A Sacrament in Crisis
by Inside the Vatican Staff, Fr. Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M.Conv.
Q: What are the reasons for this conference?
Bishop Gianfranco Girotti: Our main purpose was to provide adequate information on the tasks and functions of the Apostolic Penitentiary, which, though being the Holy See's most ancient ministry, (this year marks the 830th anniversary of its foundation) is very little known, even by most of the clergy. The many historical, theological, sacramental and juridical reflections produced by this conference will no doubt make a contribution to a more balanced understanding of the relations between sacramental confession and the Penitentiary.
Q: Sacramental confession seems to have been increasingly neglected since the 1970s. In some parts of the world it seems almost to have disappeared. What is your view of the situation?
Bishop Girotti: It seems to me right to point out that, after the Council of Trent (1542-1565), the pastoral care of people through the sacrament of confession was very precise. Specific choices were made following Trent. The Council of Trent expounded the Catholic Church's thought and doctrine on confession clearly and organically.
However, a new conception of confession and of the penitent's attitude in general came into being following the documents issued by the Holy See after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965): Paul VI's Apostolic Constitution Paenitemini of February 17, 1966, and the Apostolic Constitution Reconciliatio et Poenitentia issued by John Paul II in 1984 (which summed up the reflections of the Bishops' Synod on the Sacrament of Confession), to name only two.
These documents interpreted the epoch-making changes set in motion by the new guidelines introduced after the Second Vatican Council.
These changes have not only involved the life of the Church; they have been cultural changes which have produced a new approach to the sacrament of confession.
Nowadays, sacramental confession is undoubtedly in a difficult situation both in terms of practice and understanding. The reform called for by the Second Vatican Council and carried out in the 40 years since does not seem to have revived faith in this sacrament or deepened understanding of it in theological terms, despite the attempts and efforts made by several bishops' conferences which have recommended a multiplication of forms of penitence. Some dioceses have even campaigned to encourage the practice of confession.
Unfortunately, this sacrament, so important for spiritual health and sanctification, seems to be affected by a serious crisis nowadays. This crisis is not only traceable to the insufficient religious education of most Catholics. Among the many factors responsible for believers' lack of esteem and love of this sacrament I would cite these:
(a) A certain decrease in the understanding of sacramental doctrine as a whole, i.e., a decrease in the understanding of the sacred in general. It has been recently argued that many people do not know the theological foundations which could lead them to a greater understanding and appreciation of confession. Confession has always been a sacrament whose practice is difficult and demanding, and it is a sacrament whose outward ritual has undergone great change.
(b) Another major change affecting the administration of confession is undoubtedly a new vision of sin, the weakening of the sense of sin. There has been a considerable decrease in the awareness of "mortal sin." As Pius XII pointed out: "The world's greatest sin nowadays is just having lost the sense of sin."
(c) The sense of sin is dying out because we have lost awareness of offending God; in a secularized world, God's presence is regarded as irrelevant.
(d) One of the greatest concerns of psychologists has been to avoid creating guilt complexes and curbing individual freedom.
Q: Throughout its history the Penitentiary has played a major role in the Roman Curia. What about today?
Bishop Girotti: If we consider the numerous tasks carried out by the Penitentiary between the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age, its role was really considerable. Created as an office to cooperate with the Pope in the exercise of his jurisdiction in the internal forum, through the centuries the Penitentiary has extended its authority to issues dealt with by the external forum. The number of duties it discharged in the inner and external forum alike during the first half of the 16th century was enormous. The list included: the granting of wedding dispensations from obstacles created by various degrees of blood relationship and kinship; licenses for the protection of Holy Orders in derogation of the regulations in force; acquittal of murder, manslaughter, or justifiable homicide with possible dispensations for admission to Holy Orders; absolution from the beating of Churchmen; or simony, to name but a few. From the extant documents of the Penitentiary, we know that its authority was extended to non-Christians, that is, to Jews.
Q: What are the objectives of this symposium?
Bishop Girotti: As the Penitentiary is a ministry which is rarely in the limelight and which looks mysterious to most people, we wished to make it better known, highlighting its tasks, which, as I said before, concern the salvation of souls. At the same time our purpose is to revive interest in the sacrament of confession, which nowadays seems to be affected by a very serious crisis.
This item 8904 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
