On the second day of the 33rd course on the “Field of Inner Conscience” held by the Pontifical Holy Ascetic, Cardinal Piacenza, President of the Pontifical Holy Ascetic, gave a lecture in person, and elaborated on the meaning of amnesty from a doctrinal point of view, Historical development and role in spiritual-pastoral practice.
(Vatican News Network)The Pontifical Holy Communion held its 33rd course on the “Field of Inner Conscience” in Rome from March 20th to 24th. On the second day of the course, on the 21st, Cardinal Piacenza, President of the Pontifical Holy House of Amnesty, gave a lecture in person, and elaborated on the meaning of amnesty from the aspects of doctrine, history and spirituality-pastoral care.
Christian Faith Is Not Ethereal Deism
Cardinal Piacenza first mentioned that the Catholic faith has undergone countless “adjustments” and made many mistakes. In view of this, it is necessary to reiterate the historical fact of “incarnation”. He explained that “in many respects the world’s sirens are sounding in unison, lest belief in the Risen Christ be reduced to a vain deism,” fettering judgments of truth and goodness to one’s own “wandering Feel”. The Church, the cardinal noted, is the “prime guardian” of the abundance of Christ’s mercy, “permanently realized and renewed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation”. “Using the authority which Christ himself bestowed on the Apostles, the Church draws wisely and prudently from the treasury of divine mercy, not only forgiving sins committed by the faithful following baptism, but also granting pardons concerning temporary punishments”.
The value of amnesty on the path to holiness
The cardinal then focused on “limited amnesty”. It implies a relationship between the faithful and God in everyday life, that is, gazing at heaven moment by moment: short prayers, acts of penance, reading of the Bible, acts of charity, etc. They all emphasize exactly this aspect of the relationship: “amnesty certainly has atoning value, but any time is also appropriate to talk regarding its relational and spiritual value, and its support on the path to personal holiness”. In addition, the amnesty strengthens the communion of all saints, since it also applies to our deceased brothers and sisters who are still on the journey of purification towards eternal happiness. “In this sense, amnesty runs through time and space, almost tearing apart the time and space constraints of our earthly life, like the harbinger of eternal life following resurrection.”
The phenomenon of amnesty tied to money
Subsequently, the President of the Pontifical Holy Communion gave an in-depth explanation of the Amnesty from a historical perspective: that is, some people ignored the relevant restrictions, some abused the Amnesty, some demonized it, and some wanted to abolish it. After the first century AD, Christians developed the ritual of praying for the dead. After that, the real amnesty did not appear until the eleventh century. Cardinal Piacenza affirms that the phenomenon of amnesties “linked to money” is certainly deplorable, although it can be explained to some extent by taking into account the cultural, social and religious context. Against these backgrounds, the sacrifice of even great wealth was commonplace and reasonable in order to secure eternal salvation. The Cardinal also further clarified that some people have misunderstood the ecumenical movement, and in the name of false ecumenical unity with Reformed groups, intend to “hastily put the issue of amnesty on the shelf and keep silent.”
Forgiveness and Outspokenness
In the final part of Cardinal Piacenza’s lecture, some characteristics of mercy and forgiveness are emphasized: “It is not an act of mercy to speak of sin without truth; Not to mention worrying regarding not specifying sin, and letting believers be in a sinful state.”
Christ entrusts to every confessor the mission of granting forgiveness. Friendship dialogue and true spiritual fatherhood are the paths every priest should take in order to fulfill his “great responsibility to warn the sinner of the seriousness of his state of soul”: if he fails to do so, he himself is accountable before God up. Evangelical bluntness, if present, makes amnesty a true medicine for the soul.
Finally, with regard to the general indulgence, the Pontifical President of the Holy Communion concludes that there is only one condition for obtaining general forgiveness, that is, in sacramental communion, by penitence and the Eucharist; in the same faith, by professed in the Creed; in communion with the hierarchy of the Church, praying for people according to the Pope’s intentions.
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