At the beginning of the Middle Ages “reconciliation with the altar,” like reconciliation with the church in the canonical penance system, had been granted only after the completion of the assigned penance. During the ninth century, however, the liturgical reformers in Charlemagne’s empire, in an attempt to bring confession under greater clerical control, insisted that penitents receive absolution from a priest rather than assurances of God’s forgiveness from a monk or nun or pious layperson. But since people who were used to the monastic practice often did not return to be formally absolved from the obligation to do penance, French priests were told to bestow absolution right after hearing the penitent’s confession. In this same period, priests in other parts of Europe began admitting penitents to communion after only part of the lengthy penance was done, once they were sure of the penitents’ sincerity. Moreover, if penitents were dying, priests would usually reconcile them and pray for God’s forgiveness right after hearing their confession, as was the custom with canonical penance. But during the tenth century, for fear that any penitent might die without the priestly assurance of God’s forgiveness, some churchmen began to recommend reconciliation right after confession in all cases, and by the end of the century the once emergency procedure had become a standard practice. Penances were still assigned, but now they had to be performed after the rite of reconciliation.
