy rife within the Diocese of Rockville Centre, which was then under the “episcopal” leadership of “Bishop” John Raymond McGann. The priest/presbyter evidently read the article, so I stuck out my hand and said, “Father, I am Thomas Droleskey, the man who wrote The Wanderer article you read.” No, you cannot make these things up.

However, the point of this is that anyone who is within earshot of a penitent’s confession is bound by the Seal of Confession. Although this is basic Catholicism, not a lot of Catholics today know much, if anything, about basic Catholicism.

Father Belton explained all this in general terms:

Not only is the priest who hears the confession bound by the seal, but also all persons who have, either lawfully or unlawfully, obtained knowledge that comes under the seal. From this it follows that if confession is made through an interpreter, he would be bound by the seal. To listen purposely to a person making his confession is in itself a violation of the seal, and anything heard either deliberately or accidentally comes under the seal. If the penitent has written his confession, and leaves it in the confessional, it comes under the seal. The penitent himself is not bound to refrain from speaking about what the confessor has said to him, but he is bound by a 'natural secrecy' with regard to anything which, if made known, might harm the sacrament or the confessor All sins committed by the penitent, whether mortal or venial, are objects of the seal; so also are those of his accomplice, and consequently cannot be revealed without the seal being violated. The circumstances of the sins also come under the seal, whatever their nature may be; for instance, if a penitent confessed that he hated his brother because he knew he was a thief, the brother's theft would be an object of the seal. The penance imposed must not be mentioned out of confession. The natural defects of a penitent, such as stupidity, are objects of the seal in so far as they are known only by way of confession; those defects which are generally known do not come under the seal. The position in life, and the circumstances of the penitent may be objects of the seal; for instance, if he is incognito, or if the mention of his position or circumstances would lead anyone to infer that he had sinned against the particular duties of his position. The special temptations of a penitent, mentioned by him to the confessor when he is in doubt whether he has yielded to them or not, or for advice how to meet them, are objects of the seal. The scrupulosity of the penitent generally comes under the seal, and the confessor should guard against saying, 'Such a person is very scrupulous ' if he only knows the fact through confession.

The virtues of the penitent are not per se objects of the seal, but they become so if they are mentioned in relation to some particular sin. Sins committed in the confession itself, such as rudeness and impatience, are not per se objects of the seal, because the penitent does not confess them; they should not however, be mentioned, as a knowledge of them might easily lead to an indirect violation of the seal. (Father Francis George Belton, A Manual for Confessors: Being a Guide to the Administration of the Sacrament of Penance for the Use of Priests of the English Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Young Churchman Company, 1916.)

The legislative act signed into law on May 2, 2025, by Governor Robert Ferguson of the State of Washington was introduced and passed because of what prosecutors, legislators, attorneys, and clergy victims’ groups have perceived to be a “misuse” of the Seal of Confession to “cover-up” for perverted clergymen, putative or actual.

As one who did some primary reporting about clerical predators in The Wanderer (the late Paul Likoudis did most of such reporting) within the conciliar structures, I have no sympathy for diocesan officials or leaders of various religious communities in their conciliar captivity who stonewalled victims and/or intimidated them by the use of high-power pressure tactics used by the corporate attorneys who were for (or were contracted by) diocesan insurance carriers to avoid admitting any guilt or liability and most importantly of all, to avoid settling any victim abuse claims except when otherwise undeniable and only then for very small amounts of money conditioned on the signing of nondisclosure agreements. The pattern of deception on the part of the conciliar officials was vast and the means to squelch victims’ complaints were so ruthless that many victims had emotional breakdowns and some even committed suicide.

The first time that I learned hard facts about the prevalence on sodomy within the conciliar structures was when the  late Frank Kelly, who was the founder of Virginia Right to Life (a no-exceptions, take-no-prisoners organization that maintained no ties to the Not So Right to Life Committee in Washington, District of Columbia), showed me a sheaf of documentation when he hosted me while I was speaking at the Washington Catholic Rendezvous in February of 1987. He told me that he had tried to convince the late Alphonse J. Matt, Jr., of the evidence but to no avail up until that time, something that changed in the early-1990s as The Wanderer became the leader in exposing such cases. It just happened to be the case that Mr. Kelly, a tough-as-nails ex-Marine who was a legislative aide for national security to a United States Senator, was also hosting a true priest who had left the Salvatorian Fathers (Society of the Divine Saviour) because of the prevalence of sodomy within its ranks.

The situation has been of such longstanding that a vocations director for an Eastern diocese told me fifty years ago this year that, “Do you know that there are dioceses within two hundred miles of here who accept practicing homosexuals?” And even before I had personally met the late Father Benedict Groeschel, O.F.M. Cap., in 1981, several conciliar presbyters had told me that he had said the following when addressing them in seminary, “Gentlemen, there is an infestation of homosexuals in the priesthood that will explode into scandal within twenty years and shake the faith of many.” That explosion took place in 2002 even though those who read The Wanderer and even the National Catholic Reporter in the 1990s were informed about the general outlines of the self-made problems, which described in very graphic detail by Mrs. Randy Engel in her massive The Rite of Sodomy, 2006.

All this being admitted quite readily, of course, any demand for a priest, whether putative or actual, to violate the Seal of Confession for any reason whatsoever is an assault against the Divine Law and rights of Holy Mother Church, and the example of Saint John Nepomucene, whose feast was celebrated in some places (especially the former Bohemia, today’s Czech Republic) on May 16, 2025, must fortify all men who believe themselves to be priests to remain steadfast in their absolute refusal to violate the Seal of Confession even in indirect ways as discussed by Father Belton above:

To the Martyrs who were slain because they refused to adore false gods—to the Martyrs whose blood was shed by heretics—there is added today another brave soldier of Christ, who won his crown in a very different sort of combat. The Sacrament of Penance, whereby sinners regain the heaven they had lost, claims John Nepomucen as its glorious defender.

A holy secrecy shrouds the reconciliation made between God and the Penitent. This Sacramental Secrecy deserved to have its Martyr. When Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance—that second Baptism, wherein the Blood of our Redeemer washes away the sins of the Christian soul—he willed that man should not be deterred from confessing his humiliations to his spiritual physician, by the fear of their ever being revealed. How many hidden martyrdoms have there not been, during these eighteen hundred years, for the maintenance of this Secret which, while its gives security to the Penitent, exposes the Confessor to obloquy, injustice, and even death! But the Martyr we honor today was not one of these hidden sufferers. His testimony to the inviolability of the Sacramental Seal was public; he gave it amidst cruel tortures; it cost him his life.

All praise, then, to the brave and faithful Priest! Right worthy was he to hold in his hands the Keys that open or shut the gate of heaven! In this great fact of the observance of the Seal of Confession, on which depends the salvation of millions of souls, we have a permanent miracle. But there was one thing wanting to it—the glory of Martyrdom. The holy Priest of Prague gave it that glory; and he offers the fair Palm to our Risen Jesus, whom we have seen, during these days between his Resurrection and Ascension, mercifully instituting the Sacrament of Penance, wherein he communicates to men his own power of forgiving sin.

We subjoin the Lessons approved of by the Holy See for the feast of this great Martyr.

John was born at Nepomuk a town in Bohemia (from which he took the name of Nepomucen), and of parents who were advanced in years. His future sanctity was foretold by the appearance of bright rays miraculously shining over the house wherein he was born. When an infant, he was seized with a dangerous illness; but was delivered from death by the protection of the Blessed Virgin, to whom his parents considered themselves indebted for his birth. He was blessed with an excellent disposition, and received a pious training, in keeping with the indications given from heaven. He spent his boyhood in the practice of religious exercises; among which it was his delight to be frequently at the Church, and serve the Priests when saying Mass. He went through his humanities at Zatek, and the higher studies at Prague, where he took his degrees in Philosophy, Theology, and Canon law. He was ordained Priest; and being, by his proficiency in the science of the Saints, well fitted for gaining souls, he devoted himself entirely to preaching the word of God. In consideration of the great fruits produced by his eloquence and piety, which extirpated vice and brought sinners back to the way of salvation, he was made a Canon of the Metropolitan Church of Prague. Being afterwards chosen as Preacher to King Wenceslaus IV, he so far succeeded, that the King did many things through his advice, and had a great regard for his virtue. He offered him several high dignities; but the Saint peremptorily refused to accept them, fearing that they would interfere with his preaching the divine word.

He was entrusted with the distribution of the royal alms to the poor, and Queen Jane chose him as her own spiritual director. Wenceslaus having given himself up to vices, which disgraced both his kingly and Christian character, and being displeased at the entreaties and counsels of his wife, he even dared to insist on John’s revealing to him the secrets, told to him as Priest, by the queen in the sacrament of Penance. The minister of God courageously resisted the King’s impious request, and neither bribes, nor tortures, nor imprisonment, could make him yield. Seeing that the King had got to such a pitch of rage that the laws of neither man nor God made him relent, the soldier of Christ plainly foretold in one of his sermons, his own approaching death, and the calamities that were to befall the kingdom. He then set out for Buntzel, where is kept the image of the Blessed Virgin that has been venerated for centuries: he there, in fervent prayer, implored heaven to grant him the assistance he needed, in order to fight the good fight. As he was returning home, on the evening before the Vigil of the Ascension, the King, who was standing at the palace window, saw him, and sent him word that he was to repair to the King. The King was more than ever urgent in his demand, and threatened John with immediate drowning, if he continued to refuse compliance. The Saint was not to be conquered, and showed the King that he was not afraid of his threats. Wherefore, by the King’s orders, he was thrown that same night, into the river Moldaw, which flows through Prague; and John obtained the glorious crown of Martyrdom.

The sacrilegious crime, thus privately committed, was miraculously revealed, as was also the Martyr’s great glory. For as soon as life was extinct, and the corpse began to float down the stream, flaming torches were seen following on the surface of the water. The next morning, the Canons went and took the body from the sand on which it lay, and heedless of the King’s displeasure, they had it carried, with much solemnity, to the metropolitan Church, and gave it burial. The memory of this courageous Priest became gradually most venerable, both by the miracles that were wrought, and by the devotion of the Faithful—of those especially whose good name is injured by evil report. After upwards of three hundred years, a juridical examination was made of his body (which, during all that time, had lain under the ground) and his tongue was found to be incorrupt and as though it were that of a living man. Six years later on, the tongue was shown to judges delegated by the Apostolic See; when, by a fresh miracle, it immediately resumed the fullness of life, and, from being of a brownish color, it became perfectly red. These and other miracles having been authentically approved, he was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII, on the nineteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord 1729, as the defender of the Sacramental Seal, and the first Martyr that had shed his blood for the maintenance of its holy secrecy.

How great, O glorious Martyr, was the honor reserved for thee by the Son of God, when he chose thee to be the one who was to attest, by laying down his life, the sacredness of the secret which protects the Sacrament of Penance! Other Priests, as well as thyself, have bravely suffered persecution for the sake of the secrecy of the mystery of Reconciliation; but thou wast the one chosen by heaven to give a solemn testimony of priestly discretion. Thy sufferings were known to more than to Angels: thy Martyrdom was a public one, and the Faithful honor thy courage as an eloquent proof of how truly our good Shepherd, Jesus, removes every difficulty that could deter the strayed sheep from returning to the fold.

We address ourselves to thee, O holy Martyr, on this the day of thy triumph, and we beg of thee to intercede for sinners. Admirable minister of the Sacrament of Penance! thou seest how many Christians there are who neglect to avail themselves of the means of salvation prepared for them by our Risen Savior. Instead of laying hold of this “second plank after shipwreck,” they let themselves be carried on to the deep abyss by the tide of their sinful habits. There are thousands who have turned a deaf ear, even this Easter, to the call of holy Church, who invited them, as an affectionate Mother, to approach the Tribunal of mercy and Reconciliation. We beseech thee, intercede for these blind, these unwary, these ungrateful men. Get them that grace which will lead them to the feet of the God of Mercy, who is ever ready to grant pardon.

There are others, again, who go to Confession, but who have not the dispositions requisite for receiving the grace of the Sacrament—the justification of their souls. Pray also for these, that they may see the danger they thus incur of profaning the Blood of Christ. Obtain for all them who approach the holy Tribunal, an honest avowal of their sins, and contrition of heart; that thus the life of our Risen Jesus may be imparted to them, and that they may never again lose it. By thy powerful intercession, raise up zealous and faithful ministers of this great Sacrament, of which thou wast the Martyr. Draw down on their arduous labor the blessing of heaven: then will the number of the children of God be increased, and the grace of the Holy Ghost triumph in souls that have long been dead in sin.

Cast, too, an eye of compassion on thy fatherland of Bohemia, where there are so many Faithful hearts that love and honor thee. Alas! there are tares which disfigure that portion of the Church. The enemy came, not many years after thy glorious martyrdom, and sowed the baneful weeds of heresy in thy native land. The good seed claims thy protection; but take pity also on the cockle, for even it may be turned, by the True Faith, into wheat, and be garnered into the House of our Heavenly Father. Secure to thy Bohemia the peace of which an ambitious diplomacy is now seeking to deprive her, and save her from the snares that are being laid for her. (Dom Prosper Gueranger, The Liturgical Year, Feast of Saint John Nepomucene, May 16.)

How sad it is that today’s secular authorities, having been enabled by so many things by their fellow travelers within the counterfeit church of conciliarism, are now attempting to attack the Seal of Confession. Yet it is that Saint John Nepomucene remains the inspiration of all priests, even though not validly ordained, to prefer death rather than to violate the Seal of Confession.

There are several other priestly martyrs for the Seal of Confession, including the priests listed below in an article published on December 16, 2017, by the Catholic News Agency, which, of course, accepts the “canonizations” of the conciliar “popes” to be legitimate:

[Father] Mateo Correa Magallanes was another martyr of the seal of confession. He was shot in Mexico during the Cristero War for refusing to reveal the confessions of prisoners rebelling against the Mexican government.

He was born in Tepechitlán in the state of Zacateca on July 22, 1866 and was ordained a priest in 1893. Fr. Matteo served as chaplain in various towns and parishes and was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

In 1927, the priest was arrested by Mexican army forces under General Eulogio Ortiz. A few days later, the general sent Father Correa to hear the confessions group of people who were to be shot. After Fr. Mateo finished administering the sacrament, the general then demanded that the priest reveal what he had heard.

Fr. Mateo responded with a resounding "no" and was executed. Currently, his remains are venerated in the Cathedral of Durango.

He was beatified Nov. 22, 1992 and canonized by St. John Paul II May 21, 2000.

Fr. Felipe Císcar Puig

Fr. Felipe Císcar Puig was a Valencian priest who is also also considered a martyr of the sacramental seal because he was martyred after keeping confessions secret during the religious persecution of the Spanish Civil War.

During the war, revolutionary and republican forces engaged in violent battles for power, and many Catholics were targeted. This was especially true of the coastal province of Valencia, on the Mediterranean sea.

The Archdiocese of Valencia indicated that, according to the documents collected, Father Císcar was taken to a prison near the end of August 1936. There, a Franciscan friar named Andrés Ivars asked that Fr. Císcar hear his confession before the friar was executed be firing squad.

"After the confession, they tried to extract its contents and before his refusal to reveal it, the militiamen threatened to kill him," says an archdiocesan statement by a witness to the event.  The priest then replied, "Do what you want but I will not reveal the confession, I would die before that."

"Seeing him so sure, they took him to a sham court where he was ordered to reveal the secrets." Fr. Císar remained committed to his position, stating that he preferred to die, and the militiamen condemned him to death. Fathers Felipe Císcar and Andrés Ivars were taken by car to another location where they were shot on September 8, 1936. They were 71 and 51 years old, respectively.

Both Felipe Císcar and Andrés Ivars are part of the canonization cause of Ricardo Pelufo Esteve and 43 companions.

Fr. Fernando Olmedo Reguera

Fr. Fernando Olmedo Reguera was also a victim of the Spanish Civil War who opted to die rather than break the secrecy of confession.  

Born in Santiago de Compostela Jan. 10, 1873 and ordained a priest in the Capuchin Order of Friars Minor on July 31, 1904, Fr. Olmedo was killed Aug. 12, 1936. He served the order as its provincial secretary until 1936, when he had to leave his convent due to the severe religious persecution in the area.

Fr. Olmedo was then arrested, and beaten in prison. He then was pressured into revealing the confessions of others, but Fr. Olmedo did not give in. According to reports, he was shot at a 19th century fortress outside of Madrid by a populist tribunal. His remains are entombed in the crypt of the Church of Jesus of Medinaceli in Madrid, and he was beatified in Tarragona Oct. 13, 2013. (These priests were martyred for refusing to violate the seal of confession.)

As noted before, not even the counterfeit church of conciliarism’s self-made clerical abuse scandals can justify any attempt to force any Catholic priest to violate the Seal of Confession, and this is one matter upon all Catholics up and down and all across the vast expanse of the ecclesiastical divide in this time of apostasy and betrayal can agree.

We continue to beg Our Lady in this her own very month, the month of May, to remain steadfast in the service of her Divine Son, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as His consecrated slave through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, and to console Him and to make reparation for our sins, especially by means of praying as many Rosaries each day as our state-in-life permits.

While very few Catholics, relatively speaking, have access to a true priest to make their confessions on a regular basis, we must pray to Our Lady for the grace of true and perfect contrition for our sins and to be ready to avail ourselves of a true priest to whom we can make our confession whenever such a possibility presents itself no what sacrifice we must make in human terms to seek out an alter Christus acting in persona Christi in the Sacred Tribunal of Penance. (Oh, and by the way, such a confession must be made in person and not over the phone as practiced by “Bishop” Robert Francis Prevost during the scamdemic in 2020 and 2021.)

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Saint John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us.

Saints Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, pray for us.

Saint John Baptist de Rossi, pray for us.

Saint John Nepomucene, pray for us.

Appendix A

The Sacrament of Penance - All of Your Questions Answered
by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1867

Q. What is confession?

A. An express, contrite, but secret self-accusation, before a duly authorized priest, of, at least, all the grievous sins committed after baptism, as far as we can recall them to memory, in order to obtain their remission by the priest's absolution. The words of St. John are to be understood as referring to this sacrament when he writes: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity." 1 John, i. 9.

We say that confession is an express self-accusation, in order to show that the penitent is bound to confess his sins, as he believes them to be, in the Divine sight, without palliation, exaggeration, diminution, disguise or concealment. We have further stated confession to be a secret accusation, in order to distinguish it from the public penitential accusation, at times practised in the primitive Church, but which, on account of scandal, was in course of time abolished. The accusation for sacramental confession is to be made in secret. We have said that every known and remembered grievous sin, at least, is to be confessed; for whoever willingly and knowingly conceals but one grievous sin has made his accusation in vain, and instead of obtaining the benefits to be derived from this saving sacrament, incurred the enormous guilt of sacrilege. As regards venial sins, they may be confessed, and this accusation is accompanied with great spiritual advantages; yet we are not bound by any precept to confess them, and they may be washed away without confession by acts of contrition and penance, and by the merits of Christ's Passion. Should a person, however, not be sufficiently instructed to enable him accurately to distinguish a mortal from a venial transgression, he is bound to lay his doubts before his confessor, in order that he may not incur the guilt of grievous sin by culpable ignorance. Venial sins are, moreover, confessed in the tribunal of penance, as an act of humility, and in order to draw down greater and richer graces on the recipient, particularly when one is so happy as to lead a life undefiled by mortal sin. In this case, however, we must be very careful to excite true contrition and a firm purpose of amendment; for without sincere contrition there can be no remission of sins, either in or out of the tribunal of penance. Thus whoever confesses venial sins alone, and repents not heartily of at least one of them, draws upon himself, by his confession, the guilt of sacrilege.

Q. May sins once confessed be repeated, and the grace of the sacrament obtained?

A. Certainly; supposing that one should have been so happy as to fall, since the last confession, into no sin: for contrite self-accusation of sins once committed, alone is necessary for the validity of the sacrament. This self-accusation may be as frequently repeated as we wish. The grace of the sacrament consists in its effacing the stains of sin when our consciences are thereby defiled, or in imparting, when this is not the case, new treasures of sanctifying grace, as water cleanses us from the stains contracted or, when we are free from such, serves to promote the cleanliness of the body; and again, as one light dispels the darkness of a room, but if a second be added the light will be much increased.

Q. When is it particularly advisable to renew our self-accusation of sins once committed?

A. When we have not to accuse ourselves of sins, or at least of mortal sins consented to since the last confession, it is well in this cass, in order to obviate all fears respecting true contrition, to add at the end of our accusation: "I include and accuse myself of this or that grievous sin, into which I unfortunately fell." The sin is then specified. We are, however, to be on our guard against repeating, in detail, the sins committed against the sixth commandment, provided they have, once been confessed, with due dispositions, as this might, perhaps, lead to a new carnal temptation. Should any one wish to renew their self-accusation on this point, it is to be done in general terms.

Q. When does it become incumbent on us to repeat the sins once confessed?

A. When we wish to receive the sacrament of penance, and have not since its last reception incurred the guilt of either a mortal or a deliberate venial sin; as also when making a general confession, or when we have reason to fear that our former confessions were not accompanied with the due dispositions.

Q. What is general confession, and what classes of persons have recourse to it?

A. General confession is a detailed and full accusation of all the sins committed since we arrived at the age of reason. A confession of this kind should be made by those who approach for the first time the table of the Lord, those who are entering on a new state of life, and those who find themselves admonished either by serious illness or advanced age to prepare for their passage from this land of exile-to their eternal home.

Q. On whom is general confession incumbent?

A. On all those who have not sincerely and contritely confessed their evil deeds, and particularly such as are the slaves of evil habits.

It will, moreover, be found a salutary custom, after having made a good general confession, to make a confession annually of all the faults committed since the general confession: this will be found highly conducive to a knowledge of ourselves, and will also serve as a security for the validity of our ordinary confessions. General confessions, however, proceeding from scruples or mistaken devotion are neither to be commended nor practised.

It is much better to confess frequently, with careful preparation, and earnestly to strive to progress in virtue, to think of the good which we can and should yet perform, instead of morbidly brooding over the evil once committed, and now unfortunately beyond the power of recall.

Q. Who instituted the sacrament of penance?

A. Jesus Christ, who expressly declares: "Whose sins ye shall forgive, they are forgiven; whose sins ye shall retain, they are retained." John, xx. 3.

By these solemn words, Jesus Christ appointed the Apostles and their successors in the holy ministry, the priests and bishops, as judges in matters of conscience, possessing the power of retaining or remitting sins according to right and justice. The appointment of this judicial tribunal likewise imposes on the faithful to the end of time the obligation of entirely and sincerely revealing the wounds of conscience. For how could the Apostles and their successors duly exercise the powers granted them, if they were not made acquainted with the spiritual infirmities and miseries of those who apply for the exercise of this saving power? Christ, however, never gave to the Apostles, or never does to their successors, any revelation as to the spiritual condition of those who have recourse to them for the remission of sins; this being denied the judges, it follows that the applicant must disclose the state of his conscience to him from whom he solicits aid. The necessity of this obligation becomes apparent from the solemnity with which Christ imparted this power to His Apostles. He breathed upon them and said: "As the Father hath sent me, so also do I send you. Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins ye shall forgive," &c. The import of these words is evidently this: "As I have received from the Father the power to forgive sins, so also ye, by the power of the Holy Ghost, whom I impart to you." Had not these words made it a duty for the faithful to disclose to the Apostles the state of their conscience, the stupendous power thus conferred would have been a vain, though pompous declaration, for why confer authority which can neither be exercised at all, or, at least, in any rational manner? Had Christ merely conferred on His Apostles the power to forgive sins, the case would be different, but this was not the only authority with which He invested them; He likewise expressly empowered them to retain guilt. The exercise of a power of this nature necessarily supposes a thorough knowledge of the disposition of the heart and the state of the conscience, and not merely of the exterior, which is so often deceptive. The penitent may, indeed, be a hypocrite, or he may conceal or gloss over his guilt; in this case, however, he must describe to himself all the dread consequences involved by the receipt of an invalid absolution, obtained from the priest on false pretences.

Q. Has confession been practised ever since the times of the Apostles?

A. It has; we find this practice alluded to in Holy Writ. St. James exhorts us: "Confess ye your sins one to another" that is, those who have fallen into sin, to those who have the power to free them from their guilt ( James, v.). In the Acts we find that many of the faithful came and confessed, and acknowledged what they had done. Acts, xix. 18. The tribunal of penance was, indeed, less frequently resorted to in the primitive ages of the Church, when the first Christians were characterized by such distinguished purity of life, than after the lapse of ages and increasing degeneracy of the people had cooled the first fervor of charity. The small number of priests and bishops, whose whole time and attention was devoted to the announcement of the Gospel, likewise precluded the possibility of confessions being practised as at present. That confession was in use in the times of the Apostles, is clear from what we have cited; particularly, when the testimony of Scripture is taken into account, in conjunction with what tradition and history have to offer on the subject.

Q. How do the Fathers of the first centuries express themselves on this head?

A. They speak of confession as a duty generally known and complied with, the origin of which may be traced to the times of the Apostles. Tertullian, who flourished in the second, century, writes of confession of sin made to a priest, and adds: "Some there are who shun this, as an exposure of self, and defer it from day to day, being more afraid of the shame than desirous of a cure, like to those who affected by some malady conceal it from the physician, and thus perish, falling victims to false shame." De Poenit. 9 and 10. Nothing can be more explicit than the words of Tertullian.

St. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, observes: "I entreat ye, beloved brethren, every one of ye confess his sins, whilst yet life is spared to the sinner, and his accusation may be received; whilst satisfaction may be made and absolution obtained (Cyp. Tract, de Lapsis.)". Origen writes on the same subject: "Behold, Scripture teaches that we should not conceal sin in our bosoms. Those who suffer from indigestion, or the presence of diseased matter in the stomach, feel relieved when they have vomited it up; so those who have sinned and conceal their guilt within themselves are internally oppressed, as it were suffocated, by the poisonous effluvia of sin: When the sinner, however, becomes his own accuser, when he denounces himself and confesses, he vomits forth the crime and removes the cause of his malady (Orig. Hom. ii. in Ps. 37.)." St. Basil teaches: "We must reveal our guilt to those who are intrusted with the administration of the mysteries of God (St. Bas. in Resp. ad Quest. 228)." St. Ambrose warns us: "Some are anxious to be admitted to penance so as to have communion speedily dispensed to them. Such persons rather seek to bind the conscience of the ministers of reconciliation, the priests, than to free themselves; for their own consciences are not eased, and those of the priests burthened; for the command, ' Set not holy things before swine,' is not observed (Lib. 2 de Poenit.)." St. Augustine admonishes the faithful of his time to approach the tribunal of penance, saying: "Do penance as the Church prescribes, in order that the Church may pray for you." Let no one say to himself, "I do it secretly before God. He from whom I expect pardon knows it, as I do myself." To what purpose, then, the following words: '"Whatsoever ye shall loose upon earth shall be loosed in heaven?' Have the keys been delivered to the Church in vain? Has the Gospel been set at nought, and Christ's words proved futile, of no avail ( Horn. 49, 50)? St. Chrysostom assures us "that whoever is ashamed to confess his sins to a priest, but is not ashamed to commit them, in the sight of God, if he does not confess and repent, shall be covered at the last dread day with shame and confusion, not before one or two individuals, but before the whole world (Orat. de Muliere Sam)." St. Leo the Great says: "The manifold mercy of God so aids human frailty, that not only by the grace of baptism, but also by the remedy of penance, the hope of life eternal may again be secured, so that those who have profaned the grace of regeneration, being judged by their own judgment, may obtain remission of their sins; and herein has it pleased the Divine goodness to decree that mercy and pardon are only to be obtained by the mediation of the priests. The Mediator between God and man, "the man Christ Jesus," imparts to the ministers of the Church the power to impose the satisfaction of penance on those who confess, and again admit them, purified by this atonement, to pass to the reception of the other sacraments through the gate of reconciliation. The Council of Trent pronounces this dogma in the following solemn decision:

"If any one deny that sacramental confessions is divinely instituted and necessary for salvation, let him be anathema." Sess. xiv. can. 6; and, again: "If any one shall say, that in order to receive the remission of sin, according to divine institution, it is not necessary to confess each and every mortal transgession which after due and assiduous examination can be remembered, let him be anathema." Can. 7. This divine institution and constant practice of confession since the time of the Apostles, is also most clearly and amply proved from the fact, that according to the doctrine and practice of the Church, it is not only the laity who are bound to have recourse to penance, but also priests and bishops, and even the Pope himself. The priesthood, however, would never have submitted to an act in itself so painful and humiliating, had not confession been ordained by Christ himself, and continually practised in the Church from the primitive ages. If confession had been introduced by mere human agency, history would surely be able to point out the date of its introduction, as well as the name of him who possessed such magic influence or boundless power over men as to induce them willingly to submit to that which costs human pride so severe a struggle. History is, however, silent on this subject: no trace of the introduction of confession is to be discovered; it follows, therefore, that the practice of confession is coeval with the existence of the Church. According to the very correct principle of Tertullian, "that which is universally practised in the Church, and whose origin and introduction cannot be pointed out, must be regarded as an apostolic institution or ordinance (Lib. de Prcescript.)." We know exactly, for instance, when and by whom public penances were done away with; and when Catholic apostates, under the name of Protestants, declared against confession; but we do not know by what Pope or council confession was introduced, or has any one as yet been able to discover it. The introduction of such a practice would certainly have excited general attention, supposing it to be introduced by human caprice or policy in the course of ages. And would not the great ones, the proud ones of the earth, on whom this duty is as binding as on the lowliest mendicant, rebel against it? Can it be supposed they would tamely and silently have submitted to an innovation so humiliating and so painful. The eastern sectaries who severed themselves in the primitive ages from the communion of the Church, fully agree with her in practising confession as necessary and salutary for the obtaining of life eternal. The Greek schismatic Russians of today, as well as those earlier sects, may be adduced to prove the truth of our position, that confession is not a known invention or ordinance introduced in progress of time into the Church, but a divine institution.

Q. Has Christ made self-accusation in the tribunal of penance a condition for the remission of sin, as well as a means of atonement?

A. Yes; the sinner having presumed insolently to rise ill rebellion against his Lord and Master, by the commission of sin, it is just and proper that he should be obliged to humble himself before Christ's representatives:

1. In order to pluck out more effectually the root of all evil within us, which is pride, and to excite and confirm in our hearts those dispositions which form the fundamental condition of our reconciliation with the divine majesty, viz., humility, and sincere and humble contrition.

2. To inspire us with dread of falling or relapsing into sin, which even here below has produced consequences so humiliating and painful.

3. To assist, by confession, in arriving at self-knowledge, and to encourage and incite us to make more rapid and successful progress in the way of virtue by the admonitions, intrusions, and paternal exhortations of the confessor.

4. In order not to expose us to the danger of deluding or deceiving ourselves in so momentuous a matter which might easily occur were we constituted sole judges of our own interior.

Our dear Lord wills, furthermore, for our consolation and encouragement, that our reconciliation with Him be confirmed and attested by the judicial sentence of His anointed minister. Even the heathens have some idea of this, as we learn from Seneca, who advises us to unbosom ourselves to a judicious and virtuous friend; to lay open before him our infirmities and evil propensities, and also our falls, in order that we may live in unblemished morality. Sincere and thinking Protestants cannot deny, and do frankly acknowledge the beneficial effects resulting from a secret self-accusation made to the minister of God. (Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., The Sacrament of Penance - All Your Questions Answered.)

Appendix B

From the 1948 Roman Ritual, Volume I, the Sacraments and Processions, on the Sacrament of Penance and its Administration

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

INTRODUCTION

by Father Philip Weller, Translator:

When the fathers of the Church say that penance is a second plank of salvation for all who have suffered supernatural shipwreck after baptism, it is implied that they conceive of a real dependence of the former upon the latter. And we understand from the development of doctrine that this dependence rests absolutely on the baptismal character, which is the basis in the subject for reconciliation and renewed friendship with God, if such is to be accomplished by sacramental means. For the character, the indelible seal of our organic union with Christ, is not destroyed by sin, no matter how heinous. Even the crime of unbelief, which alone severs all communion with Christ in His body, the Church, does not destroy the sacramental character. Tragic though it is, the culprit's soul retains the mark of the divine Lamb--to its condemnation, it is true; yet in this case too rehabilitation or reincorporation in Christ will be founded on the same basis. It is owing to the ineffaceability of the character that baptism can never be repeated, and that there must be in the dispensation of Providence another sacrament of reconciliation, similar to baptism, but still distinct in its purpose and to certain defined limits in its effects. For baptism is a new creation, the sacrament of regeneration and incorporation in the mystic body, the bestowal of the pristine robe of sanctifying grace, which involves a total obliteration of both sin and its punishment in time and in eternity. Penance, on the other hand, is the sacrament of reanimation and healing of an unhappily fallen member of Christ, bruised and broken and dead in sin--the sacrament of restoration to friendship with God and renewed union with Christ. It also brings full pardon of sin, with full remission of eternal punishment, but a part of the debt remains to be paid. This is the temporal punishment, which even sacramental absolution does not cancel entirely. Only by exercising the virtue of penance as an integral part of the sacrament can full satisfaction be rendered to God in this world and all debts canceled by Him. It is from this necessity-that the recipient approach the sacrament in a penitential spirit and laden with the fruits of penitential works, whether they anticipate or more generally follow the actual pronouncement of absolution--that the sacrament has its very name.

Through the sacramental mystery of penance, the passion of Jesus comes down to us anew; and His saving blood flows anew as a purifying stream over the filth of our wickedness. We have been made a new creature by death and resurrection with Christ in baptism, and have received from the Church the admonition to carry our new life without stain to the judgment seat of our Lord. But Christ knew what is in man; therefore, on the day He arose from the dead, He instituted the sacrament which would again and again, as often as we have need of it, put us in contact with the paschal mystery of redemption, in order that we might renew in ourselves His new and glorious and immortal life. It is the risen Savior Himself who lifts us up when we are prostrate in sin, albeit the operation takes place through the instrumentality of a priest. Yet He left no doubt that the minister of penance acts in the name of God, when He prefaced the granting of power to absolve with the words: "As the Father has sent me, I also send you. When He had said this, He breathed on them, and He said to them: 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.'"[1] True, the priest, in the capacity of minister of penance, is a physician in the sense that he makes a spiritual diagnosis and prescribes a remedy; and judge in that he decides whether or not the subject is properly disposed; but he becomes in one act physician, judge, and mediator when he dispenses this grace-laden mystery through the rite of absolving. The most essential act, therefore, in the whole process of this sacrament is absolution, under which sign divine grace is infallibly conveyed (providing no obstacle is placed in the way), and under which operation Christ is present as priest, physician, and judge. Other external acts like declaration of sins and satisfaction sometimes may be dispensed with; absolution never, for it is unconditionally of the essence of the sacrament. By this sacramental act the passion of Christ belongs to us as though we ourselves had suffered it. And the peace of soul, which we desire and obtain when we receive penance, is a concomitant of our real supernatural resuscitation through being absolved, much more than it is a moral consequence of merely revealing our inner wretchedness.

It is in virtue of the sacrament itself, rather than owing to any other accompanying and accidental advantages, that devotional confession is so earnestly recommended. Penance, like all sacraments, has a medicinal character and effect, and as such it was instituted immediately for the healing of a soul afflicted with grievous sin. However, the sacramental principle must be retained and applied in each case, making no exception for penance--that sacraments have a consecratory (or reconsecratory) and an elevating function, and besides they are the chief means by which we tender worship to God as members of His Son and of His Church. It is this latter function of transfiguration which is chiefly operative and which must be emphasized in the practice of devotional confession, because the penitent in such confession, guilty of only venial sin or entirely free from sin, does not require the healing of penance-venial sin may be expiated in other ways--but he is seeking in penance its secondary effects: blotting out of venial sins, increase of divine life, remission of temporal punishment, divine assistance in future combat against the powers of darkness, and last but not least the glory of God.

We are going to consider below how the subjective dispositions of the recipient play a more significant part in penance than they do in the other sacraments. Nonetheless, it may not be overlooked that here, as in all intercourse between Creator and creature, God's operation in us through grace is paramount "Convert us, O Lord, to you, and we shall be converted; renew our days as from the beginning."[2] Christ goes out to seek the sinner. The sinner does not stand abandoned in his misery, nor does he attempt on his own initiative, no matter how strong the personal effort, to struggle up to the heights from whence he has plunged. God calls the sinner back to Himself, by instilling confidence in His tender forgiveness or fear of His just retribution. And if the lost sheep heeds the call, he appears before God, not in isolation and loneliness, but in the unity and faithfulness of Christ and succored by the compassionate tears and prayers of the Church. He is led back in repentance by One who is not only the divine transcendence but also the humanly immanent One--by the God-man, the mediator, who as man is not insensible to the penitent's lapses, and who as God is capable of absolving, of binding up his wounds and pouring in oil and wine. Moreover, when it comes to satisfaction for sin, the Church prays in the rite for confession: "May the passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, and all the good you do and the suffering you endure, gain for you the remission of your sins, increase of grace, and the reward of everlasting life." Herein lies a wealth of teaching and a world of consolation. Christ our head has made satisfaction for all our iniquity by His atoning sacrifice. Left to ourselves we would be powerless to do anything of the kind. Therefore, every penance that we perform by way of expiation and every cross we endure, all are meritorious only because they receive consecration from being drawn into the all-redeeming and all-satisfying, yes, the superabundant sacrament of God's condescension to us. And more--Christ and the penitent are supported in the expiatory act rendered to the Almighty by the entire communion of saints, the merits won for the penitent by the Mother of the Redeemer and all His faithful members triumphant in heaven, militant on earth, and suffering in purgatory.

What does the sacrament of penance demand from the recipient? We indicated above that his personal contribution to the validity and efficacy of penance is of greater moment here than in the case of the other sacraments. The dispositions required of the subject can best be summed up in the Greek word "metanoia," a transformation, a conversion of mind and will. The act of "going to confession," consequently, is infinitely more than a revealing of one's miserable plight, in the manner of unloading a heap of refuse without further ado. Too much emphasis can be laid on the declaration of faults, to the neglect of the far greater importance of genuine conversion which includes, above all, sorrow, and sorrow contains implicitly permanence of resolve and the will to make satisfaction. "Be converted and do penance for all your iniquities, and iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, and make to yourselves a new heart and a new spirit; and why will you die, O house of Israel?"[3] Grace presupposed, metanoia, conversion, is an act of the mind in apprehending the havoc of sin as an offense against God with detriment to the soul, along with the knowledge obtained from positive divine law that transgressions must be confessed. Conversion is a movement of the affections in experiencing sorrow for sinful actions, either because they have offended God's love and holiness, or, falling short of this, at least because of the reprobation they deserve. Conversion is an act of the will, first, in that it contains the resolve of permanent repudiation of past conduct and a wholehearted turning to God; second, in that it is a willingness to exercise works of penance as satisfaction for the injury done to the divine majesty. Penitence results from enduring sorrow and expresses itself in outward acts of satisfaction, of which prayer, fasting, and alms-deeds are the most approved and salutary. In her present discipline, the Church sees fit not to impose as strict obligation the rigorous penances of former times, wisely cognizant that her members are not made of the same stern stuff as in the days of enthusiastic Christian fervor. Nevertheless, her mind in this regard is not altered to the extent that the penance which is of obligation should be merely a token. As the Roman Ritual still has it: "He (the minister) shall impose a suitable and salutary satisfaction, as wisdom and prudence will dictate, keeping in mind the state of the penitents and other considerations such as their sex, age, and disposition. But let him take heed lest he impose too light a penance for grievous sins, and by such possible connivance become a party in another's sins. The confessor must bear in mind that satisfaction is not intended merely as a means for betterment and a remedy for weakness, but also as a chastisement for past sins." Whatever happens in actual practice, the subject of the sacrament of penance should know that he is acting in full accord with the true Christian spirit if he goes beyond fulfilment of a token penance, if such is prescribed, and, by taking upon himself works of supererogation, derives benefits in a measure pressed down and running over. Equally explicit is the Ritual regarding the type of penances to be enjoined. They should be "practices which are opposed to the sins confessed, for example, almsgiving in the case of the avaricious, fasting or other mortifications of the flesh for the dissolute, acts of humility for the proud, exercises of piety for the lax." All earnest members of Christ's mystic body, sincerely desirous of advancing in perfection through this most personal of the sacramental mysteries, will attach utmost importance to the prescriptions given above, so that the heavenly mediator may come to them unimpeded in His redeeming might, to heal His sheep and to set them back in the pasture of refreshment, to ennoble and prepare them for eternal peace and light.

--Translator

From the Volume I of the Roman Ritual

PART V. THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

CHAPTER I

GENERAL RULES FOR ADMINISTERING PENANCE

1. The holy sacrament of penance was instituted by Christ the Lord so that the faithful who have fallen back into sin after baptism may be restored to God's grace. This sacrament must be dispensed all the more carefully where it is approached with greater frequency, thus demanding so much for its worthy and proper administration and reception. The three things required essentially are matter, form, and minister. Its remote matter are the sins in question, its proximate matter the acts of the penitent, namely, contrition, confession, and satisfaction. The form consists in the actual words of absolution: I absolve you, etc. The minister is a priest who possesses either ordinary or delegated power to absolve. Yet when there is danger of death any priest, whether approved for hearing confessions or not, can validly and licitly absolve any penitent from all sins or censures, no matter how reserved or how notorious; and this even when an approved priest is available. Required in the minister of this sacrament are goodness, knowledge, and prudence; moreover, he is obligated by the seal of a secret confession to strictest perpetual silence regarding it. Confessors must conscientiously see to it that they are well grounded in these and other requisite qualifications.

2. A confessor should keep in mind above all that he holds the office of both judge and physician, and that he has been constituted by God a dispenser equally of divine justice and mercy, so that like an arbiter between God and men he may advance the cause of God's honor and souls' salvation.

3. So that he may be competent to judge rightly, discerning between one leper and another leper, and like a skilled physician understand how wisely to heal the diseases of souls and know how to apply a suitable remedy to each case, let him strive to the utmost--by means of fervent intercession before God, judicious counsel from men of experience, and consultation with experienced authors, especially the Roman Catechism--to acquire the fullest knowledge and prudence for his office.

4. He should know which cases and censures are reserved to the Holy See or which ones to his bishop, as well as the regulations of his particular diocese, and carefully observe them.

5. Lastly, he shall be studious in learning the full doctrine of this sacrament, together with any other matters necessary to its correct administration; and in exercising this ministry he should follow the rite as given below.

Rite for Administering the Sacrament of Penance

6. A priest who is called upon to hear confessions should do so promptly, and make himself easily available. Before he enters the confessional, he shall, if time allows, earnestly implore God's help, so that he may rightly and devoutly fulfill this ministry.

7. The proper place for sacramental confession is a church or a public or semipublic oratory.

8. The confessional for female penitents should always be located in an open and conspicuous place, generally in a church or otherwise in a public or semipublic oratory designated for women. The confessional should be built so that there is a stationary perforated grating between confessor and penitent.

9. Confessions of female penitents should never be heard outside a confessional, except in the case of illness or some other real necessity, and observing then such precautionary measures as the local Ordinary deems opportune. Confessions of men, however, may be heard even in a private home.

10. A surplice and purple stole should be worn by the priest, as occasion and place warrant.

11. The penitent, when necessary, should be instructed to approach this sacrament with becoming humility of soul and demeanor, to kneel upon entering the confessional, and to sign himself with the sign of the cross.

12. After which the confessor shall inquire about the penitent's state of life (unless he already is aware of it), how long since his last confession, whether he has fulfilled the penance imposed, whether his past confessions have been made properly and completely, and whether he has examined his conscience as he ought.

13. If the penitent is involved in some reserved case or is under a censure from which the confessor himself cannot absolve, the latter must delay absolution until he has obtained faculties from his superior.

14. Whenever the confessor perceives that the penitent (depending on the individual's capability) does not know the rudiments of Christian faith, he should briefly instruct him if time allows, explaining the articles of faith and other matters which must be known in order to be saved. In fine, he should reprove the penitent for his lack of knowledge, and admonish him to familiarize himself thoroughly with these things in the future.

15. The penitent says the "Confiteor," either in Latin or in the vernacular, or at least the following words: "I confess to almighty God and to you, father." Next he confesses his sins in detail, being aided whenever necessary by the priest. The latter is not to reprove the one confessing until the enumeration of sins is completed (see below), nor is he to interrupt with questions, unless this becomes necessary for fuller understanding. Accordingly he will instill confidence in the penitent, kindly encouraging him to acknowledge all sins honestly and in their entirety, undaunted by that false shame which hinders some, at the devil's prompting, from courageously confessing their sins.

16. If the penitent does not mention the number, species, and circumstances of sins which require such explanation, the priest shall prudently question him.

17. But he must be careful not to discourage anyone by curious or useless questions; let him especially avoid imprudent questioning of young boys or girls (or others) concerning matters with which they are unacquainted, lest they be scandalized and learn thereby to commit certain sins.

18. Only after he is finished hearing the confession does he weigh the gravity and number of the sins acknowledged by the penitent, and administer with fatherly understanding the rebuke and admonition that he considers necessary, in keeping with the individual's condition in life and the gravity of his sins. Moreover, he will attempt in moving words to inspire the penitent with contrition, induce him to amend his life, and suggest remedies against sin.

19. Finally, he shall impose a suitable and salutary satisfaction, as Wisdom and prudence will dictate, keeping in mind the state of the penitents and various considerations such as their sex, age, and disposition. But let him be careful not to impose too light a penance for grievous sins, and by such possible connivance become a party in another's sins. The confessor must bear in mind that satisfaction is not intended merely as a means for betterment and remedy for weakness, but also as a chastisement for past sins.

20. Therefore, he should strive as far as possible to enjoin as penances practices which are opposed to the sins confessed, for example, almsgiving in the case of the avaricious, fasting or other mortifications of the flesh for the dissolute, acts of humility for the proud, exercises of piety for the lax. In the case of persons who come to confession irregularly or very seldom, as well as such who fall back readily into sin, it will be most advantageous to counsel frequent confession, about once a month or on occasions of special feast days. Likewise he will advise them to communicate that often, if this is practicable.

21. A confessor must not enjoin a penance which would be remunerative to himself, neither may he exact nor accept anything at all from the penitents in return for his services.

22. He must not impose a public penance for sins that are secret, no matter what their enormity.

23. The priest must take great pains to decide in which instances absolution should be given, denied, or deferred, lest he absolve such as are indisposed for this benefit--persons, for example, who give no indication of contrition, who refuse to put an end to hatred and enmity, to make restitution when they are able, to give up an approximate occasion of sin, or in any other way refuse to forsake their sins and amend their life. To this class belong also persons who have given public scandal, unless they make public satisfaction and remove the scandal. Moreover, he cannot absolve any whose sins are reserved to higher authorities.

24. But if anyone who is in danger of death goes to confession, he must be absolved from all sins and censures, regardless of how they are reserved, for in this case every instance of reserved sin becomes void. Yet whenever possible he should first make satisfaction, if any is required of him. And if later he recovers, and there is any reason why he would normally have had to seek absolution from higher authority, he must have recourse to this authority as soon as possible, and be ready to do whatever is required.

25. If a sick person while he is confessing or even before he begins should happen to lose the power of speech, the priest should endeavor to ascertain the penitent's sins by means of nods and signs, in so far as he is able. And having ascertained them either in a general way or in detail, the party is to be absolved, whether he gave evidence directly or through another that he was desirous of confessing.

26. Furthermore, the priest should remember that one may not impose a heavy or onerous penance on the sick. At most he may simply indicate the type of penance which they could fulfill at an Opportune time, should they get well. In the meantime, the priest may enjoin a type of prayer or light satisfaction suitable to the condition of the sick person, and after the latter has accepted it he should be absolved, as the case requires.

CHAPTER II

THE COMMON FORM FOR ABSOLUTION

1. As a priest is about to absolve a penitent (after having enjoined a salutary penance on him and the latter accepting it) he begins by saying:

May almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you your sins, and lead you to everlasting life. R.: Amen.

2. Next he raises the right hand toward the penitent and says:

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant you pardon, absolution, + and remission of your sins. R.: Amen.

Form for Absolution

May our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you. And I by His authority release you from every bond of excommunication (suspension) and interdict, in so far as I am empowered and you have need. And now I absolve you from your sins; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. R.: Amen.

3. If the penitent is a layman the word suspension is omitted. A bishop in absolving makes the threefold sign of the cross.

Prayer of Indulgence

May the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merits of the blessed Virgin Mary and the saints, and all the good you do and the suffering you endure, gain for you the remission of your sins, increase of grace, and the reward of everlasting life. R.: Amen.

4. For a good reason it suffices to say the form "May our Lord," etc., and the other prayers given above may be omitted.

5. In case of urgent necessity such as danger of death, the priest may use the short form:

I absolve you from all censures and from your sins; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. R.: Amen.

CHAPTER III: RITE FOR ABSOLVING FROM EXCOMMUNICATION APART FROM SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION

1. If a priest is empowered by his superior to absolve from the sentence of excommunication and if the delegation prescribes a specified form, this form is to be observed in every instance. However, if the document of delegation states: "He is to absolve according to the usual form of the Church," then the form given below is to be observed.

2. In the first place the excommunicate should if possible make satisfaction beforehand for the offense for which he incurred excommunication. If this is not possible for the time being, he must give sufficient guarantee that he will make satisfaction at first opportunity; or if this is questionable, he must take an oath that he will do so.

3. Second, if the offense for which he incurred excommunication is a grievous one, an oath must be exacted from him that he will obey the Church's laws applicable to him in this matter, especially that he will not offend henceforth against the canon or decree, the violation of which was responsible for the excommunication.

4. Lastly, the following ceremony must be observed in absolving him:

The penitent kneels before the priest, and, if a male, his shoulders are uncovered down to his shirt. The priest, who is seated, lightly strikes the penitent with a rod or cord, reciting the following psalm:

Psalm 50: "Have mercy on me, O God," etc. (see Psalm 50).

5. The priest rises and with head uncovered says:

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Our Father (the rest inaudibly until):

P: And lead us not into temptation.

All: But deliver us from evil.

P: Lord, save your servant.

All: Who trusts in you, my God.

P: Let the enemy have no power over him (her).

All: And the son of iniquity be powerless to harm him (her).

P: Let him (her) find in you, Lord, a fortified tower.

All: In the face of the enemy.

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray. God, whose nature is ever merciful and forgiving, accept our prayer that your servant who is bound by the sentence of excommunication may be released by your loving kindness; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

6. Then he sits down, and with head covered says:

May our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you, and I by His authority and that of the Holy Father (or that of the Most Reverend Bishop, N., or of the respective superior), release you from the bond of excommunication incurred (or pronounced against you) because of...(the offense or reason is mentioned); and I restore you to communion and union with the faithful, as well as to the holy sacraments of the Church; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. R.: Amen.

7. If the priest has had no specified form prescribed by his superior, nor is ordered to absolve according to the general and customary form of the Church, he is to observe, nevertheless, the ceremony and prayers given above, provided the offense was of a serious nature. But if the case is not especially serious, he may absolve with the following words:

"May our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you," etc., as given above.

8. In a sacramental confession the confessor who has the faculty to absolve an excommunicate does so, using the common form prescribed above in sacramental absolution.

CHAPTER IV:

GENERAL ABSOLUTION AND THE PAPAL BLESSING

By Indult of the Holy See for Religious Orders and Their Affiliate Tertiaries

1. When giving the papal blessing with plenary indulgence at the hour of death, the usual form is followed, except that in the "Confiteor" the name of the Saint-Founder of the respective order is inserted.

2. When imparting the papal blessing, the usual form is followed This blessing can be used only twice a year and never on the same day nor in the same city or community on and in which the bishop imparts it.

3. In imparting the general absolution to any religious order or the papal blessing with plenary indulgence to secular tertiaries, the two following forms must be used:

I. General Absolution for every religious order which enjoys this privilege

The priest vested in surplice and purple stole says:

Antiphon: Do not keep in mind, O Lord, our offenses or those of our parents, nor take vengeance on our sins.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Our Father (the rest inaudibly until:)

P: And lead us not into temptation.

All: But deliver us from evil.

P: Lord, show us your mercy.

All: And grant us your salvation.

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray. God, whose nature is ever merciful and forgiving, accept our prayer that we and all your servants, bound by the fetters of sin, may be pardoned by your loving kindness.

We beg you, Lord, hear the plea of your suppliants, pardon the sins of your penitents, and kindly grant us your tender forgiveness along with your peace.

Show us, O Lord, your indescribable mercy, blot out our transgressions, and graciously deliver us from the condemnation they deserve.

God, who are offended by our sins but appeased by our penances, may it please you to hear the entreaties of your people and to turn away the stripes that our transgressions rightly deserve; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

After these prayers the Confiteor is said by the people or by one who represents them, inserting in its proper place the name of the Saint- Founder of the order. The priest then adds May almighty God, etc., May the almighty and merciful Lord, etc. In conclusion he says:

May our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you by the merits of His sacred passion and shower upon you His grace. And I--by His authority and that of the blessed apostles, Peter and Paul, and by the authority which the supreme pontiffs have granted to you and our Order and committed to me in this instance--release you from every bond of excommunication, suspension, and interdict you may have incurred, and I restore you to the unity and communion of the faithful and to the holy sacraments of the Church. Likewise, I absolve you, by the same authority, from every violation of vows, the rule, constitutions, admonitions, and orders of our superiors, from all penances which you have neglected or forgotten. And lastly I grant you remission and indulgence of all sins which by human frailty, ignorance, or malice you have committed against God and neighbor, and which you have already confessed; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

II. Papal Blessing With Plenary Indulgence for Secular Tertiaries and for all others who share with them or with religious of any order these same privileges and graces.

The priest vested in surplice and purple stole says:

Antiphon: Let my prayer, Lord, ascend to the throne of your majesty. Bend your ear to our entreaties. Spare, Lord, your people whom you redeemed by your precious blood, and be not angry with us forever.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Our Father (the rest inaudibly until:)

P: And lead us not into temptation.

All: But deliver us from evil.

P: Save your servants.

All: Who trust in you, my God.

P: Send them aid, Lord, from on high.

All: And from Sion protect them.

P: Let them find in you, Lord, a fortified tower.

All: In the face of the enemy.

P: Let the enemy have no power over us.

All: And the son of iniquity be powerless to harm us.

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray. God, whose nature is ever merciful and forgiving, accept our prayer that we and all your servants, bound by the fetters of sin, may be pardoned by your loving kindness.

We beg you, Lord, hear the plea of your suppliants, pardon the sins of your penitents, and kindly grant us your tender forgiveness along with your peace.

Show us, O Lord, your inexpressible mercy, blot out our transgressions, and graciously deliver us from the condemnation they deserve.

God, who are offended by our sins but appeased by our penances, may it please you to hear the entreaties of your people and to turn away the stripes that our transgressions rightly deserve; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Next the Confiteor is said by the people, and then the priest continues:

May our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave blessed Peter the Apostle the power of binding and loosing, absolve you from every bond of sin and lead you to everlasting life.

All: Amen.

By the sacred passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the prayers and merits of blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, the blessed apostles, Peter and Paul, our blessed father, N., and all the saints, and by the authority granted to me by the holy pontiffs, I impart to you a plenary indulgence for all your sins; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

If the indulgence is imparted immediately after the absolution of the sacrament of penance, the priest begins at the words May our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave blessed Peter, etc., continuing to the end.

If circumstances prevent the use of the complete form given above the priest may omit all else and simply say the following:

By the authority granted me by the supreme pontiffs, I impart to you a plenary indulgence for all your sins; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.