medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear medieval-religion colleagues,
Some of you will have noticed that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will be in L'Aquila tomorrow afternoon and evening. He will be participating in festivities surrounding the Celestinian Pardon, instituted by Pope Celestine V in celebration of his coronation as pope in 1294 in the church of Santa Maria di Collemaggio.
One of many news and opinion pieces on this is by
The Guardian's John Hooper, at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/aug/26/silvio-burlusconi-indulgence-perdonanzaThe Pardon is a result of Pope Celestine's bull 'Inter sanctorum solemnia'; the text (with an Italian translation) can be found at:
http://www.perdonanza-celestiniana.it/la-perdonanza-celestiniana/testo-bolla.phpThe Pardon states:
'a baptismo absolvimus a culpa et pena quam pro suis merentur commissis omnibus et delictis'.
The Pardon is obtained accordingly:
'omnes vere penitentes et confessos qui a vesperis eiusdem festivitatis vigilie usque ad vesperas festivitatem ipsam immediate sequentes ad premissam ecclesiam accesserint annuatim'.
(The feast that is
mentioned is the Beheading of John the Baptist; the church is Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila.)
John Hooper is one of many who wonders whether Mr Berlusconi can in fact obtain the Pardon; in fact, Mr Hooper states (on unnamed authority) that one can only obtain the Pardon if he receives communion -- and that as a divorced man he will not be able to receive it.
Leaving aside the matter of communion in relation to those who are divorced, I wonder if in fact Mr Berlusconi can receive the Pardon. To do so, it seems to me that he would have to be truly contrite and he would have to confess his sins.
My question to you has to do with the late thirteenth-century notion of confession. Can Celestine's bull be understood to present the concept of confession as one which necessarily demands a priest's absolution, or could the act of confession be conceived as something separate from absolution? Could confession have been understood as
requiring the presence of, and dialogue with, a priest, or could the notion have been open to the possibility that a confession could be made, e.g., to a group of ordinary people?
For example, what if a priest were to hear a confession at the church of Santa Maria di Collemaggio from the evening of 28 August to the evening of 29 August but refuse to absolve the person -- in the 1294 context of the Pardon, would the act of confessing one's sins, if one is truly contrite, suffice for attaining the Pardon?
And who says medieval religion has nothing to do with what's going on today!
Thanks for any advice, and best wishes,
George
P.S.: Disclaimer: I am not in the business of trying to find a loophole for Mr Berlusconi or anyone else.
--
George FERZOCO
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