The Crime of Absolving an Accomplice in a Sin Against the Sixth Commandment of the Decalogue

The article discusses the issue of the crime of absolving an accomplice in a sin against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue, as defined by the church legislator in Can. 1384 of the Code of Canon Law. It is also included in the catalogue of torts reserved for the judgement of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Following the presentation of the objective and subjective elements of the crime, attention is turned to the issue of its punishability. For this to be possible, it is necessary to establish the guilt of the confessor, who must have acted consciously and deliberately. A particular difficulty in establishing the occurrence of a crime is the determination of complicity, which is crucial to the case. In the last part, the author presents some procedural aspects necessary for the conduct of the proceedings aimed at judging the possible perpetrator of the tort in question. The sacrament of penance, which belongs to the forum internum, enjoys special protection in church legislation, which does not allow acts that could violate the sacramental seal of confession.