1 62 



THE MEANS OF GRACE 



VII, 3rd ed., pp. 76 sqq.— A. Tanquerey, Synopsis Theol. Mor., 

 Vol. I, pp. 82 sqq.— H. Noldin, S.J., Sumtna Theol. Mor., Vol. 

 Ill, pp. 315 sqq.— A. Lehmkuhl, S.J., Theol. Mor., Vol. II, pp. 238 

 sqq'.— Sabetti-Barrett, S.J., Comp. Theol. Mor., pp. 656 sqq. 



ARTICLE 4 



QUESTIONING AND INSTRUCTING PENITENTS 



i. The Duty of the Confessor to Ques- 

 tion the Penitent (Interrogatio). — This duty 

 arises from the nature of the Sacrament. Pen- 

 ance is a tribunal of justice. When the peni- 

 tent's self-accusation is defective, so that the 

 confessor cannot judge of the completeness of the 

 avowal or the disposition of the sinner, prudent 

 questioning becomes a duty. 1 Generally speak- 

 ing, the presumption is in favor of the penitent. 

 One who voluntarily comes to confession may be 

 presumed to have the right disposition and to tell 

 the truth. Hence no penitent should be interro- 



dos prudenter interroget." — Cfr. 

 Gury, Comp. Theol. Mor., Vol. II, 

 n. 461: "Confessarius tenetur in- 

 terrogare poenitentes de specie, nu- 

 tnero et circumstantiis peccatorum 

 speciem mutantibus, eorumque cau- 

 sis, de habitu et occasionibus proxi- 

 tnis, quoties rationabiliter praesu- 

 tnit vel dubitat, ista non sufUcienter 

 declarari. Ratio est, quia confessa- 

 rius, ut minister sacramenti, debet 

 procurare eius integritatem, et ut iu- 

 dex, debet sibi comparare cogni- 

 tionem necessariam ad aequum iudi- 

 cium ferendum." 



lConc. Lot. IV., c. ax: "Sacer- 

 dos sit discretus et cautus, ut more 

 periti medici supcrinfundat vinum et 

 oleum vulneribus sauciati, diligenter 

 inquirens et peccatoris circumstan- 

 tias et peccati, quibus prudentcr in- 

 tellegat, quale dcbeat ei praebere 

 consilium et cuiusmodi remcdium 

 adhibere diversis experiments 

 utcndo ad salvandum acgrotum." 

 (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 437)- — 

 Rit. Rom., tit. 3, c. 1, n. 15: "Si 

 poenitens numerum et species et cir- 

 cumstantias peccatorum explicatu ne- 

 cessarias non expresserit, eum sacer- 



