The Sacrament of Penance (Again)

By Jennifer Haselberger
Canonical Consultation
April 29, 2015

http://canonicalconsultation.com/blog.html

I recently had a conversation where the topic of Catholic confession was discussed at length. Since I was not able, given the context of the conversation, to provide citations or references, I thought that I would take the opportunity to post the same on this blog. This post might be of little interest to many of you, but priests might want to review some of the materials attached. 

One of the questions that came up during this conversation was about the differences between sacramental confession and other forms of communication between individuals, including between individuals and priests, or even two priests speaking together. I was at pains to explain that reconciliation is a ritual, and therefore there is a prescribed formula that must be followed which establishes that the exchange is sacramental in nature rather than purely conversational or even an appeal for other forms of pastoral care. I am attaching a guide to confession produced by the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and which gives the penitent's formula. For the complete text of ritual form 'A', please click here. 

Another question that was raised was the location in which confessions are to be heard. While there are always exceptions to the rule, the Code of Canon Law is clear that the proper place to hear confessions is a church or oratory, and that confessions should not be heard outside of these locations without a grave cause (c. 964, 1-3). While I was Chancellor in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, a new clergy bulletin (diocesan policy) was promulgated that reinforced this expectation, along with insisting that confessions of children are never heard outside of properly designated locations. 

The concern, of course, is ensuring that both priests and penitents are protected from various abuses of the priest-penitent relationship. Sexual abuse is a concern, but not the only concern. It is also important that priest and penitent understand the confidentiality of the sacrament (the sacramental seal) and the limits of confidentiality on other forms of communication, such a spiritual direction or other types of internal forum but non-sacramental exchanges. During my tenure as Chancellor, my co-Chancellor, Andy Eisenzimmer, and I would often address priests and others on this topic, including the faculties of the two Archdiocesan seminaries. In 2011 we explicitly addressed both faculties on the topic of 'Confidentiality in Priestly Formation', including the limits of confidentiality in spiritual direction. At that session we provided handouts with our presentation, and we would send these same handouts to others upon request. Thankfully, I have recently acquired one of these handouts, and I am posting it here for the benefit of clergy who might continue to have questions about the confidentiality of such communications. If there is one thing that I would hope all priests would take away from this material, it is the need to ensure that the distinction between internal and external fora communications are maintained. One of the key ways this is done is by only engaging in counseling, spiritual direction, and the hearing of confessions in designated settings at designated times. To provide those services outside of designated and appropriate times and locations can cause confusion about the nature of the relationship between the priest and the person seeking their assistance.