Pope extends Jubilee mandate on abortion, SSPX confession

Rome, Italy, Nov 21, 2016 / 04:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Although the Jubilee of Mercy has ended, Pope Francis has decided that some of the novelties he applied to the Church during the Holy Year will continue.

He is allowing all priests to absolve the sin of abortion from here on out, while SSPX priests will be able to continue hearing confessions validly...

The Pope announced his decision in his new Apostolic Letter “Misericordia et Misera,” meaning “Mercy with Misery.” Published Nov. 21, the letter was signed by the Pope Nov. 20 during Mass for the close of the Jubilee of Mercy.

In the letter, Pope Francis said that “the Sacrament of Reconciliation must regain its central place in the Christian life.”

“Given this need, lest any obstacle arise between the request for reconciliation and God’s forgiveness, I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion,” the letter read...

He noted how during the Jubilee, he allowed “that those faithful who, for various reasons, attend churches officiated by the priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, can validly and licitly receive the sacramental absolution of their sins.”

“For the pastoral benefit of these faithful, and trusting in the good will of their priests to strive with God’s help for the recovery of full communion in the Catholic Church, I have personally decided to extend this faculty beyond the Jubilee Year, until further provisions are made, lest anyone ever be deprived of the sacramental sign of reconciliation through the Church’s pardon...” (continued)

Read More at Catholic News Agency

Link:

• Pope extends Jubilee mandate on abortion, SSPX confession

Why are SSPX Masses valid, but not marriages or absolutions?

By Father John Zuhlsdorf

(WDTPRS)  ....The priests of the SSPX are validly ordained.  They celebrate Mass illicitly but validly.  In normal situations they do not validly absolve, because they lack faculties to absolve (because faculties are necessary – in addition to valid ordination – to absolve validly).  They cannot act as proper witnesses to marriages, because they are not recognized as such by the Church.  A proper witness is require by the Church for the form of marriage.

How to sort this out?  Let’s try it this way.

Not all sacraments are juridic acts, and not all juridic acts are sacraments but, as in the classic Venn Diagram, some sacraments are juridic acts.

A juridic act (canons 124-128) is a human act by which a person, capable in law, observing the requisite formalities, manifests his intention to bring about a certain juridic effect.

For example, baptism is both a juridic act, and a sacrament. A juridic effect is intended (incorporation into the Church).  Formalities are observed. The person, capable in law, manifests his intention to baptize (he uses the proper matter and form). The Church, in her clemency and her desire that no one be denied baptism, extends jurisdiction to confer baptism to “any person who has the requisite intention” (can. 861§2). So, while bishops, priests, and deacons are the ordinary ministers of baptism, anyone – even an unbaptized person – is capable in law of baptizing validly.

Confirmation, Marriage, Penance, and Holy Orders are the other sacraments which are simultaneously juridic acts. Reception of these sacraments changes a person’s juridic status in the Church.  The Church is more restrictive about who can administer these four sacraments. Anointing of the Sick and Holy Communion/Eucharist are not juridic acts. Reception of these sacraments does not change a person’s juridic status in the Church.

Absolution of sins after Confession is a juridic act. The priest, the confessor, acts in persona Christi and judges the penitent.  Remember that the confessional has the aspect of a tribunal.  The confessor/judge absolves and lifts the sin from the penitent.  Confessors also at times lift censures.  As a juridic act, it can only be done by someone capable in law. The Church has restricted this, not because the Church wants to make penance less available to people, but rather in order to ensure that the faithful are getting the best possible pastoral care and that they remain within the fold of the Church. Thus, the Church gives faculties, permission, jurisdiction, to act in this way, to use his priestly abilities in a performing a sacramental act which is also a juridical act.

With marriage, there’s an added wrinkle. The ministers of the sacrament of marriage are the parties who get married. The spouses are the ministers of the sacrament of matrimony. Therefore, for a valid marriage to be effected, they are required to be “capable in law”. For example, a couple of thirteen year-olds are not capable of marriage. Someone already married is not capable of marriage. Other capabilities are more relational.  For example, Sempronius may be capable of marriage, but he is not capable of marrying his sister, Caia.  Neither is Sempronius capable of marrying Titus). For Catholics, an additional burden must be met. For a Catholic to marry validly, he or she must marry before an authorized witness, usually a bishop, priest, or deacon.

The priest or deacon or bishop who officiates at a Catholic wedding is there, necessarily, as the Church’s official witness to ensure that the proper form is followed, etc.  The Church tightly restricts the ability of clergy to officiate at weddings. Priests who have the ordinary faculty, the jurisdiction, the permission from the Church, to witness marriages, are limited to doing so within the territory of the parish where they are the pastor, the parish priest. If they go outside their territory, they need the express permission of the pastor in whose territory they are witnessing a marriage. If they don’t have that permission, the marriage would be invalid because it would lack one of the essential requirements for marriage. The pastor of the parish (or the bishop, the vicar general, or an episcopal vicar with jurisdiction in the area) can delegate to another priest the jurisdiction, the faculty, to witness the marriage. He should do so in writing. If the delegation cannot be proven, the marriage might well be invalid!... (continued)

Click here to read more

Link:

• Why are SSPX Masses valid, but not marriages or absolutions?

Related:

• A Word to Biters of the Consecrated Hand

Francis laments not being able to listen to confessions outside the Vatican

 

By Andrea Tornielli

(La Stampa) In his speech during the Pentecost Vigil Pope Francis expressed disappointment at not being able to administer the sacrament of penance as before Andrea Tornielli

As a bishop and then cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was a relentless confessor and the homilies and speeches he has give over these first few months testify to this. For Francis, engaging in dialogue with faithful during confession is key. But now he is Pope he is no longer able to “leave” the Vatican and listen to confessions in parishes as he used to do back in Buenos Aires.

Francis hinted at this in the off-the-cuff speech he gave during the Pentecost Vigil mass in St. Peter’s Square, on Saturday 18 May. The Pope addressed a crowd of over 200.000 people, from over 150 ecclesial movements, associations and new communities. “We need to become courageous Christians – he said – and go out and search for those who are the body of Christ, those who are the body of Christ!” “When I go to listen to confession – I can’t yet because to go out and listen to confession, well … I can’t leave this place, but that’s another issue – when I used to go and confess people in my previous diocese…,” the Pope said.

When he said the words “I can’t leave this place”, the Pope seemed to turn round to his collaborators. He went on to say that he always asked penitents: “Do you give money to beggars?” “Yes Father!” “Good, good.” The he would ask them a couple more questions: “Tell me, when you give money, do you look the person you are giving it to in the eye?” “Oh, I don’t know, I never stopped to think about it.” “And when you give money to a beggar do you touch their hand or do you just toss the money at them?” This is the problem, the Pope said. “Christ’s body, touching Christ’s body, taking the poor person’s burden on to our own shoulders.”

Francis spoke about another experience he had as confessor in the homily he gave during the mass he celebrated in the Vatican parish of Sant’Anna on the first Sunday after his election to the papacy (17 March). He described the conversation he had with a man he was confessing. When the man heard Bergoglio talk about the mercy of God, he said to him: “Oh father, if you knew what my life was like you wouldn’t speak to me like that! I have really messed things up in the past!” And Bergoglio replied: “All the better! Go to Jesus: he’ll be happy to hear about these things! he forgives and forgets; he has a special gift for doing so. He forgets he gives you a kiss and a hug and simply tells you: “I do not condemn you, go and from now steer clear of sin.” That’s the only piece of advice he will give you. A month later we find ourselves in the same situation…We turn to the Lord again. The Lord never tires of forgiving, never! We are the ones who tire of asking forgiveness.”

It was not long after pronouncing these words that Francis appeared at the window of the papal study in the apostolic palace to pray the Angelus for the first time. There, he spoke of mercy once again, speaking about another experience he had as a confessor. “I remember when I had only just become a bishop in the year 1992, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima had just arrived in Buenos Aires and a big Mass was celebrated for the sick. I went to hear confessions at that Mass. And almost at the end of the Mass I stood up, because I had to go and administer a First Confirmation. And an elderly woman approached me, humble, very humble, and over eighty years old. I looked at her, and I said, “Grandmother” — because in our country that is how we address the elderly — do you want to make your confession?”. “Yes”, she said to me. “But if you have not sinned…”. And she said to me: “We all have sins...”. “But perhaps the Lord does not forgive them”. “The Lord forgives all things”, she said to me with conviction. “But how do you know, Madam?”. “If the Lord did not forgive everything, the world would not exist”. I felt an urge to ask her: “Tell me, Madam, did you study at the Gregorian [University]?”, because that is the wisdom which the Holy Spirit gives: inner wisdom focused on God's mercy. Let us not forget this word: God never ever tires of forgiving us!”

In an interview with journalists Francesca Ambrogetti and Sergio Rubin (“El Jesuita”) – published in book format – Bergoglio said he reminded fathers often during confessions to find time to play with their children.

During the homily for his morning mass in St. Martha’s House in the Vatican, last 17 May, the Pope mentioned another experience he had in the confessional. Although on this occasion there was no direct reference to his own experience as confessor, the possibility he may have been talking about something that happened to him cannot be excluded: “One day I heard about a priest, a good parish priest who worked well; he was nominated bishop but he felt ashamed because he didn’t feel worthy; he felt spiritually tormented. So he went for confession. The confessor listened to him and said: “Don’t be afraid. Look at the big stew Peter made of things and yet he was still made Pope; go for it!” That’s what the Lord is like. That’s what the Lord is like. The Lord makes us grow up by arranging many encounters with Him, despite our weaknesses, when we recognise them, despite our sins…”

This examples illustrate how important the meetings and conversations Francis - who was once a parish priest and spiritual leader - had with penitents during confession, were to him. This is a trait he has in common with John Paul I, who would spend time listening to confessions even when he was a bishop. Sister Antonia Luciani Petri claims the openness Bergoglio showed to contraception before Paul VI’s “Humanae Vitae” was published, was down to his dialogue with faithful.

Link:

• Francis laments not being able to listen to confessions outside the Vatican

Satan went to Padre Pio pretending to be a penitent

From The Tenth Crusade:

Satan went beyond all the limits of deception when he went to Father Pio pretending to be a penitent. This is the Father Pio’s testimony:

 “One day, while I was hearing confessions, a man came to the confessional where I was.

He was tall, handsome, dressed with some refinement and he was kind and polite. He started to confess his sins, which were of every kind: against God, against man and against the morals. All the sins were obnoxious!

 I was disoriented, in fact for all the sins that he told me, but I responded to him with God’s Word, the example of the Church, and the morals of the Saints. But the enigmatic penitent answered me word for word, justifying his sins, always with extreme ability and politeness. He excused all the sinful actions, making them sound quite normal and natural, even comprehensible on the human level.. He continued this way with the sins that were gruesome against God, Our Lady, the Saints, always using disrespectful round-about argumentation.

He kept this up even with with the foulest of sins that could be conjured in the mind of a most sinful man. The answers that he gave me with such skilled subtlety and malice surprised me. I wondered: who is he? What world does he come from? And I tried to look at him in order to read something on his face.

At the same time I concentrated on every word he spoke, trying to discover any clue to his identity.. But suddenly; through a vivid, radiant and internal light I clearly recognized who he was.

With a sound and imperial tone I told him: “Say long live Jesus, long live Mary!” As soon as I pronounced these sweet and powerful names, Satan instantly disappeared in a trickle of fire, leaving behind him an unbearable stench.”

Link:

• The penitent - not!

Secular Songs That Could be Heard With a Catholic Interpretation

By Ann Barnhardt at Barnhardt.biz

Funny story. Back in 2008 I taught a cattle marketing school in Brandon, Manitoba. I flew into Winnepeg, rented an SUV and drove the Trans-Canada Highway due west to Brandon. As I recall, it was approximately 6 degrees above . . . Kelvin. Chilly. A little nippy.

Anyway, the SUV had Sirius satellite radio, and I turned it on and it just happened to turn on to the Catholic station, which I had never heard before. Even better, the show that was on was a talk show hosted by a guy and a girl, and the topic of the day was secular songs that could be heard with a Catholic interpretation.

People would call in, they would play the song, and then talk about it. Well, the calls were okay but not great, and naturally I was all over this topic, so I whipped out my phone, saw that I had bars, and proceeded to dial the toll-free number.

Long story short, I blew their minds with this song, did a little preachin', had a few laughs, called the guy host "baby" in some benign context as was my tendency to do ("rock on, baby" or something like that - I can't exactly remember) and hung up. Knowing that radio is done on a tape delay, I turned up the speakers in the SUV to listen to the end of the conversation on the delay.

Er, it turned out that the "guy host" was er, FATHER guy host, whom I had just called "baby" on satellite radio. Oh, they got quite a kick out of that.

I didn't know. Had I known, I would have called him "Father Baby." Yikes.

So, not only did I call a priest "baby", but I also did it UNVEILED. (Shout out to kooky dude who obsesses about my head coverage!)

The song that I killed 'em with on the Trans-Canada Highway?

"Walk Right Back"

"I want you to tell Me why you walked out on Me"
{This is God calling us to confession. I want you to TELL ME.}

"I'm so lonesome every day"
{God mourns lost souls personally}

"I want you to know that since you walked out on Me"
{The "walking out" was the Fall, and our personal sin}

"Nothing seems to be the same old way"
{Hence God's plan to send His Son to restore and redeem mankind so that we could be together in the "same old way"}

"Think about the love that burns within My Heart for you"
{The Sacred Heart of Jesus}

"The good times we had before you went away, oh, Me"
{The time before the Fall and the times we have been in a state of grace personally. When humans sigh, they say, "Oh, God." When God sighs He says, "Oh, Me." Wink.}

"Walk right back to Me this minute, bring your love to Me don't send it"
{The call to the Eucharist, wherein we literally walk down the aisle to Him and personally, physically present ourselves to Him in nuptial union and adoration}

"I'm so lonesome everyday"
{He's BEGGING you}

The only thing wrong with this is that the Everlys sing in high, lonesome Kentucky two-part harmony, and everyone knows that God Almighty sings in three-part harmony. Wink.

Link:

• Everly Excellence Week - 5 of 5

No special case for seal of confessional - Minister for Justice Shatter

(Irish Times) SEANAD: DAVID CULLINANE (SF) said he was glad the Minister for Justice had made it clear that there would be absolutely no exemptions in terms of legislative requirements on the reporting of the abuse of children or vulnerable adults.

Mr Cullinane had earlier noted that the Association of Catholic Priests had stated that there would be no breaking of the confessional seal. It had to be made clear to everyone, including the main church in this State, that the rights of children and the laws of the land came first, Mr Cullinane stressed. Priests should know that they could not use the confessional seal as a reason for not coming forward with information on abuse.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter (FG) said it was possible that if a priest or a bishop was prosecuted under withholding of information legislation they might claim entitlement to some form of privilege. However, the legal basis for such a claim no longer held, as the special position of the Catholic church had been removed from the Constitution. If such a claim was based on freedom of religion, the courts might be called on to decide the issue.

He did not believe that, where a child or a vulnerable adult had been a victim of abuse, the Irish courts would hold that it was of benefit to the State that those who knew of the abuse concealed it.

Link:

• Shatter: no special case for seal of confessional

Father George David Byers: 8 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage — Lacking a Mandate

By Father George David Byers

Acts 19,13-17 — Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those with evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” When the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, tried to do this, the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I recognize, Paul I know, but who are you?” The person with the evil spirit then sprang at them and subdued them all. He so overpowered them that they fled naked and wounded from that house. When this became known to all the Jews and Greeks who lived in Ephesus, fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in great esteem. [nab]

That’s in Scripture, right? Yes. That’s an inspired account, right? Yes. Surely the Holy Spirit is instructing us about how Satan will always act when one lacks a mandate to exorcize, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Makes rules of conduct for yourself, such as obeying the Church no matter. However, don’t make rules for Satan. Did he not say rather emphatically: “Non serviam! I will not serve!” ? Satan may very well not react this way every time. In fact, he may want one without authority over himself, one who is not an exorcist expressly mandated by the local Ordinary, to think he has such power. This creates a culture of seeming legitimacy of disobedience, whereby people rejoice not that their names are written in heaven, but that they have “power” over demons. Satan is better at arrogance than we are. He will win, every time, if this is the kind of thing people are doing. And many, many souls fall into this trap. Time and again. Belligerently... (continued...)

Read More Here

Link:

• 8 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage — Lacking a Mandate

Related:

• 01 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Mountain, Saint Michael, Malachi Martin
• 02 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Go to Confession!
• 03 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Have the possessed go to confession 
• 04 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Don’t do an exorcism over a confessing penitent
• 05 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Rejoice in the Beatitudes!
• 06 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Figuring out terminology: Part I  
• 7 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – More on terminology: Major and Minor

Father George David Byers: 7 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – More on terminology: Major and Minor

By Father George David Byers

From time to time you’ll see the terms “major” and “minor” thrown about by major or minor ecclesiastics regarding exorcism. There has been a great deal of confusion about this for the past 150 years or so. Clarity is a good thing when dealing with Satan. Some don’t want clarity because they want to break the law of the Church and just do what they want. This is common in the field of exorcism. Disobedience is exactly what is not needed for exorcism, but this is where one will find plenty of disobedience, real belligerence.


In summary: If it is a direct command to Satan in the name of Jesus, it is a true imprecatory exorcism for which an express mandate is needed from the local ordinary. If it is not a direct command to Satan in the name of Jesus, it is not an exorcism per se, though it can be called a deprecatory exorcism or intercessory exorcism, though that is not very precise language and only confuses the issues. One doesn’t need any permission to prayer to God for someone.

Those who want to muddy the waters almost always want to do true exorcisms even though they have no permission from the local Ordinary, even though they are not priests. These disobedient souls insist that only a “major”, “public”, “ancient”, “lengthy”, “printed and therefore official”, “Latin as opposed to ‘mere’ vernacular”, “‘serious’ as opposed to what happens in the prayer group” kind of exorcism is what is forbidden to them. They say that they can give direct commands to Satan, holding their hands over all and sundry, as long as, in their opinion, what they are doing is “minor”, “private”, “modern, even of their own composition”, “short”, “oral or at least unofficial in that it has not been put through a process of approval”, “vernacular”, “not so serious, just in a prayer group” kind of thing. This is ludicrous and plays right into the hands of Satan... (continued...)

Read More Here

Link:

• 7 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – More on terminology: Major and Minor

Related:

• 01 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Mountain, Saint Michael, Malachi Martin
• 02 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Go to Confession!
• 03 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Have the possessed go to confession 
• 04 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Don’t do an exorcism over a confessing penitent
• 05 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Rejoice in the Beatitudes!
• 06 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Figuring out terminology: Part I 

Father George David Byers: 06 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Figuring out terminology: Part I

By Father George David Byers

In Latin, the only word that’s ever been used for being harassed by a fallen angel is ossessione. English speakers have a difficult time with this word, and pedantically transliterate os-sessione (ob-sessione) as obsession, and then, getting rid of the preposition “ob-”, we add “pos-” to get possession, as if that made things all the more serious.

Now, in Latin, “ossessione” has nothing to do with our post-Freudian psychologized perspective on obsessive-compulsive disorder. No. Instead, in Latin, “ossessione” refers to being held hostage, to being under siege. It is quite an exact fit, that. As in the picture of Massada under siege by the Romans, where those inside the walled fortress were safe and self-willed, as least for a while, just so is the soul of the person who is under attack from a fallen angel. They have their free will intact, and cannot be forced to agree to what Satan is doing against them. Of course, such souls, like those in Massada, are under a great deal of pressure. Some, like those at Massada, commit suicide if they are without help, or if they are treated like a nuisance. Not good. Always be good and kind, ever so gentle with those vulnerable people who have come to you for help, who are often on their way to committing suicide, but decided to come see you first. Think long and hard on that. See things from their perspective.

It is very true, of course, that many of those who will ask for your help are merely psychologically obsessed with the devil, that is, even though Satan has never once bothered them, they are convinced that he is after them all the time and in every way. These people do not need an exorcist for exorcism, but it would be good to give them words of encouragement and to know how to send them on their way for the help they need. But, again, you may be the last stop also for them before they go off and commit suicide. Always be gentle with such vulnerable people who come to you for help. It’s good to know yourself, what bothers you. For instance, I know that I dislike it when people say they are harassed by the devil, but are saying that only to make themselves seem important, to get attention for themselves. They are plenty of such people. But, again, always be good and kind. This disarms even such people as this.

At any rate, the Church has never admitted of various categories of harassment by the devil. Instead, it just has to be serious enough whereby you judge that such a case is appropriately treated by exorcism.... (continued...)

Read More Here

Link:

• 06 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Figuring out terminology: Part I

Related:

• 01 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Mountain, Saint Michael, Malachi Martin
• 02 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Go to Confession!
• 03 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Have the possessed go to confession 
• 04 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Don’t do an exorcism over a confessing penitent
• 05 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Rejoice in the Beatitudes!

Father George David Byers: 05 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Rejoice in the Beatitudes!

By Father George David Byers

The devil doesn’t at all like when a priest becomes an exorcist officially mandated by the local Ordinary. If this is becoming a statement which you can make by way of experience, then you probably don’t have to be reminded about what our Lord says in the Beatitudes:

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5,10-12).

Rejoice and be glad!

I love that.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been told that such beatitudes cannot ever apply to me. Imagine that!

Our Lord gives the grace.

Link:

• 05 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Rejoice in the Beatitudes!

Related:

• 01 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Mountain, Saint Michael, Malachi Martin
• 02 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Go to Confession!
• 03 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Have the possessed go to confession 
• 04 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Don’t do an exorcism over a confessing penitent 

Father George David Byers: 04 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Don’t do an exorcism over a confessing penitent

By Father George David Byers

That’s one of the pictures I took of the gargantuan images of the saints in the underground basilica of Saint Pius X in Lourdes when I was a chaplain there for a couple of years. Remember, he was a civil lawyer and a canon lawyer and a moral theologian and a saint. Probably he wants to do what the Church wants. We give him the benefit of any doubt!

In our times, the seal of confession is quite absolute, including indirect revelation of what went on in the confessional. If you were to begin a true imprecatory exorcism during confession, do you not think that the exercise of this sacrament would be interrupted or ended for the sake of a sacramental? The devil will have won, even in the confessional, or outside of it if the possessed person goes into antics and bursts out of the confessional because you have started an exorcism in the wrong place at the wrong time. That poor person will have no one to care for them, to hold them down if necessary, so that they don’t hurt themselves.

Some insist that Saint Alphonsus recommended an exorcism of certain penitents during confession. I’d like to see that passage, and I’d like to see, if that is true, if he is speaking of an imprecatory or “merely” deprecatory exorcism. I would assume the latter if there is no distinction. If it is “merely” the latter – with no commands being given to the devil, as at the end of the Lord’s Prayer: “but deliver us from the Evil One”, a request to our Lord – then go for it! But don’t make an imprecatory direct command to Satan during confession.

The sacrament of confession is infinitely more valuable to a soul than the sacramental of exorcism. Get the confession done, and then, if need be, move on to the exorcism.

Protecting the seal of confession does not admit of loopholes and excuses. It’s an absolute.

Link:

• 04 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Don’t do an exorcism over a confessing penitent

Related:

• 01 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Mountain, Saint Michael, Malachi Martin
• 02 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Go to Confession!
• 03 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Have the possessed go to confession

Father George David Byers: 02 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Go to Confession!

By Father George David Byers

One of the greatest Dominican exorcists, a Consultor for I don’t know how many dicasteries of the Roman Curia, a brilliant professor and theologian – who once gave me excellent, incisive advice for a thesis I was thinking about writing at the time with the then Secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and now Cardinal, A.V. – told me that he once neglected to say terce on the day he was to do an exorcism. He said that upon beginning the exorcism, the devil immediately taunted him about this. His reaction was to, then and then, drop to his knees and go to confession to the priest with him. All went well after that.

On another occasion – and this goes back some decades in Rome – there was a young priest who could do nothing except scoff at even the idea of exorcism. Being invited to go to an exorcism, he went, only this time to make a show of his scoffing, crossing his arms, shrugging his shoulders, scowling his disapproval, almost mocking the goings on, certainly not praying in his contempt. As the exorcism became intense, the devil turned to this unbelieving sorry excuse for a priest, and started describing the time that the priest had had the night before in a hotel room with a prostitute, naming the hotel, the works. This priest ran out of the room and kept on running, hopefully right to a confessional... (continued)

Read More Here

Link:

• 02 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Hermitage – Go to Confession!

Related:

• 01 Exorcism tips from Holy Souls Mountain, Saint Michael, Malachi Martin

Government proposal to break the seal of confession is without precedent

From David Quinn at the Irish Catholic:

The Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Children are all indicating that a proposed new law will require priests to break the seal of confession if someone confesses to them the crime of paedophilia.

This would make us the one and only country in the Western world to have such a law. Even Revolutionary France in the days of its worst violence against the Church did not pass a law requiring the breaking of the seal of confession.

The justification for the law is that the crime of paedophilia is so heinous that no one who hears about it, under whatever circumstances, can be allowed to keep it to themselves.

But our Government is clearing missing something that every other Government can see, which is that at a minimum such a law is very unlikely to lead to a single conviction and at a maximum will be counter-productive and will make society less safe, rather than more safe.

It could equally be argued that a priest who hears a confession of murder must report it to the police. But if the murderer knew that priests were under such a legal requirement, the murderer would not make such a confession unless he was going to the police anyway.

On the other hand, a murderer who wishes to confess a crime to a priest, under the absolute seal of the confessional, is on the road to repentance and attending confession gives a priest the chance to encourage the murderer to turn himself over to the authorities or at the very least to cease his criminal activities.

The logic is the same with child abusers. No child abuser will go to a priest in confession knowing the priest is required to inform the police. But cutting off the avenue of confession to a child abuser makes it less likely that he will talk to someone who can persuade him to take the next step.

Various relationships in society are considered privileged and confidential. One is between a person and his or her confessor. Another is between a doctor and patient, and another is between a lawyer and client.

In creating a legal requirement that priests break the seal of confession under certain circumstances, the Irish State is going down a road very few other states in history have gone down. We need to seriously reconsider this extremely unwise and unprecedented proposal.

It says a lot about the present mood here that it can even be entertained.

• Link

Confession Sustains Christian Life, Says Pontiff

Notes It's More Than a Mere Formality

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 7, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Confession must not be a mere formality in a Christian's life, but rather an essential ingredient to nourish and sustain a commitment to follow Christ, says Benedict XVI

The Pope said this today upon receiving the participants in a course taking place this week on the "internal forum" -- questions of conscience -- organized by the tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary. The seminar ends Saturday.

In his remarks, the Holy Father reflected on sacrament of penance in today's society, which he said is "is losing the notion of sin."

"What is needed today is to ensure that people who confess experience that divine tenderness for penitent sinners which so many Gospel episodes express with intense emotion," said the Pontiff.

Referring to the episode of the sinful woman in the Gospel of Luke, he highlighted "the eloquent message that emerges from this Gospel passage: To those who love much God forgives everything.

"Those who trust in themselves and in their own merits are, as it were, blinded by their own 'I' and their hearts harden in sin.

"On the other hand, those who recognize themselves as weak and sinful entrust themselves to God and from him obtain grace and forgiveness."

Benefits

"What is most important," Benedict XVI said, "is to make it clear that in the sacrament of penance -- whatever the sin committed -- if sinners recognize it humbly and entrust themselves to the priest confessor, they will always experience the soothing joy of God's forgiveness."

Noting how there currently exists "a certain disaffection" with the sacrament, the Pope indicated that "when we insist only on the accusation of sin -- although this must exist, and it is necessary to help the faithful understand its importance -- we run the risk of relegating to second place what is, in fact, essential, in other words the personal meeting with God, Father of goodness and mercy."

Pastors, and especially confessors, he said, must "emphasize the close link between the sacrament of penance and an existence decisively oriented toward conversion," so that "the grace of the sacrament may support and nourish the commitment to be faithful disciples of the Lord."

"If this incessant longing is lost," affirmed Benedict XVI, "the celebration of this sacrament unfortunately risks becoming a formality which does not penetrate the fabric of everyday life."

"On the other hand," he added, "if people -- though animated by a desire to follow Jesus -- do not confess regularly, little by little they risk slowing spiritual rhythm until it weakens and perhaps even stops."

• Confession Sustains Christian Life, Says Pontiff