Abuse of the Sacrament of Penance

[Holland]

My Aunt informed me that in her parish they had 2 Communal Penance Services with no individual Confession after. Everyone was given absolution as a group. She also informed me that a neighboring parish offered the same kind of service. Would it be inappropriate for me to write a letter, even though I know the Bishop in this diocese has given permission for these parishes to do this? The thought behind this is the priest can’t handle all the people wanting to go to Confession before Christmas.

 

[Just_1_hr_a_wk]

You could encourage your aunt to write.

I think it would be highly inappropriate to inform the bishop about something you heard of 2nd and 3rd hand.

 

[benedictgal]

My Aunt informed me that in her parish they had 2 Communal Penance Services with no individual Confession after. Everyone was given absolution as a group. She also informed me that a neighboring parish offered the same kind of service. Would it be inappropriate for me to write a letter, even though I know the Bishop in this diocese has given permission for these parishes to do this? The thought behind this is the priest can’t handle all the people wanting to go to Confession before Christmas.

In the Year 2000, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a Circular Letter regarding the Sacrament of Penance. The late Servant of God, Pope John Paul II, commissioned this letter because of abuses that had cropped up in Austrialia. He personally met with the Australian bishops to address this matter. Here is what the Circular Letter says regarding what you have described:

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.

1. In giving consideration to the authenitic 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°).

The bishops will exercise renewed vigilance on these matters for the future, aware that departures from the authentic tradition do great wrong to the Church and to individual Catholics.10

The entire letter may be found at: adoremus.org/6-72K.Penance.html

This year, during Wednesday of Holy Week, the administrator of our local Cursillo Center decided that he would have a communal penance service wherein penitents would line up and hand the priest a sheet with their sins written on them and then the papers would be burned. This was clearly in violation of the Circular Letter. I was disturbed about this and complained to our spiritual director, a religious brother. However, the spiritual director said that there was flexibility. I showed him the document, but he didn’t budge.

One of the older women complained to the bishop who, although he is not known for strict enforcement. I wasn’t expecting the bishop to do anything about it. The day before the event, I found out that it had been cancelled. The community kind of blamed me for it, and, I have been somewhat considered a pariah, but, I couldn’t stand by and not protest. I have since sent copies of the circular letter to one of our local monasteries and to a priest friend of mine.

I hope this helps you.

 

[Holland]

You could encourage your aunt to write.

I think it would be highly inappropriate to inform the bishop about something you heard of 2nd and 3rd hand.

I would agree with you in most cases. In the one parish, I have attended the Communal Penance service and it has been going on for several years. I became alarmed when I heard it was going on in another parish in the same diocese. My Aunt would never write a letter because she thinks its OK and so does the rest of my family. This has come up because I am in the middle of trying to convince her to participate fully in the Sacrament instead of the watered down version.

 

[Just_1_hr_a_wk]

Still - how much weight would it carry with the bishop when you indicate that this is NOT something you witnessed but heard of 2nd and 3rd hand?

 

[benedictgal]

Just 1 hr a wk;3117516:

You could encourage your aunt to write.

I think it would be highly inappropriate to inform the bishop about something you heard of 2nd and 3rd hand.[/QUOT

I would agree with you in most cases. In the one parish, I have attended the Communal Penance service and it has been going on for several years. I became alarmed when I heard it was going on in another parish in the same diocese. My Aunt would never write a letter because she thinks its OK and so does the rest of my family. This has come up because I am in the middle of trying to convince her to participate fully in the Sacrament instead of the watered down version.

Holland, please read that circular letter (the link I posted) and, if possible, print it out and give a copy of that to your Aunt. What you have described is a very grave abuse and goes against what the Circular Letter says. Evidently, the Australians were doing this for quite a while and Pope John Paul II had to personally intervene. What he wound up doing was extending this letter universally to make sure that what was happening in Australia wasn’t going to take root elsewhere (although, from your post and from my own experience, it already has).

I cannot stress how grave a situation this is. It needs to be nipped in the bud, especially since Lent is right around the corner and this type of service will be rearing its ugly head again.

[/quote]

 

[Phemie]

Holland;3117678:

Holland, please read that circular letter (the link I posted) and, if possible, print it out and give a copy of that to your Aunt. What you have described is a very grave abuse and goes against what the Circular Letter says. Evidently, the Australians were doing this for quite a while and Pope John Paul II had to personally intervene. What he wound up doing was extending this letter universally to make sure that what was happening in Australia wasn’t going to take root elsewhere (although, from your post and from my own experience, it already has).

I cannot stress how grave a situation this is. It needs to be nipped in the bud, especially since Lent is right around the corner and this type of service will be rearing its ugly head again.

It went on for years in Canada too. General Absolution became the norm and that burning thing described by the OP was definitely part of the scenario in some parishes. Churches were full for those celebrations of Reconciliation.

Now, a communal penitential service with private confession draws about 20 people in my parish. Part of the problem is the constant repetition that “God loves you no matter what you’ve done” without the corresponding “but you must repent and confess your sins.” There had been no mention of sin in our parish in what seems like forever.

 

[Holland]

Still - how much weight would it carry with the bishop when you indicate that this is NOT something you witnessed but heard of 2nd and 3rd hand?

You’re right. I have a bad habit of not thinking first about what I want to accomplish. I might talk to the priest in the one parish where it has been going on for such a long time.