On September 2 in The Sunday Times of Malta, Manuel Delia published a rant entitled ‘Absolution’ in which he argues that there’s something wrong with the law (whether civil or canonical) when the power abused by any priest remains within his grasp.
It seems that Mr Delia is oblivious of one canon, which states that a priest incurs a latae sententiae [automatic] excommunication if he gives the absolution to an accomplice in a sin against the sixth commandment, (Canon 1378 §1). Such absolution is obviously invalid, (Canon 977).
Furthermore, Canon 985 safeguards both rectors and seminarians from predators who misuse the sacramental absolution. This is important, for the Pennsylvania (and Chile) inquiries reveal that many of the scandals do not involve children but depraved homosexual predators targeting young adults in seminaries.
Canon law is not defective. But unfortunately, bishops were dragged into the modernist bandwagon because they were (and still are) intoxicated by bourgeois liberals and nefarious moral theologians trumpeting slogans like ‘God made you gay’. Josef Ratzinger’s 2005 clear exclusion of gays came too late.
Keeping this in mind, Mr Delia’s argument for the revision of canon law collapses like a pack of cards. I suggest that Mr Delia sticks to his usual political manic fixations. He’d be less silly.