Dist. 17, Part 3, Art. 1, Q. 3
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/4/d/17/q/bon-sent-IV-d17-p3-a1-q3
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### Question III. *Whether one ought to confess to one's own priest in public or in secret.*

Thirdly it is asked whether it is necessary to confess to one's own priest before the people, or whether it suffices to confess to him in secret.

And that it is necessary to confess before the people seems to be the case.

1. Augustine says, and it is found above in the same distinction: "Let no one say to himself: I do penance secretly"; and afterward: "Job says: *If I have been ashamed to confess my sins in the sight of the people*"; it is a solemn protestation, and he calls down evil upon himself: therefore it seems, both from Augustine's word and from the concordance which he adduces, that confession ought to be made to the priest before many.

2. Likewise, Gregory, concerning Magdalene, in a homily: "Because she was grievously ashamed of herself within, she counted as nothing that she should blush outwardly"; whence he commends her, because she showed herself a sinner before all: therefore it seems that any sinner ought to do likewise.

3. Likewise, Bernard on the Canticle, in the forty-second homily: "If you were moved by love of the truth, you would without doubt wish, as far as in you lies, that all should hold the same judgment of you which you know that the truth itself holds concerning you. Otherwise, if, content with a private love, you keep within yourself the judgment of truth, there is no doubt that you love the truth less, since you set before it your own advantage or honor"? Therefore, according to Bernard, no one is a lover of the truth who does not publicly confess to all what he truly judges concerning himself.

4. Likewise, it seems so by reason: for the true penitent punishes and judges himself in God's place, and offers himself to the priest to be judged as by God: therefore he ought, as far as he can, to conform himself to the divine judgment; but in the final judgment the sins of all will be made known to all, because then the books will be opened: therefore now the true penitent ought to open the book of his conscience to all.

5. Likewise, either the penitent wishes that others reckon him a sinner, or good. If he wishes that they reckon him good: then he is not a true penitent, but a proud hypocrite. If he wishes that they reckon him a sinner; but no one can reckon him a sinner unless he know it from him himself: therefore he ought to reveal it to all.

6. Likewise, the sinner confesses to the priest in order that he may be reconciled not to God only, but also to the Church, because he is reconciled to God through contrition; but the Church is not a single person, but rather the multitude of the faithful: therefore it seems that he ought to confess to the priest with the multitude present.

**On the contrary:**

1. In the decretal of Innocent: "Everyone of either sex" etc.; and afterward: "Let him confess all his sins once a year to his own priest": therefore he alone ought to be the one.

2. Likewise, the things which ought to be kept most secret ought not to be divulged in the sight of the multitude; but the things which are said in confession ought to be kept most secret, as will be shown below concerning the seal of confession: therefore in no way ought they to be said before many.

3. Likewise, Bernard, On Dispensation: "What has been instituted out of charity ought not to militate against charity"; but it is agreed that confession was instituted for charity: therefore it ought not to militate against charity. But the manifestation of sin is for some an occasion of falling, for many of pride and even of despising the sinner: therefore it ought not to be manifested to many.

4. Likewise, no one is bound to defame himself; but when sin is manifested in the sight of the multitude, the man is made infamous: therefore no one is bound nor ought thus to confess his sin: therefore it seems that he ought to confess only to the priest.

> **Conclusion.** One is not bound to confess except to a single priest and one's own, not in public, but in secret.

**I respond:** It must be said that sacramental confession ought to be made to the priest alone and in secret, unless it be a sin so enormous that it has stirred up the whole city, or even the whole world; which indeed one ought to confess in public, so that solemn penance may be imposed in public, and so that he may show and acknowledge himself guilty, as for example if he be a manifest heretic. But as for confession according to the common law, it ought to be made to a single priest in private, as that decretal expressly says.

The reason for this is that secrecy belongs to the Sacrament from a twofold cause: both because here sins are manifested to the priest, not that they may be manifested, but that they may be blotted out and hidden, because the confession of charity covers a multitude of sins; and also because they are manifested to the priest as to God for the testimony of the inner conscience; and therefore, so that a man may reveal his whole conscience to a man as to God, and that with a secret witness bearing testimony; in such a manifestation no stranger ought to be admitted, but a single priest, who holds the place of Christ. — And just as secrecy belongs from a twofold cause, so disclosure before all is unfitting from a twofold cause. One is that confession is so burdensome or ignominious that scarcely anyone or no one would dare to confess before a multitude, since few dare to confess fully and completely even before a single priest. The other reason is that it is dangerous. For if consciences were manifested, infinite evils would arise, both quarrels and discords and slanders, as manifestly appears.

And therefore it must be said that one is not bound to confess except to a single and one's own priest, and to him alone, as far as concerns the apostolic or ecclesiastical precept.

**Replies to the arguments:**

1. To that, then, which is objected concerning Augustine, it must be said that he speaks of concealment with respect to the priestly judgment, to whom the Lord committed the authority and office of judging between leprosy and non-leprosy. And if you object concerning Job, it must be said that that translation is not correct, but another which we have. Yet if we wish to maintain it, it must be said that it is understood of the general confession, by which all confess themselves sinners.

2. To that which is objected concerning Magdalene, it must be said that that was a matter of perfection and supererogation; whence it does not befit all. Or it must be said that she did not confess before all her sins which she had done in secret; but because she did not bear the signs of wantonness in secret, but in public; therefore she also manifested the signs of penance in public; and this is worthy and praiseworthy and to be imitated; yet I do not say that a man is bound to this except out of what is good and fitting.

3. To that which is objected concerning Bernard, it must be said that emphasis is to be laid on this which Bernard says: "What is in you"; and he himself lays emphasis on it there: "Indeed, I have said 'what is in you,' because for the most part it is not expedient to make known all that we know about ourselves; and by that very love of truth we are forbidden to be willing to make openly known what would harm the one acknowledging it." And so it is plain that, although a man, as far as concerns himself, ought to be ready, nevertheless he ought not to declare his sins openly, lest others be thereby harmed.

4. To that which is objected concerning the divine judgment, that it will be disclosed to all; it must be said that it is otherwise: because that will be a judgment of severity, but this is one of mercy and kindness. Moreover, that manifestation will harm no one, but in it God's justice will appear more clearly; whereas now it would profit no one and would harm many.

5. To that which is objected, that the penitent ought to wish that others reckon him a sinner; it must be said that it is true that he ought to wish his own humiliation, yet in such a way that others do not sin by despising or by imitating; and therefore it suffices that they call themselves sinners in general, but it is not expedient to say so in particular to many at once, especially to those who are not priests: therefore he ought not to conceal his sin for the sake of his own advantage and glory, but in order to avoid another's fault.

6. To that which is objected, that he confesses in order to be reconciled; it must be said that the priest has the power of reconciling to God, because he himself by reason of his authority exercises the right of God and of the Church as mediator of both; and therefore it is not necessary that the multitude be present; but it is otherwise in a contentious judgment, where a man does not accuse himself, but defends himself, where witnesses are produced; but here this is not necessary.

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