SACROSANCT, ECUMENICAL AND GENERAL COUNCIL OF TRENT
This is the faith of blessed Saint Peter, and of the Apostles; this is the faith of the Fathers; this is the faith of Catholics
THE SACRAMENTS OF PENANCE AND EXTREME UNCTION
SESSION XIV
Which is the IV celebrated in the time of the Sovereign Pontiff Julius III on November 25, 1551.
DOCTRINE ON THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
DOCTRINE ON THE SACRAMENT OF EXTREME UNCTION
CANONS
DOCTRINE ON THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
Notwithstanding that the sacrosanct, ecumenical and general Council of Trent, legitimately gathered in the Holy Spirit, and presided over by the same Legate and Nuncios of the Holy Apostolic See, has spoken at length, in the decree on Justification, of the sacrament of Penance, with some necessity due to the connection that both matters have; However, the multitude of errors that exist in our time regarding Penance is so many and so varied, that it will be very conducive to public utility to give a more complete and exact definition of this Sacrament; in which all errors are demonstrated and exterminated with the help of the Holy Spirit, and the Catholic truth remains clear and evident; the same that this holy Council at present proposes to all Christians so that they perpetually observe it.
CHAP. I. Of the necessity and institution of the sacrament of Penance.
CHAP. II. Of the difference between the sacrament of Penance and Baptism.
CHAP. III. Of the parts and fruit of this Sacrament.
CHAP. IV. Of Contrition.
CHAP. V. Of Confession.
CHAP. VI. Of the minister of this Sacrament, and of Absolution.
CHAP. VII. Of reserved cases.
CHAP. VIII. Of the need and fruit of Satisfaction.
CHAP. IX. Of works of satisfaction.
CAP. I
Of the necessity and institution of the sacrament of Penance.
If all the reborn had so much gratitude to God that they would constantly preserve the holiness that they received in Baptism for his benefit and grace; It would not have been necessary for another sacrament other than this one to have been instituted to achieve the forgiveness of sins. But as God, abundant in his mercy, knew our weakness; He also established a remedy for the lives of those who later surrendered to the slavery of sin, and to the power or slavery of the devil; namely, the sacrament of Penance, by means of which the benefit of the death of Christ is applied to those who sin after Baptism. Penance was indeed necessary at all times to obtain grace and justification for all men who had incurred the stain of some mortal sin, and even for those who sought to purify themselves with the sacrament of Baptism; so that, abhorring their wickedness, and making amends for it, they detested such a serious offense against God, uniting the abhorrence of sin with the pious pain of their hearts. For this reason the Prophet says: Convert, and do penance for all your sins: and by this iniquity will not drag you to your destruction. The Lord also said: If you do not do penance, you will all perish without exception. And the Prince of the Apostles, Saint Peter, said, recommending penance to the sinners who were to receive Baptism: Do penance, and all of you receive Baptism. It should be noted that penance was not a sacrament before the coming of Christ, nor is it after this, with respect to anyone who has not been baptized. The Lord, therefore, mainly established the sacrament of Penance, when, resurrected from the dead, he breathed on his disciples, and said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit: the sins of those whom you forgive are forgiven; and those of those you will not forgive are bound. From this very notable fact, and from these very clear and precise words, he has always understood the universal consent of all the PP.that the power to forgive and retain sins was communicated to the Apostles and their legitimate successors by reconciling the faithful who have fallen into them after Baptism; and consequently the Catholic Church very rightly disapproved and condemned as heretics the Novices, who in ancient times persistently denied the power of forgiving sins. And this is the reason why this holy Council, at the same time that it approves and receives this very true meaning of those words of the Lord, condemns the imaginary interpretations of those who falsely twist them, against the institution of this Sacrament, understanding them as the power to preach the word of God, and to announce the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
CAP. II
Of the difference between the sacrament of Penance and Baptism.
It is known, however, for many reasons, that this Sacrament differs from Baptism; because in addition to the fact that the matter and the form, with which the essence of the Sacrament is completed, are extremely diverse; It is evidently evident that the minister of Baptism should not be a judge; since the Church does not exercise jurisdiction over people who have not previously entered it through the door of Baptism. What do I have to do, says the Apostle, with the judgment of those who are outside the Church?The same does not happen with respect to those who already live within the faith, whom Christ our Lord made members of his body, washing them with the water of Baptism; since he did not want that if these were later contaminated with any guilt, they would be purified by repeating Baptism, this being not lawful for any reason in the Catholic Church; but he wanted them to appear as prisoners before the court of Penance, so that by the sentence of the priests they could be absolved, not only once, but as many as they turned to it repentant of the sins they committed. In addition to this; one is the fruit of Baptism, and another that of Penance; because by putting on Christ through Baptism, we become his new creatures, obtaining full and entire remission of sins; but through the sacrament of Penance we cannot in any way arrive at this renewal and integrity, without many tears and labors on our part, as divine justice so requests: so that the saints rightly called PP.to Penance, a kind of Baptism of work and affliction. Consequently, this sacrament of Penance is as necessary to those who have sinned after Baptism, to achieve salvation, as Baptism itself is to those who have not been reborn.
CAP. III
Of the parts and fruit of this Sacrament.
Furthermore, the holy Council teaches that the form of the sacrament of Penance, in which its effectiveness mainly consists, is contained in those words of the minister: Ego te absolvo, etc., to which certain prayers are laudably added by custom of the holy Church; but in no way do these look at the essence in the same way, nor are they necessary for the administration of the same Sacrament. However, the acts of the penitent himself are, as their own matter; namely, Contrition, Confession and Satisfaction; and therefore they are called parts of Penance, since they require divine institution in the penitent for the integrity of the Sacrament, and for the full and perfect forgiveness of sins. But the work and effect of this Sacrament, as regards its virtue and effectiveness, is undoubtedly reconciliation with God; which is sometimes followed in pious people, and who receive this Sacrament with devotion, peace and serenity of conscience, as well as an extraordinary consolation of spirit. And the holy Council teaching this doctrine about the parts and effects of Penance, condemns at the same time the sentences of those who claim that the terrors that torment conscience and faith are the parts of this Sacrament.
CAP. IV
Of Contrition.
Contrition, which has the first place among the acts of the penitent already mentioned, is an intense pain and detestation of the sin committed, with the purpose of not sinning in the future. At all times this movement of Contrition has been necessary to achieve forgiveness of sins; and in the man who has committed a crime after Baptism, it ultimately prepares him until he achieves the remission of his sins, if confidence in divine mercy is added to Contrition, and the intention to do all the things required to receive this Sacrament well. The holy Council declares, then, that this Contrition includes not only the separation from sin, and the purpose and effective principle of a new life, but also the abhorrence of the old, according to those words of Scripture: Cast away from you all your iniquities by which you have transgressed; and form a new heart, and a new spirit. And in fact, whoever will consider those cries of the saints: Against you alone I sinned, and in your presence I committed my sins: I was oppressed in the midst of my groans; I will water my bed with tears every night: I will review in your presence with the bitterness of my soul all the discourse of my life; and other cries of the same kind; You will easily understand that all these arose from a vehement hatred of the past life, and from a great detestation of guilt. It teaches furthermore of this, that even if it ever happens that this Contrition is perfect through charity, and reconciles man with God, before the sacrament of Penance is actually received; However, reconciliation should not be attributed to Contrition itself, without the purpose included in it of receiving the Sacrament. He also declares that imperfect Contrition, called attrition, because it commonly proceeds either from the consideration of the ugliness of sin, or from the fear of hell, and punishments; as it excludes the will to sin with the hope of achieving forgiveness; Not only does it not make man a hypocrite and a greater sinner, but it is also a gift from God, and an impulse from the Holy Spirit, who does not yet dwell in the penitent, but it only moves him, and helped with it, the penitent makes his way to become justified. And although it cannot by itself without the sacrament of Penance lead the sinner to justification; However, he arranges it so that he can achieve the grace of God in the sacrament of Penance. In fact, the inhabitants of Nineveh, usefully terrified with this fear, did penance with the preaching of Jonah, full of fears and terrors, and obtained mercy from God. In this case, some falsely slander Catholic writers, as if they taught that the sacrament of Penance confers grace without the good movement of those who receive it: an error that the Church of God has never taught or thought; and in the same way they teach with equal falsehood, that Contrition is a violent act, and taken by force, not free, nor voluntary.
CAP. V
Of the Confession.
The universal Church has always understood from the explained institution of the sacrament of Penance that the Lord also instituted the entire Confession of sins, and that it is necessary by divine right to all those who have sinned after having received Baptism; Because when our Lord Jesus Christ was about to ascend from earth to heaven, he left the priests, his vicars, as presidents and judges, to whom all the mortal sins into which the Christian faithful fell might be denounced, so that with this they might give, by virtue of the power of the keys, the sentence of forgiveness, or retention of sins. It is clear, then, that the priests could not exercise this authority as judges without knowledge of the cause, nor could they proceed with equity in the imposition of penalties, if the penitents had only declared their sins to them in general, and not in kind, and individually. From this it follows that it is necessary for penitents to expose in Confession all the mortal sins that they remember, after a diligent examination, even if they are absolutely hidden, and only committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; Because sometimes these damage the soul more seriously, and are more dangerous than those that have been committed externally. Regarding the venial ones, by which we are not excluded from the grace of God, and in which we frequently fall; although one proceeds well, profitably and without any presumption, exposing them in Confession; which demonstrates the use of pious people; However, they can remain silent without guilt, and forgive themselves with many other remedies. But like all mortal sins, even those of mere thought, they are those that make men children of wrath, and enemies of God; It is necessary to turn to God also for the forgiveness of all of them, confessing them with distinction and repentance. Consequently, when the Christian faithful strive to confess all the sins that they remember, they undoubtedly propose them all to divine mercy in order to be forgiven. Those who do not do so, and some knowingly remain silent, present nothing to forgive divine goodness through the priest; because if the sick person is ashamed to reveal his illness to the doctor, medicine cannot cure what he does not know. Furthermore, it is concluded that those circumstances that change the species of sins must also be explained in Confession; because in them the penitents cannot fully expose the same sins, nor can the judges take knowledge of them; nor can they come to form an exact judgment of its seriousness, nor to impose on the penitents the punishment proportionate to them. For this reason it is beyond all reason to teach that these circumstances have been invented by idle men, or that only one of them must be confessed, namely, that of having sinned against one’s brother. It is also impiety to say that the Confession that is ordered to be made in such terms is impossible; as well as calling it the torment rack of consciences; For it is constant that in the Church only the faithful are asked, after each one has examined himself with great diligence, and explored all the hidden sinuses of his conscience, to confess the sins with which he remembers having mortally offended his God and Lord; but the rest that are not remembered by those who diligently examine them, are generally believed to be included in the same Confession. It is for them that we confidently ask with the Prophet: Purify me, Lord, from my hidden sins. This same difficulty of the aforementioned Confession, and the shame of discovering sins, could certainly seem burdensome, if it were not compensated for by so many great benefits and consolations; as all those who approach this Sacrament with the due disposition most certainly achieve with absolution. Regarding the secret Confession with only the priest, although Christ did not prohibit that anyone could publicly confess their sins in satisfaction of them, and for their own humiliation, and both for the example given to others and for the edification of the offended Church: however there is no divine precept of this; nor would any human law with sufficient prudence command that crimes, especially secret ones, be confessed in public; from which it follows, that the most holy and most ancient Fathers having always recommended with great and unanimous consent the secret sacramental Confession that the holy Church has used since its establishment, and at present also uses; The futile slander of those who dare to teach that it is not commanded by divine precept is refuted with evidence; which is human invention; and which had its beginning from the Fathers gathered in the Lateran Council; since it is constant that the Church did not establish in this council that the faithful Christians should confess; being perfectly instructed that Confession was necessary, and established by divine right; but only ordered in it that each and every one should fulfill the precept of Confession at least once in the year, since they reached the use of reason, by whose establishment the healthy custom of confessing in the sacred time of Lent, which is particularly acceptable to God, is already observed throughout the Church, with much fruit from faithful souls; custom that this holy Council considers very good, and adopts as pious and worthy of being preserved.
CAP. VI
Of the minister of this Sacrament, and of Absolution.
Regarding the minister of this Sacrament, the holy Council declares that all the doctrines that perniciously extend the ministry of the keys to any persons who are not Bishops or priests are false, and entirely foreign to the evangelical truth, persuading itself that those words of the Lord: Whatever you bind on earth will also be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will also be loosed in heaven; and those: The sins of those whom you will forgive are forgiven, and those of those whom you will not forgive are bound; They were intimated to all the Christian faithful so promiscuously and indifferently that anyone, against the institution of this Sacrament, has the power to forgive sins; the public ones by correction, if the corrected one conforms, and the secret ones by the voluntary Confession made to any person. It also teaches that even priests who are in mortal sin exercise as ministers of Christ the authority to forgive sins, which was conferred upon them, when they were ordained, by virtue of the Holy Spirit; and that those who claim that bad priests do not have this power wrongly feel. Because even if the priest’s absolution is a communication of another’s benefit; However, it is not just a mere ministry of announcing the Gospel, or of declaring that sins are forgiven; but rather it is in the manner of a judicial act, in which the priest pronounces the sentence as a judge; and for this reason the penitent should not have so much satisfaction in his own faith that, although he has no contrition, or the priest lacks the intention to act seriously, and to truly absolve him, he nevertheless judges that he is truly absolved in the presence of God by his faith alone; for not even this would obtain any forgiveness of his sins without penitence; nor would there be anyone, unless he was extremely careless about his salvation, who, knowing that the priest was absolving him out of mockery, would not diligently look for another who would act seriously.
CAP. VII
Of reserved cases.
And since the nature and essence of the judgment requires that the sentence fall precisely on subjects; The Church of God has always been persuaded, and this Council confirms this persuasion with certainty, that the absolution pronounced by the priest over persons over whom he has no ordinary or subdelegated jurisdiction should not be of any value. Our most holy PPs also believed.that it was of great importance for the government of the Christian people, that certain crimes of the most atrocious and serious were not absolved by any priest, but only by the high priests; and this is the reason why the Sovereign Pontiffs have been able to reserve to their particular judgment, by virtue of the supreme power that has been granted to them in the universal Church, some cases regarding the most serious crimes. Nor can it be doubted, since everything that comes from God proceeds in order, that this same thing is lawful for all the Bishops, respectively for each one in his diocese, so that it results in usefulness, and not in ruin, according to the authority that they have communicated over their subjects with greater fullness than the other inferior priests, especially with respect to those sins to which the censure of excommunication is attached. It is also very conformable to divine authority that this reserve of sins should have its efficacy, not only in the external government, but also in the presence of God. However, it has always been observed with great charity in the Catholic Church, in order to prevent anyone from being condemned because of these reservations, that there are none in the article of death; and therefore all priests can absolve in it any penitent of any sins and censures. But not having any authority regarding the reserved cases, outside of that article, they only try to persuade the penitents to go seek their legitimate superiors and judges to obtain absolution.
CAP. VIII
Of the need and fruit of Satisfaction.
Finally, with respect to Satisfaction, which, just as it has been the one that among all the parts of Penance the holy Fathers have recommended at all times to the Christian people, so it is also the one that is mainly contested in our days by those who, showing an appearance of piety, have internally renounced it; The holy Council declares that it is completely false and contrary to the divine word to affirm that God never forgives guilt without at the same time forgiving all the punishment. There are certainly clear and illustrious examples in sacred Scripture, with which, in addition to divine tradition, that error is refuted with great evidence. The conduct of divine justice seems to ask, without a doubt, that God admit in a different way into his grace those who through ignorance sinned before Baptism, than those who, already freed from the bondage of sin and the devil, and enriched with the gift of the Holy Spirit, had no horror of knowingly desecrating the temple of God, nor of grieving the Holy Spirit. Likewise, it corresponds to divine clemency that our sins are not forgiven without giving some satisfaction; lest, taking advantage of this, and persuading ourselves that the sins are lighter, we act as slanderous and insolent against the Holy Spirit, and fall into many more serious ones, thus storing up indignation for the day of wrath. Without a doubt, they very effectively separate from sin, and serve as a restraining brake, these satisfactory penalties, making the penitents more cautious and vigilant for the future: they also serve as medicine to cure the after-effects of sins, and erase with acts of contrary virtues the vicious habits that were contracted through a bad life. Nor has the Church of God ever believed that there was a safer way to avert the punishments with which God threatened than for men to frequent these works of penitence with true pain in their hearts. Added to this, when we suffer, making satisfaction for sins, we resemble Jesus Christ who made satisfaction for ours, and from whom all our sufficiency comes; also drawing from this a certain pledge that if we suffer with him, we will be glorified with him. Nor is this satisfaction that we give for our sins to any degree ours, except through Jesus Christ; For those of us who can do nothing by ourselves, as if supported by our own strength, can do everything through the cooperation of him who comforts us. As a result of this, man has no reason to boast; but on the contrary, all our pleasure comes from Christ; in which we live, in which we deserve, and in which we satisfy, producing fruits worthy of penitence, which take their efficacy from Christ himself, by whom they are offered to the Father, and by whom the Father accepts them. Therefore, the priests of the Lord must impose healthy and timely penances as their spirit and prudence dictate, according to the quality of the sins, and disposition of the penitents; lest if, unfortunately, they view their sins with condescension, and proceed very gently with the penitents themselves, imposing on them a very light satisfaction for very serious crimes, they may become participants in the sins of others. Always keep in mind, then, that the satisfaction you impose not only serves to maintain you in the new life, and cure you of your illness, but also to compensate and punish past sins: for the ancient Fathers believe and teach that the keys have been granted to the priests, not only to loose, but also to bind. Nor did they believe that the sacrament of Penance was a tribunal of indignation and punishments; Just as no Catholic has ever taught that the effectiveness of the merit and satisfaction of our Lord Jesus Christ could be obscured or diminished in part by these our satisfactions: a doctrine that modern heretics, not wanting to understand, teach in such terms that the new life is the most perfect penance, which destroys all the effectiveness and use of satisfaction.
CAP. IX
Of works of satisfaction.
The sacred Council also teaches that the liberality of divine beneficence is so great that we can not only satisfy God the Father, through the grace of Jesus Christ, with the penances that we voluntarily undertake to satisfy for sin, or with those that the priest imposes on us at his discretion in proportion to the crime; but also, which is a very great proof of his love, with the temporal punishments that God sends us, and we suffer with resignation.
DOCTRINE ON THE SACRAMENT OF EXTREME UNCTION
It has also seemed to the holy Council to add to the preceding doctrine of Penance, that which follows the sacrament of Extreme Unction, which the Fathers have always seen as the complement not only of Penance, but of the entire Christian life, which must be a continuous penance. Regarding his institution, then, he declares and teaches above all things, that just as our most clement Redeemer, with the design that his servants would be provided at all times with healthy remedies against all the attacks of all their enemies, he prepared for them in the other Sacraments very effective aids with which Christians could remain in this life free from all serious spiritual damage; In the same way he strengthened the end of life with the sacrament of Extreme Unction, as with the surest help: for although our enemy seeks, and hunts for opportunities throughout life, to devour our souls in any way possible; There is no other time, certainly, in which he applies with greater vehemence all the force of his cunning to completely lose us, and if he could, to make us despair of divine mercy, than the circumstances in which he sees us close to leaving this life.
CHAP. I. Of the institution of the sacrament of Extreme Unction.
CHAP. II. Of the effect of this Sacrament.
CHAP. III. Of the minister of this Sacrament, and at what time it is to be administered.
CAP. I
Of the institution of the sacrament of Extreme Unction.
This sacred Anointing of the Sick was therefore instituted as true, and properly Sacrament of the new law, intimated to the truth by Christ our Lord, according to the Evangelist Saint Mark, and recommended and intimated to the faithful by James the Apostle, and brother of the Lord. Is any of you sick, says James?Let the presbyters of the Church come and pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will give him relief; and if he is in sin, it will be forgiven him. In these words, as the Church has learned from the Apostolic tradition spread from one to another, James teaches the matter, the form, the proper minister, and the effect of this salutary Sacrament. The Church, then, has understood that the matter is the oil blessed by the Bishop: because the Anointing very properly represents the grace of the Holy Spirit, who invisibly anoints the soul of the sick: and that in addition to this, the form consists of those words: By this holy Unction, etc.
CAP. II
Of the effect of this Sacrament.
The fruit, then, and the effect of this Sacrament, is explained in those words: And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will give him relief; and if he is in sin, it will be forgiven him. This fruit, in truth, is the grace of the Holy Spirit, whose anointing purifies from sins, if there still remain some to atone for, as well as from the relics of sin; it soothes and strengthens the soul of the sick person, arousing in him great confidence in divine mercy; and encouraged by it, he suffers with more tolerance the discomforts and hardships of the disease, and more easily resists the temptations of the devil, who lays snares to make him fall; and finally it sometimes achieves the health of the body, when it is convenient for the soul.
CAP. III
Of the minister of this Sacrament, and at what time it is to be administered.
And approaching to determine who should be the people who receive, as well as those who administer this Sacrament; This circumstance is also clearly evident from the words mentioned: for in them it is declared that the proper ministers of Extreme Unction are the presbyters of the Church: under whose name the elders in age, or the principals of the people, should not be understood in the mentioned text; but either the Bishops, or the priests legitimately ordained by them through the laying on of hands corresponding to the priesthood. It is also declared that it should be administered to the sick, especially those in such danger that they seem to be at the end of their life; and from here it is called the Sacrament of those who are leaving. But if the sick have convalesced after receiving this sacred Unction, they will be able to be helped again with the help of this Sacrament when they come to another similar danger to their lives. With these foundations there is no reason to pay attention to those who teach, contrary to such a clear and evident sentence of the Apostle James, that this Anointing is either a fiction of men, or a rite received from the PP., but that neither God has commanded it, nor does it include in itself the promise of conferring grace: nor to attend to those who assure that it has already ceased; implying that it should only refer to the grace of curing illnesses, which existed in the early Church; nor to those who say that the rite and use observed by the holy Roman Church in the administration of this Sacrament is opposed to the sentence of the Apostle James, and that for this reason it should be changed to another rite; Nor, finally, to those who affirm, can the faithful despise this sacrament of Extreme Unction without sin; because all these opinions are evidently contrary to the very clear words of such a great Apostle. And certainly the Roman Church, mother and teacher of all the others, observes nothing else in the administration of this Sacrament, with respect to what contributes to completing its essence, but the same thing that the blessed James prescribed. Nor could such a great Sacrament be belittled without very serious sin and insult to the Holy Spirit himself.
This is what this holy and ecumenical Council professes and teaches about the sacraments of Penance and Extreme Unction, and what it proposes for all faithful Christians to believe and retain. It also decrees that the following Canons must be observed inviolably, and condemns and excommunicates forever those who affirm otherwise.
CANONS
Of the most holy sacrament of Penance. Of the sacrament of Extreme Unction.
Of the most holy sacrament of Penance.
CAN. I. If anyone says that Penance in the Catholic Church is not truly and properly a Sacrament, instituted by Christ our Lord so that the faithful may be reconciled with God as many times as they fall into sin after Baptism; be excommunicated.
CAN. II. If anyone, confusing the Sacraments, says that Baptism is the same sacrament of Penance, as if these two Sacraments were not different; and that for the same reason the name of Penance is not properly given as the second table after shipwreck; be excommunicated.
CAN. III. If anyone says that those words of our Lord and Savior: Receive the Holy Spirit: the sins of those whom you forgive are forgiven; and those of those you will not forgive are bound; They should not be understood as the power to forgive and retain sins in the sacrament of Penance, as the Catholic Church has always understood from its beginning, but rather it twists them, and understands (against the institution of this Sacrament) the authority of preaching the Gospel; be excommunicated.
CAN. IV. If anyone denies that three acts on the part of the penitent are required for the complete and perfect forgiveness of sins, which are like the matter of the sacrament of Penance; namely, Contrition, Confession, and Satisfaction, which are called the three parts of Penance; or say, that these are but two; namely, the terror that, once the gravity of sin is known, is aroused in the conscience, and the faith conceived by the promise of the Gospel, or by absolution, according to which anyone believes that his sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ; be excommunicated.
CAN. V. If anyone says that the Contrition that is achieved by the examination, enumeration and detestation of sins, in which the penitent goes through his entire life with bitter pain in his heart, pondering the gravity of his sins, the multitude and ugliness of them, the loss of eternal blessedness, and the penalty of eternal damnation that he has incurred, meeting the purpose of improving his life, is not true pain, nor useful, nor does it dispose man for grace, butwhich makes him a hypocrite, and more of a sinner; and ultimately that Contrition is a forced pain, and not free, nor voluntary; be excommunicated.
CAN. VI. If anyone denies that sacramental Confession is instituted or necessary by divine right; or say that the way of confessing secretly with the priest, which the Catholic Church has always observed from its beginning, and currently observes, is alien to the institution and precept of Jesus Christ, and that it is the invention of men; be excommunicated.
CAN. VII. If anyone says that it is not necessary by divine right to confess in the sacrament of Penance to achieve forgiveness of sins, each and every one of the mortal sins that with due and diligent examination are remembered, even if they are hidden, and committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; nor that it is necessary to confess the circumstances that change the species of sin; but that this confession is only useful to direct and console the penitent, and that in ancient times it was only observed to impose canonical penances; or say, that those who seek to confess all sins want to leave nothing but to forgive divine mercy; or finally that it is not licit to confess venial sins; be excommunicated.
CAN. VIII. If anyone says that the Confession of all sins, as observed by the Church, is impossible, and a human tradition that pious people must abolish; or that each and every one of the Christian faithful of either sex is not obliged to it once a year, according to the constitution of the general council of Lateran; and that for this reason all faithful Christians must be persuaded not to confess during the time of Lent; be excommunicated.
CAN. IX. If anyone says that the sacramental Absolution given by the priest is not a judicial act, but a mere ministry of pronouncing and declaring that the penitent’s sins have been forgiven, with only the circumstance that he believes that he is absolved; or the priest absolves him not seriously, but out of mockery; or say that the penitent’s confession is not required for the priest to absolve; be excommunicated.
CAN. X. If anyone says that priests who are in mortal sin do not have the power to bind and loose; or that not only the priests are ministers of absolution, but indifferently it was said to each and every one of the faithful: Whatever you bind on earth will also be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will also be loosed in heaven; as well as: The sins of those whom you have forgiven are forgiven; and those of those whom you will not forgive are bound: by virtue of which words anyone can absolve sins, the public ones, only by correction, if the rebuked person consents, and the secret ones by voluntary confession; be excommunicated.
CAN. XI. If anyone should say that the Bishops have no right to reserve cases, except in what regards the external government; and that for this reason the reservation of cases does not prevent the priest from effectively absolving those reserved; be excommunicated.
CAN. XII. If anyone says that God always forgives all punishment as well as guilt, and that the satisfaction of penitents is nothing more than the faith with which they apprehend that Jesus Christ has satisfied them for them; be excommunicated.
CAN. XIII. If anyone says that God is in no way satisfied by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, regarding the temporal punishment corresponding to sins, with the works that he sends us, and we suffer with resignation, or with those that the priest imposes, not even with those that we voluntarily undertake, such as fasting, prayers, alms, or other works of piety; and therefore the best penance is only new life; be excommunicated.
CAN. XIV. If anyone says that the satisfactions with which, through the grace of Jesus Christ, penitents redeem their sins, are not the worship of God, but human traditions, which obscure the doctrine of grace, the true worship of God, and even the benefit of the death of Christ; be excommunicated.
CAN. XV. If anyone says that the keys were given to the Church only to loose, and not to bind; and consequently that the priests who impose penances on those who confess, act against the purpose of the keys, and against the institution of Jesus Christ: and that it is fiction that most of the time there is a temporary punishment to be forgiven by virtue of the keys, when the eternal punishment is already forgiven; be excommunicated.
Of the sacrament of Extreme Unction. CAN. I. If anyone says that Extreme Unction is not truly and properly a Sacrament instituted by Christ our Lord, and promulgated by the blessed Apostle James; but it is only a ceremony taken from the Fathers, or a fiction of men; be excommunicated.
CAN. II. If anyone says, that the sacred Anointing of the Sick does not confer grace, nor forgive sins, nor relieve the sick; but it has already ceased, as if it had only been in ancient times the grace of curing diseases; be excommunicated.
CAN. III. If anyone says that the rite and use of Extreme Unction observed by the holy Roman Church are opposed to the sentence of the blessed Apostle James, and that for this reason they must be changed, and Christians can despise them, without incurring sin; be excommunicated.
CAN. IV. If anyone says that the priests of the Church, whom blessed James exhorts to conduct in anointing the sick, are not the priests ordained by the Bishop, but rather the most advanced in age of any community; and that for this reason it is not only the priest who is the proper minister of Extreme Unction; be excommunicated.
Source: from the Council of Trent
