his ilk seem to take delight in republishing the salacious charges of the
nineteenth-century former Catholic priest, Father Charles Chiniquy.
Chiniquy called auricular confession “the modern Sodom,” amid many
other things. Any Catholic who has attended the sacrament of Penance
faithfully for years would recognize his words as the sensationalist ravings
of a revengeful man who had been disciplined by the Church for his own
misdemeanors.
No reasonable person advocates the abolition of schools simply because
there have been teachers who molest children, or of marriage because there
are bad husbands who abuse their wives. Likewise, the legitimacy of the
sacrament of Penance does not evaporate because some have used it for
illicit purposes. Again, the Church’s law here is severe: priests guilty of
soliciting a penitent to commit a sin against the sixth commandment are
liable to suspension, prohibitions and deprivations, and in more serious
cases to dismissal from the clerical state.
4
Finally, it should always be kept clearly in mind that as priests forgive sins
“in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” it is in
reality God Himself who forgives the sins. The priest does not forgive sins
in his own name or through his own power, but rather solely through the
power of God. Hence, even if the priest himself is the most hideous sinner,
this will not affect the validity of the sacrament and prevent the penitent’s
sins from being forgiven. This is a comforting thought for Catholics and
gives them total confidence and certitude every time they approach the
sacrament.
The Fathers
St. Cyprian of Carthage, The Lapsed 29 (251 AD)
“I beseech you, brethren, let everyone who has sinned confess his sin while
he is still in this world, while his confession is still admissible, while
satisfaction and remission made through the priests are pleasing before the
Lord.”
4
Ibid. # 1387; # 728.
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