Vatican Publishes Vademecum For Confessors on Conjugal Morality

by Vatican Information Service

Vatican Publishes Vade Mecum For Confessors On Conjugal Morality    

VATICAN CITY (VIS)—Made public on March 1st was the Vademecum for Confessors on Some Themes of Conjugal Morality of the Pontifical Council for the Family; the Holy Father had entrusted this task to that council in order to provide an aid for confessors in handling conscience problems related to the conjugal union.    

The document, over 20 pages long, is dated Feb. 12th, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, a time of penance during which the Church tends to give some directions to confessors. It has been published in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. It is signed by Alfonso Cardinal Lopez Trujillo and Bishop Francisco Gil Hellin, respectively president and secretary of the council.    

The presentation of the vade mecum points out that it is directed principally to confessors and that it contains "reflections and reminders on practical questions of morality regarding conjugal life and auricular Confession."    

"The intention is a dual one: to offer confessors a manual to illuminate the consciences of penitents in the best way possible, in perfect fidelity to Catholic doctrine, and to promote an ever-greater homogeneity in the personalized administration of Reconciliation."    

This brief document is also directed to Christian spouses to offer them "a sure point of reference that may enlighten and calm their consciences, and help them to grow in their Christian vocation and responsibly form their own families, true domestic Churches, according to the plan of the God of mercy. "    

The literary genre of the vade mecum or handbook is that of a pocket book that "provides quickly —as far as possible—for the most frequently used reminders and news related to a particular procedure or topic."    

The structure of the document consists of a presentation; an introduction; the body, which deals with: 1) the holiness of Matrimony, 2) the teaching of the Church on responsible procreation, and 3) the pastoral orientations of confessors, summarized in 19 points; and the conclusion.    

Following are excerpts from these 19 orientations:    

"1) In dealing with penitents on the matter of responsible procreation, the confessor should keep in mind . . . a prudent reserve in inquiring into these sins; help and encouragement to the penitents so that they may be able to reach sufficient repentance and accuse themselves fully of grave sins; advice which inspires all, in a gradual way, to embrace the path of holiness.    

"2) The minister of Reconciliation . . . will receive the penitents who approach the confessional taking for granted their goodwill to be reconciled with the merciful God....    

"3) When occasional penitents approach the sacrament, those who have not confessed for a long time and manifest a grave general situation, it is necessary . . . [to] remind them in a positive way of the invitation to the sanctity of love, and of the importance of their duties in the area of procreation and the education of children.    

"4) When it is the penitent who asks questions . . . the confessor will have to respond adequately . . . without approving erroneous opinions."    

"5) . . . Frequent relapse into sins of contraception does not in itself constitute a motive for denying absolution; absolution cannot be imparted, however, in the absence of sufficient repentance or of the resolution not to fall again into sin.    

"6) The penitent who regularly confesses with the same priest frequently seeks something besides absolution alone. The confessor needs to know how to provide guidance to help him or her to improve . . . in the sanctification of marital life. This certainly will be easier where a relationship of actual spiritual direction exists....    

"7) . . . It is therefore necessary to strive in the most suitable way to free the moral conscience from those errors which contradict the nature of conjugal life as a total gift.... Whenever the confessor considers it necessary to question the penitent, he should do so with discretion and respect.    

"8) The principle according to which it is preferable to let penitents remain in good faith in cases of error due to subjectively invincible ignorance, is certainly to be considered always valid.... In these cases, the confessor must try to bring such penitents ever closer to accepting God's plan in their own lives....    

"9) The pastoral 'law of gradualness,' not to be confused with the 'gradualness of the law' which would tend to diminish the demands it places on us, consists of requiring a decisive break with sin together with a progressive path toward total union with the will of God and with His loving demands.    

"10) . . . To presume to make one's own weakness the criterion of moral truth is unacceptable....    

"11) Sacramental absolution is not to be denied to those who, repentant after having gravely sinned against conjugal chastity, demonstrate the desire to strive to abstain from sinning again, notwithstanding relapses....    

"12) When the penitent shows a willingness to accept the moral teaching . . . it will be necessary to verify the solidity of the motives inducing a limitation of fatherhood or motherhood, and the liceity of the methods chosen to distance or avoid a new birth.    

"13) Special difficulties are presented by cases of cooperation in the sin of a spouse who voluntarily renders the unitive act infecund.... This cooperation can be licit when the three following conditions are jointly met: 1) when the action of the cooperating spouse is not already illicit in itself; 2) when proportionally grave reasons exist for cooperating in the sin of the other spouse; 3) when one is seeking to help the other spouse to desist from such conduct (patiently, with prayer, charity, and dialog; although not necessarily in that moment, nor on every single occasion).    

"14) Furthermore, it is necessary to carefully evaluate the question of cooperation in evil when recourse is made to means which can have an abortifacient effect.    

"15) Christian couples . . . must therefore be convinced . . . that it is possible to observe the will of the Lord in conjugal life with divine grace.    

"16) Priests, in their catechesis and in their preparation of couples for marriage, are asked to maintain uniform criteria....    

"17) The pastoral practice of Confession will be more effective if . . . consultors and centers are made available to which confessors could easily refer penitents in order to acquire adequate knowledge about the natural methods.    

"18) In order to render the moral directives concerning responsible procreation concretely applicable, it is necessary . . . that [there be] catechesis. Accurate illumination of consciences with regard to the sin of abortion certainly forms an integral part of this task."    

"19) Regarding absolution for the sin of abortion, the obligation always exists to have regard for the canonical norms."    

This item 93 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org