Appropriate Penance for Murder?

  • Thread starter Thread starter THartwill
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
NetNuncio said:
, I would make the absolution contingent on the person turning themselves into authorities.

adam
Click to expand...
That my friend is impossible…sombody needs to do some study on confession and absolution. There are two possibilites when a person makes a good and complete confession

1)absolution
2)refusal of absolution

Absolution is instant and not reversable.

AND it is impossible for a preist to force a person to turn themselves in this would be breaking the seal of confession. Priest cannot play any part in revealing someones sins…telling a penitent to confess would be such the case…That is what we call the seal of confession…A priest only works in personal Christi not the county prosecutor.
 
THartwill said:
Hello everyone! I hope you’re having a lovely day!

I am researching for a character for a short story I’m writing, and I must say I need others’ perspectives. In this story, one of the more dramatic scenes involves a very humane Catholic doctor being ordered by a powerful political figure (who is sort of on par with a king in authority – almost infinite power within a given territory) to assist in a person’s suicide. The man who wishes to die is a Catholic priest who has suffered severe burns and has lost one of his arms in an explosion.

The doctor of course makes his objections clear – but is overruled with force. He ultimately complies, but accidentally. He was, in fact, only trying to give the priest a non-lethal dose of morphine – one that would be high enough to make the priest appear dead, but not actually enough to prevent the priest being revived later.

Of course, the doctor fails in this, and the priest dies. And of course, even accidental murder is, unless I’m mistaken, still considered murder, a mortal sin.

I’m just curious – in confessing this to a priest (and extremely contrite about it – this act has spiritually devastated the character), what sort of penance might one expect?

Thanks!

~Thomas
Click to expand...
Well, you missed on the first curve. It would be neither murder nor a mortal sin. There is no intent. Both the crime and the sin require intent.

Since there is no sin, there is no need of penance.

However, if you want to take liberties with both issues - murder and sin - one might expect a penance that is healing as opposed to punishing; particularly as you are positing a character who has been, in your terms, spiritually devastated.

Of course, if you want the novel to get back on course with reality after skipping over a bit of reality, you could have a hugh, horrendous, crushing penance,. one that drove the poor person out of the Church. Given that it would likely mimic reality, it certainly would be believable.

Sorry, I was a copy editor for my college newspaper, and I worked with other editors; I just can’t help myself…

Have fun with your story. But you might want to make the intent a little more ambivialent, or your story doesn’t hang together.
 
True contrition is all that is needed-most priests would urge the
person to turn themselves in and would probably make consideration of such part of the penance.

What you describe here is not a mortal sin-re the morphine shot-although it would have been better if he had not given in to whatever ‘‘force’’ was used-not very plausible-after all he has to draw up the morphine and then inject it-or I suppose he could pour a bottle of the stuff down the victim’s throat-but how to MAKE someone do that is questionable .
 
Question: could the priest suggest the penitent turn him/herself in as the right thing to do, so long as he did not make it necessary as part of the penance?
It seems to me that that would be reasonable without breaking canon law or the Seal… Thoughts?
 
My friend, it is generally unwise to reply to a thread that is six years old. However, the answer to your question is, yes, a confessor can offer advice to the penitent.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top