158 



THE MEANS OF GRACE 



complice do not excuse a penitent from making a full 

 confession of his sins. 



Under no pretext is the confessor permitted to inquire 

 formally for the name of an accomplice or associate in 

 crime (complex peccati ant socius criminis), his place of 

 residence, 15 or any circumstance that might reveal his 

 identity. Nay, more, the penitent should not be allowed 

 to disclose the name of his accomplice because confessor 

 and penitent are both under obligation to protect the good 

 name of others. But the penitent must divulge the degree 

 of relationship of his accomplice if this is rendered neces- 

 sary by some circumstance changing the species of his sin, 

 e. g., incest, and the fact that a priest is involved when the 

 confessional has been abused for soliciting to impurity. 

 The laws of the Church require that a priest guilty of this 

 crime be reported by name to the ecclesiastical authori- 

 ties. If a penitent can, without great inconvenience, 

 choose a confessor to whom his accomplice is unknown, 

 he is in duty bound to do so. 16 



If for some physical or moral reason the penitent has 

 forgotten or otherwise omitted a mortal sin in confession, 

 he must mention it in his next confession, — not to obtain 

 forgiveness (as such sin has been forgiven indirectly by 

 the grace of absolution), but to submit the forgotten sin 

 formally to the power of the keys. 



17 



magna repugnantia aut verecundia, 

 ab integritate excusaret, plerumque 

 ab accusandis mortalibus excusaren- 

 tur fideles, et proinde rueret ex 

 maxima parte institutio sacramenti 

 poenitentiae. Praeterea Ecclesic non 

 posset reservare crimina atrocia, 

 quia id incommodum non leve poeni- 

 tentibus creat." 



IB Benedict XIV., Const. "Su- 

 prema omnium," July 7, 1745; "Ubi 

 primum," June 2, 1746; "Ad eradi- 



candum," Sept. 28, 1746; "Aposto- 

 lici ministerii," Dec. 9, 1749 (Den- 

 zinger-Bannwart, n. 1474). — Cfr. 

 Gury, II, 379, 382. 



16 Cfr. Gopfert, III, 235 sqq. — 

 Noldin, III, 338 sq. 



17 Gury, II, n. 377: "Cessante 

 causa excusante ab integritate ma- 

 teriali, pracceptum diviniim con- 

 fitendi omnia peccata mortalia omis- 

 sa iterum urget, etiam excusatio a 

 dirina confessionis lege non cessat 



