VATICAN-II-AND-RECONCILIATION.pptx

The
Sacrament of
Penance
during
Vatican II
Preparing
the New
Ritual
New
Understanding of
Reconciliation

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE DURING
VATICAN II
The Constitution of the Sacred
Liturgy called for the reform of the
rites and formulas of Penance to
express the sacrament’s nature and
effect more clearly. (Sacrosanctum
concilium, 72)

Penance reform was not mentioned in
early drafts or the final text of the
Preparatory Commission, but the text
presented to the bishops when the council
opened called for clearer expression of the
sacrament’s effect. The eventual mandate,
together with related comments on
penance and the general principles
established for liturgical reform, are the
primary criteria for understanding and
evaluating the Rite of Penance (RP).
THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE DURING VATICAN II

The chapter on sacraments was discussed
on November 6-7, 1962, but little was said
about penance. Some bishops considered
the call for reform too general and wanted
a statement of what was to be reformed,
with clear limits.
Specifics mentioned were the faculties for
confessors and a simple rite with a shorter
absolution formula

A more significant set of interventions
asked that the reform express more clearly
the nature of the sacrament, particularly
the social and communal character of both
sin and penance as in the public
reconciliation of ancient penance.
The only major innovation suggested was
by a spokesman for the bishops of
Colombia who proposed authorizing
general absolution without previous
confession in certain cases.

Among the rites to be reformed, an
important one would seem to be the
imposition of the hand which was the
sign of the reconciliation and
communion with the Church that is
restored in penance. It signified the
reconciliation through the Holy Spirit.

Council documents do affirm the
sacrament’s social and ecclesial nature
by linking reconciliation with God and
reconciliation with the Church. The
Constitution of the Church links them
in relating the sacraments to the priestly
community of the Church and hints as
the sacrament’s place in the Church’s
wider pastoral mission:

“Those who approach the sacrament of
Penance obtain pardon from the mercy
of God for the offence committed
against Him and are at the same
time reconciled with the Church, which
they have wounded by their sins, and
which by charity, example, and prayer
seeks their conversion.” (LG, 11)

The Liturgy Constitution suggested that
the context for this sacrament of
reconciliation is the Church’s mission to
call people to faith and conversion and
continue to call believers to faith and
penance, seeing liturgical reform as part
of the Church’s ministry to the world as
well as to its own members (SC, 9).

In speaking of Lent and penitential
practices, the council mentioned the
social consequences of sin, the Church’s
role, and the responsibility to pray for
sinners (SC, 109); and in calling for the
reform of Lenten discipline, the council
insisted that such penance should be
external and social as well as internal
and individual (SC, 110)

Other statements also affirmed the
value of penance for developing the
Christian life, an application of early
general statement on the sacrament’s
role in nourishing, strengthening, and
developing faith, with their power
drawn from the paschal mystery of the
passion, death, and resurrection of
Christ (SC, 61).

Other general principles to guide
reform included the affirmation of
Scripture’s value and place in
celebrations.

When the Constitution of the Liturgy
was promulgated on December 4, 1963,
the general lines of reform had been laid
down. The work of revision and
implementation began immediately, yet
it was ten years before Pope Paul VI
officially promulgated the Ordo
Paenitentiae, the last of the reformed
sacramental rites.

PREPARING THE NEW RITUAL
The first
committee was
working from
1966 through
1969.
The second
was working
in 1972 and
1973

THE WORK OF THE
FIRST COMMITTEE:
The nature of sin as an offense against
both God and the Church
Simultaneous reconciliation with God and
the Church
The whole Church collaborating with the
sinner’s effort at conversion through its
charity, example and prayers
The value of the sacrament of penance in
fostering the Christian life
four major criteria
for the reform:

The rite was revised to comply with
the four proposed criteria and that a
reformed rite needed to express the
communal dimension by providing
for a communal celebration and for a
celebration with general absolution
when that was permitted.
THE WORK OF THE
FIRST COMMITTEE:

The committee also provided a
theological, pastoral, and canonical
foundation for the sacrament of penance.
But the absolution formula was in
controversy.
The committee finished its work at the end
of 1969 and submitted its final report and
draft. But the new Rite of Penance was not
released.
THE WORK OF THE
FIRST COMMITTEE:

On June 16, 1972, the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith issued
Pastoral Norms on general
Absolution. These Norms responded
disapprovingly to the doctrinal
questions raised by the draft.

THE SECOND
COMMITTEE
The work of the new committee was to
adapt the earlier draft to conform to the
Pastoral Norms, to complete the
introduction in the style of the other new
rites, and enrich the rites themselves. The
committee also provided only one
absolution formula which contains the
current indicative formula.

The draft of the committee was
circulated to the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, the Apostolic
Penitentiary, the Congregation for the
Sacraments, the Congregation of the
Clergy, and the Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples.
THE SECOND
COMMITTEE

After circulation, the draft was
approved by the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith with a special
joint session of representatives of the
various offices involved, and the draft
was submitted to the presidents of
Episcopal Conferences and other
experts.
THE SECOND
COMMITTEE

On November 29, 1973, Pope Paul
approved the final text, and on
December 2, the Congregation for
the Divine Worship promulgated
the New Rite of Penance.
THE SECOND
COMMITTEE

NEW UNDERSTANDING OF RECONCILIATION
 The first general reform relevant to
penance was that initiated by the
Apostolic Constitution Paenitemini of
February 17, 1966. The goal of this reform
is to let Christ’s call to conversion be
heard and answered more clearly and
effectively in the everyday life of modern
Christian, with emphasis on the social
dimension of conversion, penance’s link
with the world’s progress.

This reform emphasized doing
penance because of social
responsibility rather than
obligation. It tried to restore the
realization that the Christian life
has a penitential orientation
because it is ongoing conversion.

The reform of indulgences, by the
Apostolic Constitution
Indulgentiarum Doctrina (1967), is
less directly related to penance
reform. Indulgence grants
originated out of the commutations
and redemptions of tariff penance.

This reform emphasizes social and
ecclesial dimensions of sin and
conversion, Christ’s redemption as
the context and foundation for
Christian conversion, reconciliation
as the goal of conversion, and the
Church’s cooperation with those
seeking conversion.

CONCLUSION
- The Council’s Fathers gave instructions
to reform the rite of penance:
+ The nature of Penance: the social and
communal/ecclesial character
+ The faculties for confessors and a
simple rite with a shorter absolution
formula

Following those instructions, two committees
were established working from 1966 to 1973
to reform the rite of penance
The final text of the rite of penance was
approved by Pope Paul VI after circulation by
several Church’s Congregations and related
representatives of various offices, including
Episcopal Conferences of different countries.
The rite of penance was promulgated by
Congregation for the Divine Worship in
December 2, 1973.
CONCLUSION

VATICAN-II-AND-RECONCILIATION.pptx

VATICAN-II-AND-RECONCILIATION.pptx

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