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Timestamp: 2019-04-22 20:43:51+00:00

Document:
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Circular Letter Regarding the Integrity of the Sacrament of Penance, 20 March 2000.
For this reason, on the occasion of the ad limina visit to Rome in 1998 of the Bishops of Australia, the Holy Father himself and this Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments made several observations concerning the authentic discipline of the Sacrament of Penance, in particular concerning the altogether exceptional situations apart from which “general absolution” may never be administered.
1. Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 22 September 1999, no. 3: L’Osservatore Romano (23 sett. 1999) p. 6.
2. Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 15 September 1999, n. 1: L’Osservatore Romano (16 sett. 1999) p. 4. Cf. Apostolic letter, Tertio millennio adveniente, 10 November 1994: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 87 (1995) pp. 5-41, here no. 50, p. 36.
Law,3 and are based on divine law, the constant doctrine of the Church and her traditional practice. This Circular Letter recalls those very norms, and therefore, it does not constitute an innovation, nor a modification to the law in force. It does not revoke anything permitted by the dispositions of law in force concerning the Sacrament of Penance. Rather, it recalls those norms concerning the authentic discipline of the Sacrament of Penance which the Holy See, in the Rite of Penance, the Code of Canon Law and several discourses of the Holy Father has already repeatedly expressed. Therefore, it should be clearly stated that there may be no “graduality” in the application of the norm of law. The Congregation for Divine Worship itself has no faculty to deviate from the legislation in force; indeed, its responsibility is to safeguard and promote these norms and, additionally, to assist Bishops in the exercise of their pastoral ministry.
3. Cf. Code of Canon Law, cann. 959-991.
4. Cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 988, §1; Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1454, 1456.
5. Code of Canon Law, can. 960.
6. Code of Canon Law, can. 989. Cf. Also Conc. Oecum. Trid., sessio XIV, cap. IV: Denzinger-Schönmtzer 1683; sessio XIV, Canones de sacramento paenitentiae, can. 8: Denz-Schön. 1708; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1457.
7. Statement of Conclusions: Final Declaration of the Interdicasterial meeting of the Roman Curia with a representation of the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Australia, 14 December 1999, no. 45.
confession and absolution”.8 In accord with the law and practice of the Church, the faithful must orally confess their sins (auricular confession),9 except in cases of true physical or moral impossibility (e.g., extreme illness or physical condition inhibiting speech, speech impediment, etc.). This disposition would exclude communal celebrations of the sacrament in which penitents are invited to present a written list of sins to the priest confessor. It should be noted that such innovations also risk compromising the inviolable seal of sacramental confession.
3. In giving consideration to the authentic discipline of the Church concerning “general absolution”, the recent interdicasterial meeting of the Roman Curia with a representation of Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Australia noted that: … communal celebrations have not infrequently occasioned an illegitimate use of general absolution. This illegitimate use, like other abuses in the administration of the Sacrament of Penance, is to be eliminated.
The teaching of the Church is reflected in precise terms in the requirements of the Code of Canon Law (cf. esp. canons 959 - 964). In particular it is clear that “A sufficient necessity is not ... considered to exist when confessors cannot be available merely because of a great gathering of penitents, such as can occur on some major feastday or pilgrimage” (canon 961, §1, 2).
8. Pope John Paul II, Allocution to the Bishops of Ireland, 26 June 1999: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 91 (1999) 1065-1072, here no. 8, p. 1072.
9. Cf. Conc. Oecum. Flor., sessio VIII, Bulla unionis Armenorum: Denz-Schön. 1323.
10. Statement of Conclusions, no. 45.
11. Cf. Code of Canon Law, cann. 916, §1, 2º; 961, §2.
12. Pope Paul VI, Allocution to the Bishops of the region of New York in the United States of America, 20 April 1978: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 70 (1978) p. 330.
13. Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, 2 December 1984: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 77 (1985) 185-275, here n. 33, p. 270.
14. Code of Canon Law, can. 986, §1; Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Normae pastorales circa absolutionem sacramentalem generali modo impertiendam, 16 June 1972: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 64 (1972) pp. 510-514, here no. IV, p. 512.
15. Cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 986, §1; Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1464.
16. Pope Paul VI, Allocution to the Bishops of the region of New York in the United States of America, 20 April 1978: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 70 (1978) pp. 328-332, here p. 331.
17. Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1484.
18. Pope John Paul II, Allocution to the Bishops of Australia, 14 December 1998: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 91 (1999) pp. 580-586, here no. 5, p. 584. Cf. Also Pope John Paul II, Allocution to the Bishops of Ireland, n. 8: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 91(1999) p. 1072.
also an inviolable and inalienable right”19 of the faithful, any innovation which would interfere with their fulfillment of this obligation, such as when penitents are invited or otherwise encouraged to name just one sin or to name a representative sin, is to be eliminated.
7. As an aid to a more fruitful reception of the Sacrament of Penance and in the hope of fostering the spirit and virtue of penance among the faithful, the Rite of Penance includes material for “Penitential celebrations”, which are described as gatherings of the people of God to hear the proclamation of God’s word.20 “Care should be taken that the faithful do not confuse these celebrations with the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance”,21 in particular, by making clear to them that such celebrations are preparatory in nature and do not include the sacramental forgiveness of sins. It is to be borne in mind that such penitential celebrations may not make use of the sacramental formula of absolution, nor should they employ the concluding formula from the Penitential Rite at Mass, nor any other formula which could be misconstrued to be an absolution from sin.
8. Neither the Rite of Reconciliation of several penitents with individual confession and absolution, nor the aforementioned Penitential celebrations may be integrated into the celebration of the Mass.22 In addition to the unauthorized innovation23 in the celebration of the respective rites and of the Mass that this practice would represent, it must be noted, in particular, that such abuses run the risk of creating confusion in the minds of the faithful as to whether a sacramental absolution may or may not have taken place.
19. Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, no. 33: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 77 (1985) p. 271.
20. Cf. Rite of Penance, no. 36; Appendix II.
21. Rite of Penance, no. 37; Cf. also Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Normae pastorales circa absolutionem sacramentalem generali modo impertiendam, no. IX: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 64 (1972) pp. 513-514.
22. Cf. Rite of Penance, no. 13.
23. Cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 22, §3.
24. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1395.
25. Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1367, 1394.
26. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1395.
27. Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 15 September 1999, no. 5.
28. Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, 2 December 1984, no. 31: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 77 (1985) p. 258. Cf. also Pope John Paul II, Allocution to the Bishops of Portugal, 30 November 1999, no. 4: L’Osservatore Romano (1 dic. 1999) p. 4.
29. Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 22 September 1999, no. 5.
30. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1458; Cf. also Code of Canon Law, can. 988, §2.
Rome, from the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 20 March, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph in the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.
Prot. No. 700/00/L, Notitiae 36 (2000): 312-319.
31. Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 15 September 1999, no. 4.
32. John Paul II, Bull Incarnationis mysterium, 29 November 1998: Acta Apostolicae Sedis 91 (1999) pp. 129-143, here no. 5, p. 133.
33. Pope John Paul II, Allocution to the Bishops of Portugal, 30 November 1999, no. 4.

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