It Takes a Jesuit To Misread the Law

Vatican City, Mar 20, 2020 / 11:05 am (CNA).- Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, has said that the coronavirus pandemic may justify the use of general absolution, in extraordinary circumstances, for Catholics unable to go to individual confession.

The Apostolic Penitentiary in Rome is responsible for issues touching the sacrament of penance and the seal of confession.

“The seriousness of the current circumstances requires reflection on the urgency and centrality of the sacrament of Reconciliation, together with some necessary clarifications, both for the lay faithful and for the ministers called to celebrate the sacrament,” Cardinal Piacenza wrote in the formal note from the penitentiary, published March 20.

 What does Canon Law say about this?

Can. 960 Individual and integral confession and absolution constitute the only ordinary means by which a member of the faithful conscious of grave sin is reconciled with God and the Church. Only physical or moral impossibility excuses from confession of this type; in such a case reconciliation can be obtained by other means.

Can. 961 §1. Absolution cannot be imparted in a general manner to many penitents at once without previous individual confession unless:

1/ danger of death is imminent and there is insufficient time for the priest or priests to hear the confessions of the individual penitents;

2/ there is grave necessity, that is, when in view of the number of penitents, there are not enough confessors available to hear the confessions of individuals properly within a suitable period of time in such a way that the penitents are forced to be deprived for a long while of sacramental grace or holy communion through no fault of their own. Sufficient necessity is not considered to exist when confessors cannot be present due only to the large number of penitents such as can occur on some great feast or pilgrimage.

The Jesuit Bishop of Rome is not helping:

 
Seeking to bring God’s mercy and consolation to people everywhere during the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis has authorized the granting of a plenary indulgence under specific conditions to all the faithful who are victims of coronavirus, as well as to their family members, health workers, and all others who care for them, including those who simply pray for them.
He has also reminded bishops and other pastors throughout the world of the possibility of granting “general absolution” to the faithful, “without prior individual confession,” in situations such as the present emergency, especially in zones most badly hit by the crisis.