Advertise in this spot on CatholicCulture.org. View all ads.

Catholic World News News Feature

Reform program challenged November 20, 2001

In what could prove to be a test case of the credibility and effectiveness of the Statement of Conclusions, the summary document on reform of the Catholic Church in Australia put together by a group of Australian bishops and members of the Vatican Curia late last year, Archbishop Leonard Faulkner of Adelaide has indicated that general absolutions--for all intents and purposes--will be as accessible as ever in his archdiocese. At the same time, he has demonstrated in a public manner how apparently clear-cut Church directives--including even his own--can be rendered ineffectual.

Following the joint decision of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference last April to endorse the Statement of Conclusions and to clamp down on illicit celebrations of the Third Rite of Reconciliation through a "strict" interpretation of the Code of Canon Law (961), Archbishop Faulkner released an orthodox-looking set of pastoral guidelines on the Sacrament of Penance that appeared to point to the end of general absolutions in Adelaide. The Holy See must have been relieved, since Archbishop Faulkner had earlier broken ranks with most of his fellow bishops and continued with the Third Rite during the Easter season this year, despite the clear instructions of the Holy Father.

However, relief at this apparent policy reversal in one of Australia’s most liberal dioceses has proved to be premature. During an extraordinary interview on Adelaide’s ABC Radio on June 1--just a fortnight after his new guidelines were to have taken effect--Archbishop Faulkner made it clear that general absolutions would continue in the Archdiocese of Adelaide. Asked whether his new guidelines would in fact mean "the end of general absolutions in the archdiocese," the archbishop responded, "No. Certainly not. No." Archbishop Faulkner added that there would be "opportunities" for all three forms of the Sacrament of Penance to be celebrated. With general absolutions, he said:

… where there are cases of real necessity--and there will be in many cases--all the parishes and communities have to do is contact me and the approval will be given. So I expect that Catholics in this archdiocese will continue to receive the sacrament in all three forms.

(Here the Archbishop has deftly substituted the words "real necessity" for the "grave necessity" which is used in the Code of Canon Law.)

The only change in policy for Adelaide, the archbishop explained, would be that "instead of the parish or community determining its own decision with regard to the celebration of the third form or general absolution, they have to refer every celebration to me prior to the celebration." But apparently approval could more or less be taken for granted.

A SHOWDOWN?

Archbishop Faulkner’s acknowledgement of the need for episcopal approval for individual Third Rite requests--as distinct from the previous blanket permission--was a nod in the direction of canon law. But his suggestion that each request would be almost automatically approved flew in the face of any common-sense reading of the criteria set down for such celebrations--let alone the "strict" reading which had been requested by the Holy Father and promised by Australia’s bishops. In current Australian conditions, it is difficult, if not impossible, to imagine circumstances that could justify any general absolutions, particularly in the suburban parishes where most of the country’s Catholics worship. That Archbishop Faulkner nevertheless believes he can circumvent the Vatican guidelines highlights the fact that no matter how watertight Church documents might appear on paper, they can be interpreted away, if a bishop has the inclination and will to do so.

The Code of Canon Law (961), after indicating that the Third Rite can be used only in the case of danger of imminent death, or in other cases of "grave necessity," indicates that individual bishops may determine whether such "grave necessity exists," but adds that this determination must be made in accordance with "criteria agreed [to] with the other members of the episcopal conference." And the Letter from the Australian Bishops to the Catholic People of Australia following their conference in April states that the Church in Australia would be following the Pope’s request that use of the Third Rite would "be kept strictly within the conditions laid down by Canon Law."

Nevertheless, Archbishop Faulkner has signaled in no uncertain terms that his approach to the requirements of Canon Law will be anything but strict. His broadcast comments constitute a clear challenge to the wishes of the Australian bishops conference and the Holy See. An earlier (March 19) document from the Congregation for Divine Worship had that "deviations from the authentic practice of the Church"--such as the routine approval of general absolution by diocesan bishops--would be "punishable in accordance with the sacred canons."

The key question now is whether Archbishop Faulkner will be brought into line by his fellow Australian bishops before the Holy See is forced to take action. A failure to intervene would effectively scuttle the Statement of Conclusions and the Australian bishops’ acceptance of that document.

INTERPRETED AWAY

Prior to his radio interview, it appeared that Archbishop Faulkner intended to adhere to the clear policy set down by the episcopal conference and the Holy See. The contents of his new Pastoral Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance in the Archdiocese of Adelaide--to take effect on 18 May 18, 1999--could not have looked more orthodox. The impression generally conveyed was that general absolutions, once prevalent in the Adelaide archdiocese, would virtually cease.

In a letter to Adelaide’s Catholics which accompanied the guidelines, Archbishop Faulkner said he was responding to "the directive of the Holy Father" in replacing the existing guidelines (established under his predecessor Archbishop Gleeson in 1976). He explained, using the Pope’s words to the Australian bishops, that general absolution was "appropriate only in cases of grave necessity, clearly determined by liturgical and canonical norms." Any future celebrations of the Third Rite, said the archbishop, would "require the prior approval of the archbishop in every case."

The document itself cited several authoritative sources on the Sacrament of Penance, including the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Code of Canon Law, and the Pope’s Apostolic Exhortation, Reconciliation and Penance, as well as his December 1988 Address to the Australian Bishops. Quotes from the Code of Canon Law underlined the points that "a great gathering of penitents" (such as often occurs before Christmas and Easter) does not justify general absolution; that a bishop must judge each individual situation on its merits, according to "grave necessity" (such as "danger of death"); and that in any case a person "whose grave sins are forgiven by a general absolution" should "as soon as possible ... make an individual confession before receiving another general absolution, unless a just reason intervenes." The document further indicated that the archdiocese would be undertaking, in response to the wishes of the Holy Father, "a great catechizing effort in relation to the Sacrament of Penance."

In his subsequent radio interview, however, Archbishop Faulkner made it clear that the contents of his guidelines remained open to a remarkably permissive interpretation. Asked by the interviewer about the "circumstances" that would elicit his approval for general absolution, the archbishop said he would follow the Code of Canon Law. Having said that, he then offered his own view of what constituted a "grave necessity" and a "strict interpretation:"

I think there are very many people who find this way of celebrating reconciliation very helpful to them and as long as that is illustrated --and also there’s a great need--then I’ll certainly grant the approval for the celebration. It’s good to remember we're dealing with something that should not be a burden for people.

In short, as long as there is a "great need," it is "helpful" and individual confession is found to be a "burden," general absolutions will be approved. The archbishop added that if people found it "difficult, not only to find the opportunity, but also to actually physically and psychologically get to individual confession," again general absolution would be approved. Finally, as if to justify his position, the archbishop observed: "As far as I can see, there are very few people who are opposed to us celebrating the Sacrament of Confession through general absolution."

A copy of the ABC interview and transcript have been sent to Australia’s apostolic pro-nuncio and as this report goes to press, no word has yet come of any public and full retraction on the part of Archbishop Faulkner, nor of any response from the Holy See. Michael Gilchrist