The Father's Forgiveness

"The author argues that the Third Rite of Penance ("General Absolution") should be considered an "ordinary" way of celebrating the sacrament, just as is the First Rite (individual confession). In many ways Fernandez is very traditional -- both in the sense of being scrupulously respectful of Church authority and of current canonical norms, and in the more important sense of being steeped in Catholic history and tradition. His knowledge of the tradition enables him to be constructively critical of it -- to show, in particular, the limitations of Trent's teaching on "integral confession" of serious sins. He is also pastorally sensitive, a quality gained surely from long hours in the confessional." [Back cover].