Confession, the Sacrament of Reconciliation: seventeen questions

Each name shows one side of it. It is the sacrament of conversion, because it answers Jesus' call to return to the Father; of Penance, because it consecrates the sinner's steps of repentance; of Confession, because the sins are told to a priest, and God's holiness and mercy are praised. It is the sacrament of forgiveness, because God grants "pardon and peace", and of Reconciliation, because it gives the love of God who reconciles.

Baptism made us new, but it did not take away the weakness of human nature or the inclination to sin. Christians can still sin, and some sins are grave enough to lose the grace of Baptism. Christ instituted this sacrament for all sinful members of his Church, above all for those who have fallen into grave sin. The Fathers called it "the second plank after the shipwreck" of lost grace.

It is true that only God forgives sins. Jesus, the Son of God, forgave sins with divine authority, and he gave this power to men to exercise in his name. He entrusted the power of absolution to the apostolic ministry, the "ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor 5:18). The priest does not forgive by his own power but as Christ's minister.

On Easter evening the risen Jesus breathed on the apostles and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (Jn 20:22-23). He had also promised Peter the keys, with power to bind and loose (Mt 16:19). Reconciliation with the Church cannot be separated from reconciliation with God.

Jesus first calls for an inner change, not outward works. Inner repentance is a turning of the whole life back to God, a break with sin and a sorrow for the evil done, with the resolve to change and trust in God's mercy. Without it, outward penances are empty; with it, they become true signs of a new heart.

Two parts, both essential. On our side, the acts of the penitent moved by the Holy Spirit: contrition, confession and satisfaction. On God's side, the action of the Church through the bishop or priest, who in Christ's name grants forgiveness and sets the penance. In the Latin Church the priest ends the prayer of absolution with "I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Contrition is sorrow of soul and hatred of the sin committed, with the resolve not to sin again. When it comes from love of God above all, it is called perfect: it forgives venial sins, and mortal sins too if it includes the firm resolve to go to Confession as soon as possible. Contrition born of fear of sin's ugliness or its punishment is called imperfect; it too is a gift of God. By itself it cannot obtain forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes us to receive forgiveness in the sacrament.

In the light of the word of God. The passages best suited are the moral teaching of the Gospels and the apostolic letters, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the apostles' instructions.

All mortal sins of which one is aware after a careful examination must be confessed, even the most secret. Whoever knowingly hides one places nothing before God's mercy, as a sick person who hides a wound from the doctor cannot be healed. Confessing everyday faults, venial sins, is not strictly necessary but is strongly recommended, because it forms conscience and helps us grow.

In the Latin Church, everyone who has reached the age of discretion must confess serious sins at least once a year. The Eastern Code asks anyone aware of serious sin to receive the sacrament as soon as possible, and strongly recommends to all frequent confession, especially in the seasons of fasting and penance of their own Church. Children go to Confession before their first Holy Communion.

No. Anyone aware of a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even with deep sorrow, without first receiving absolution. The only exception is a grave reason for receiving with no possibility of going to Confession; even then, perfect contrition is needed, with the firm resolve to confess as soon as possible.

Absolution takes away sin, but it does not repair all the harm sin has caused. Justice asks us to repair what we can, such as returning what was stolen or restoring someone's good name. The penance, suited to the person and the sins, may be prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbour, self-denial, or patiently bearing one's cross. It helps us become like Christ, who alone made satisfaction for our sins once for all.

Only bishops and priests, through the sacrament of Holy Orders. A priest also needs the faculty to absolve, given by the Church's law or by his bishop. In danger of death any priest can absolve from every sin, even without that faculty. The Eastern Code teaches the same.

Never. Every priest who hears confessions is bound, under very severe penalties, to keep absolute secrecy about the sins confessed. He can make no use of what he learns there about the penitent's life. This secret, the sacramental seal, admits no exception. The Eastern Code adds that it binds also any interpreter and anyone else who comes to know what was confessed.

It restores us to God's grace and joins us to him in close friendship, often bringing peace and serenity of conscience. It reconciles us with the Church, which our sin had wounded, and so strengthens the whole Church. It remits the eternal punishment due to mortal sins and, at least in part, the temporal punishment, and it gives spiritual strength for the Christian struggle.

Only in grave necessity, such as imminent danger of death with no time for each person to confess, under conditions set by Church law. For the absolution to be valid, those present must intend to confess their sins individually in due time; the diocesan bishop judges whether the conditions exist. Individual and complete confession with absolution remains the only ordinary way to be reconciled with God and the Church, because Christ addresses each sinner personally.

An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. The Church grants it under set conditions, from the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints. It is partial or plenary, and may be gained for oneself or offered for the dead. It never forgives sin itself; that is the work of the sacrament.