Note 603 — Chapter III · ABUSE OF POWER BY THE MINISTER OF THE SACRAMENT
Richard F. (Richard Frederick) Clarke translation
The Sacred Penitentiary is accustomed to add a few clauses to its Rescript, and it will be useful to explain them briefly:
1. Before the confessarius delegatus can carry out the Rescript, the occasion of again sinning against the sixth commandment cum persona vel personis complicibus must be removed. Hence the voluntary occasion (and there is generally such in this case) must be physically removed, and a necessary occasion morally removed. See § 63.
2. The Confessarius complex must inform his complex, when he again comes to him to confess, of the invalidity of the former confessions and refer him to another confessor.
3. The duty of not again hearing the confessions of the persona complex in the future will be imposed upon the Confessarius complex, when this can be done without great scandal, and he would, therefore, sin gravely if he should disobey this command. According to the number and gravity of the cases the Penitentiary subjoins still severer clauses: (a) those who duas personas complices only once, or unam bis a peccato in re turpi absolvere attentaverint the Sacred Penitentiary orders to give up their office as confessors. (b) But those qui duas aut plures personas sive unam ter aut pluries absolvere ausi fuerint, it commands to relinquish as soon as possible the office which they have so misused, and that within the time which is to be determined by the priest who administers the absolution, and which must not be prolonged beyond three months, if they are simple priests; if they are parish priests, the period may be longer, but not beyond six months. And if within this time the priest is unable, for weighty reason, to give up his office, the delegated confessor must again address himself to the Sacred Penitentiary, and lay the whole matter before him; in the meanwhile, however, the sacerdos complex may not hear the confessions cujuscunque personæ complicis. The Sacred Penitentiary will, for weighty reasons, extend the period, and when, after a time, the unhappy priest seems to have amended, will allow him to continue to exercise the duties of a confessor.
4. The censures must be removed first, then the sins remitted, and finally the dispensation from the irregularity is given. Cf. Aertnys, l. c. n. 250.