Note 293 — Chapter III · CONFESSION (continued 2)

S. Alph. l. c. n. 477. Thus the holy Doctor does not express a general obligation of confessing the sins in this case. In the Quæst. rec. reform. n. 16 he appeals from Suarez, Lugo, etc., to Concina, who, along with others, teaches the obligation of confession cum dubia sit confessio et certa sit confessionis obligatio (see Vindiciæ Alphonsianæ). Meanwhile, as Ballerini shows, St. Alphonsus in the Roman edition of his Moral Theology of the year 1757, which is dedicated to Benedict XIV, releases the penitent from the obligation of repeating the confession ut etiam communiter dicunt Suarez, Sanchez, Lugo, etc., etc. And Lugo writes (De Pœnit. Disp. 16, n. 58): Communiter docent omnes non teneri (quempiam) ad confitendum illud (peccatum) quod probabiliter judicat se ... confessum jam fuisse. Cf. n. 59, where the same subject is treated of: nihil frequentius apud theologos, etc. Hence the sententia communis of theologians is that within the given limits there is no obligation, so that Ballerini justly exclaims: “Who would not rather abide by St. Alphonsus when he follows those great theological luminaries than when he clings to Concina!” “And has Concina thereby taught anything new? Indeed, since the whole question rests on a general principle, are we to rate so low the common teaching of such great theologians as to grant the privilege of clearer intuition to the judgment of the rigorist Concina?” Ballerini, Notæ ad Gury, l. c. n. 479. Cf. Op. Theol. Mor. l. c. n. 382 ss.