By Father Edward Dillion

The Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments has published a new ritual for the sacrament of penance. This action is taken in line with the direction of the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Liturgy, which ordered that the formulae used for the Sacraments be amended in such a way that they would clearly show the nature and effects of the individual sacrament. The basis for this is the teaching of Vatican II that the rites (both words and gestures) used in administering sacraments have a double purpose: they symbolize and bring about the sacrament which is being administered and they also provide instruction for the people who take part in the celebration.

This new document, called “Ordo Paenitentiae,” is an answer to the call of Vatican II. It emphasizes that the sacrament of penance is not just a matter between the penitent and God but also involves the individual’s responsibility to the Church and society.

The introductory section of the document considers the nature of penance and points out that Christ left his church this sacrament precisely because he loved men and, at the same time, understood human weakness. He recognized the need to provide some means of bringing men back to Him, of reconciling people with Him after they had drifted away or offended Him by sin.

The Ordo Paenitentiae says: “The Church never failed to call men from sin to conversion, and to proclaim Christ’s victory over sin through the celebration of penance.”

In action this way, the Church is fulfilling the mission given by Christ, the work of bringing His salvation to all people. Each person who would come to Christ does so, to one degree or another, through the Church, since it is the means instituted by Him to bring people to Him. There are two corollaries of this fact:

1. The Church is not made up of perfect people. As the new document points out: “The members of the Church are subject to temptation and often fall into the misery of sin.” So the Church, which is holy because of its relationship with Christ, is also in constant need of repentance and renewal because of the fact that it is made up of imperfect people, sinners.

2. When a person commits a sin, he not only offends God but also offends the Church – both because the church is the body of Christ and because his sinful action takes away from the Church’s efforts to lead people continually toward Christ. Sin, therefore, is not just something between the individual person and God. Since it affects its mission and integrity, the Church is involved. And the forgiveness of sin, likewise, involves not only healing the breach between the sinner and God but also has to look to the task of healing the breach between the sinner and the Church.

The Ordo Paenitentiae revises the actual prayers and form used in the sacrament of penance so that they will reflect this need of the Church for constant renewal as well as the need of the individual penitent for reconciliation with God and His Church.

According to the traditional Catholic doctrine, there are four essential elements in the sacrament of penance. These are: sorrow for the sins committed, confession, reparation for the wrong done (often called penance or “satisfaction”) and absolution. All these elements are necessary for the sacrament. But, as the Vatican Press Office points out in a release introducing this new document, they do not necessarily have to exist in that particular order.

For example, in the early Church, people were required to confess their sins and demonstrate their sorrow, a penance or work of “satisfaction” was imposed (usually a very severe penance), but absolution was given only after the person had completed the penance. Gradually this changed, so that absolution was given first and the penance then carried out. The procedure outlined in the Ordo Paenitentiae would allow for a change in the order in special circumstances. So, the ordinary procedures involved in the sacrament of penance would be as it is at the present time: sorrow, confession, absolution and completing the penance imposed (or making satisfaction of reparation). In extraordinary circumstances the order would be: sorrow, absolution, confession and completing the penance.

The main part of the document is in two parts, the first dealing with forms of the sacrament, the second offering possible models for penitential services.

Section 1 deals with three topics: 1) reconciliation of the individual penitent; 2) reconciliation of several penitents, with individual confession and absolution; and 3) reconciliation of several penitents with general confession and absolution. (The word “reconciliation” is one which involves the concept of a person actively seeking return to God and the Church and turning away from sin, and, at the same time, includes the idea of the person being received by God and the Church. As a word, therefore, it is more descriptive of what the sacrament involves than either the word, therefore, it is more descriptive of what the sacrament involves than either the words ‘confession” or “penance.”)

Reconciliation of the individual penitent is the form of the sacrament we are most familiar with today. This involves the individual person confessing his or her sins to a priest, having a penance imposed and receiving absolution. This would still be the common form of the sacrament – indeed, it is still the essential form. It would still require, as it has always in the past, the four essential elements listed above. The only difference that the new document would make is in the actual ceremony involve, in that it would allow for some variations which would bring out the fact that the sacrament is also needed to heal the breach between the sinner and the Church caused by sin.

The section of the document dealing with this calls upon the priest and the penitent to prepare themselves for the sacrament by prayer, especially prayer to the Holy Spirit “to receive light and charity.” The priest is directed to receive the penitent “with brotherly love” and if the penitent is known to him personally the priest can “greet him with words of friendship.”

The penitent makes the sign of the cross and the priest makes it with him.) This is the same as the blessing at the beginning of the present form). This may be followed by a reading, either by the priest or the penitent, of a text from Scripture. The penitent then confesses his or her sins, following the same procedure as in the present practice. If necessary, the priest helps the person to confess, gives counsel, etc. He then imposes a penance – which is supposed to expiate past sins and help the person to a new life and should, therefore, correspond to the seriousness and nature of the sins confessed, insofar as this is possible. Absolution is then given.

The document notes that the satisfaction (penance) may be suitably performed by prayer, by self-denial, especially by service of neighbor and works of mercy through which the social aspect of sin and its forgiveness may be expressed.

The following is an unofficial translation of the text for the actual prayer of absolution given in the Ordo: “God, the Father of Mercies, has reconciled the world to Himself through the death and resurrection of His Son and has poured forth the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. May He grant you pardon and peace through the ministry of the Church. And I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The ceremony ends with the priest and penitent saying together: “Let us praise the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.”

In its second chapter, the Ordo Paenitentiae provides for the celebration of the sacrament of penance in a common service, as a part to which the individual penitents confess their sins privately and are absolved one by one (according to the form outlined above for private confession). The penitential service takes the form already familiar in many parishes in the archdiocese. It is a service consisting of prayers, Scripture readings, hymns and a homily. The members of the congregation go individually to priests to confess their sins and to be absolved. Finally, the congregation reassembles for the singing of a hymn in praise of God’s mercy and a concluding prayer by the priest. In Section II, the Ordo offers a series of samples for penitential services for special occasions, for example, Advent, Lent, for children, etc.

The Ordo then provides for the situation in which individual confession is not possible. There is a penitential service along the lines described above. In this instance, however, the members of the congregation do not go to confession individually; rather the priest speaks the formula of and gives absolution to the entire group. It does not mean, however, that this option can be followed at will. The Ordo strongly stresses: “Individual, integral confession and absolution remain the single ordinary means by which the faithful reconcile themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuse them from this form of confession.” It gives as the situations in which this third option would be permitted: if there is danger of death involving large numbers of people, e. g. troops going into battle in war; if there are so many penitents and not enough priests to hear properly the individual confessions within a suitable time so that the penitents, without fault of their own, may be obliged to go without sacramental grace or holy communion for a long time. The Ordo points out that this is most likely to occur in mission territories or those areas where the number of priests is small. The practice cannot be followed, even if the number of penitents is very large, if a sufficient number of priests can be present.

Judgment as to the existence of the conditions necessary for the use of this privilege is reserved strictly to the bishop of the diocese. If there is a situation in which it is not possible to obtain this permission beforehand, the priest who gives such a general absolution must advise the bishop that he has done so.

An essential condition for the use of this privilege is outlined in sections 33 and 34 of the Ordo, which specifies the obligation on a person who receives such a general absolution for a serious sin to make an individual confession as soon as possible thereafter. Those whose serious sins have been forgiven by a common absolution should go to auricular confession (that is, private confession) before they are to receive this kind of general absolution again, unless they are prevented by a just cause. Unless it is morally impossible, they are absolutely bound to go to confession within a year.

The document actually contains nothing new in terms of practice of law. General absolution without individual confession has long been permitted in war situations or in mission territories where there are not sufficient priests to hear individual confessions, and the same type of conditions were imposed. What is new in the document is the emphasis it places upon the individual’s responsibility to the Church and society as well as to God and himself and, of course, the new prayers it offers for use in the sacrament.

The document was published in Latin and the English translation is not yet available.