''Sacramentum Poenitentiae'' was an
apostolic constitution
An apostolic constitution () is the most solemn form of legislation issued by the Pope.New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, pg. 57, footnote 36.
By their nature, apostolic constitutions are addressed to the public. Generic constitutions use ...
promulgated by
Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...
on 1 June 1741, discussing the offense of solicitation, which is the crime of making use of the
Sacrament of Penance
The Sacrament of Penance (also commonly called the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession) is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church (known in Eastern Christianity as sacred mysteries), in which the faithful are absolved from si ...
, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of soliciting sexual activity.
[Fanning, William. "Solicitation." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 5 April 2020
Content
''Sacramentorum Poenitentiae'' assigned to the
the responsibility of safeguarding the sanctity of the sacrament of penance.
The ''Sacramentum Poenitentiae'' addresses the soliciting of sex by priests during
confession
A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of people – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information that ...
.
"The crime of solicitation occurs whenever a priest – whether in the act itself of sacramental confession, or before or immediately after confession, on the occasion or under the pretext of confession, or even apart from confession utin a confessional or another place assigned or chosen for the hearing of confessions and with the semblance of hearing confessions there – has attempted to solicit or provoke a penitent, whosoever he or she may be, to immoral or indecent acts, whether by words, signs, nods, touch or a written message, to be read either at that time or afterwards, or he has impudently dared to have improper and indecent conversations or interactions with that person. (Constitution Sacramentum Poenitentiae, §1)
Section 4 decrees that a priest who is complicit in a sin against the
sixth commandment is incapable of
validly absolving his accomplice from that sin. This is called
complicit absolution. An exception is made in danger of death, and then only if no other priest is available. It was the fifth document in the
canon-law book that was used to train all priests between 1918 and 1982.
See also
* ''
Crimen sollicitationis''
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
*
*
Further reading
*
External links
Latin text and English translation
1741 works
Apostolic constitutions
Curial response to Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals
Documents of Pope Benedict XIV
Sacramental law
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