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The Sanctifying Function of the Church » The Sacraments » The Sacrament of Penance » The celebration of the sacrament
Canon 960. Individual and integral confession and absolution constitute the sole ordinary means by which a member of the faithful who is conscious of grave sin is reconciled with God and with the Church. Physical or moral impossibility alone excuses from such confession, in which case reconciliation may be attained by other means also.

Individualis et integra confessio atque absolutio unicum constituunt modum ordinarium, quo fidelis peccati gravis sibi conscius cum Deo et Ecclesia reconciliatur; solummodo impossibilitas physica vel moralis ab huiusmodi confessione excusat, quo in casu aliis quoque modis reconciliatio haberi potest.
Canon 961. §1 General absolution, without prior individual confession, cannot be given to a number of penitents together, unless:

1° danger of death threatens and there is not time for the priest or priests to hear the confessions of the individual penitents;

2° there exists a grave necessity, that is, given the number of penitents, there are not enough confessors available properly to hear the individual confessions within an appropriate time, so that without fault of their own the penitents are deprived of the sacramental grace or of holy communion for a lengthy period of time. A sufficient necessity is not, however, considered to exist when confessors cannot be available merely because of a great gathering of penitents, such as can occur on some major feastday or pilgrimage.

§2 It is for the diocesan Bishop to judge whether the conditions required in §1, n. 2 are present; mindful of the criteria agreed with the other members of the Episcopal
Conference, he can determine the cases of such necessity.

§1. Absolutio pluribus insimul paenitentibus sine praevia individuali confessione, generali modo impertiri non potest, nisi:

1° immineat periculum mortis et tempus non suppetat sacerdoti vel sacerdotibus ad audiendas singulorum paenitentium confessiones;

2° adsit gravis necessitas, videlicet quando, attento paenitentium numero, confessariorum copia praesto non est ad rite audiendas singulorum confessiones intra congruum tempus, ita ut paenitentes, sine propria culpa, gratia sacramentali aut sacra communione diu carere cogantur; necessitas vero non censetur sufficiens, cum confessarii praesto esse non possunt, ratione solius magni concursus paenitentium, qualis haberi potest in magna aliqua festivitate aut peregrinatione.

§2. Iudicium ferre an dentur condiciones ad normam §1, n. 2 requisitae, pertinet ad Episcopum dioecesanum, qui, attentis criteriis cum ceteris membris Episcoporum conferentiae concordatis, casus talis necessitatis determinare potest.
Canon 962. §1 For a member of Christ’s faithful to benefit validly from a sacramental absolution given to a number of people simultaneously, it is required not only that he or she be properly disposed, but be also at the same time personally resolved to confess in due time each of the grave sins which cannot for the moment be thus confessed.

§2 Christ’s faithful are to be instructed about the requirements set out in §1, as far as possible even on the occasion of general absolution being received. An exhortation that each person should make an act of contrition is to precede a general absolution, even in the case of danger of death if there is time.

§1. Ut christifidelis sacramentali absolutione una simul pluribus data valide fruatur, requiritur non tantum ut sit apte dispositus, sed ut insimul sibi proponat singillatim debito tempore confiteri peccata gravia, quae in praesens ita confiteri nequit.

§2. Christifideles, quantum fieri potest etiam occasione absolutionis generalis recipiendae, de requisitis ad normam §1 edoceantur et absolutioni generali, in casu quoque periculi mortis, si tempus suppetat, praemittatur exhortatio ut actum contritionis quisque elicere curet.
Canon 963. Without prejudice to the obligation mentioned in can. 989, a person whose grave sins are forgiven by a general absolution, is as soon as possible, when the opportunity occurs, to make an individual confession before receiving another general absolution, unless a just reason intervenes.

Firma manente obligatione de qua in can. 989, is, cui generali absolutione gravia peccata remittuntur, ad confessionem individualem quam primum, occasione data, accedat, antequam aliam recipiat absolutionem generalem, nisi iusta causa interveniat.
Canon 964. §1 The proper place for hearing sacramental confessions is a church or oratory.

§2 As far as the confessional is concerned, norms are to be issued by the Episcopal
Conference, with the proviso however that confessionals, which the faithful who so wish may freely use, are located in an open place, and fitted with a fixed grille between the penitent and the confessor.
[NB see Authentic Interpretation of canon 964 §2, 7.VII.1998]

§3 Except for a just reason, confessions are not to be heard elsewhere than in a confessional.

§1. Ad sacramentales confessiones excipiendas locus proprius est ecclesia aut oratorium.

§2. Ad sedem confessionalem quod attinet, normae ab Episcoporum conferentia statuantur, cauto tamen ut semper habeantur in loco patenti sedes confessionales crate fixa inter paenitentem et confessarium instructae, quibus libere uti possint fideles, qui id desiderent.

§3. Confessiones extra sedem confessionalem ne excipiantur, nisi iusta de causa.

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