Complicit absolution is an offense in

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

consisting of the absolution of a party complicit with the absolving

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in an offense. Because it constitutes the abuse of a

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

, it is held to be

sacrilege Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical ...

. Some cases involve secular clergy in the archdiocese of Boston who were similarly accused of abusing the confessional in the documents ''Crimen sollicitationis'' and '' De delictis gravioribus''.Explaining Crimen Sollicitationis
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References

Catholic penal canon law Sacramental law Confession (Catholic Church) Catholic Church legal terminology Sacrilege {{RC-canon-law-term-stub

See also

References