174 



THE MEANS OF GRACE 



which served another as a necessary means of 

 confessing his sins, (e. g., in the case of a deaf- 

 mute) is obliged to keep the sacramental seal; 

 otherwise the duty of silence is purely natural. 21 



As the obligation of secrecy arises solely from sacra- 

 mental confession {ex omni et sola confessione sacramen- 

 tali), a fictitious confession knowingly made to a 

 layman or to an unauthorized priest does not impose the 

 sacramental seal, but merely entails the natural obligation 

 of keeping secret whatever is communicated in confi- 

 dence. 22 



6. Violation of the Seal. — The seal of 

 confession can be broken (violatio, laesio sive 

 fr actio sigilli sacramentalis) either directly or 

 indirectly. 23 



a) It would be a direct breach of the seal were 



confessarius sacrilege vel impru- 

 denter peccata in confessione au- 

 dita manifestasset." 



21 Cfr. St. Alphonsus, Theol. 

 Mor., 1. VI, n. 645-650 (Ed. Gaude, 

 III, 665); Gury, Comp. Theol. Mor., 

 II, n. 498. 



22 Gury, Comp. Theol. Mor., II, 

 n. 496: "(1) Confessio, quae scien- 

 ter fit laico vel sacerdoti iurisdictione 

 carenti, non inducit obligationem 

 sigilli, sed tantum secreti naturalis. 

 Secus dicendum est, si sacerdos 

 credatur approbatus, quia confessio 

 ex parte poenitentis vera est sacra- 

 mentalis. (2) Si quis ad confes- 

 sarium accedat animo eum decipi- 

 tndi, irridendi, in peccatum pertra- 

 hendi, aliquid ab eo extorquendi, non 

 se accusat in ordine ad sacramen- 

 tum, et nulla est obligatio. (3) 



Contra, si quis conscientiam confes- 

 sario aperiat sine voluntate absolu- 

 tionem suscipiendi, sed ut consilium 

 obtineat vel ut mandato superioris 

 aliquo modo satisfaciat, adest obli- 

 gatio sigilli sacramentalis." 



23 Gury, Comp. Theol. Mor., II, 

 n. 505: "Sigillum duplici modo 

 violari potest: (1) Directe revelando 

 expresse aliquid ex sold confessione 

 cognitum, v. g., si dicatur: Titus 

 hoc fecit, etc.; (2) Indirecte aliquid 

 dicendo aut faciendo, ex quo quis 

 cognoscere aut suspicari possit pec- 

 catum vel delictum poenitentis in 

 sola confessione cognitum, aut ex 

 quo poenitenti vel aliis, v. g. com- 

 plicibus, possit oriri pudor, mole- 

 stia, dedecus, damnum vel quodli- 

 bet gravamen." 



