PENALTY
618
PENANCE
was adopted by the colonial assembly in 1705 and en-
dured until the Revolution, while the Disarming Act
was passed, but never enforced.
The only authentic and satisfartory sources for the roliRioua polity of the various colonies are in their own records, many of which may be found in the various State Histnrii il >. - i^ ■ i- .' pub- lications. See also She.k, IliMnr)] tif the C'ln ' ' ' m rhr fni(cdS(<ijM(NewYork. lSS8);Ki.sHER,Co;... // \ : i i;>i,n. Histora of the Colonial Church: Meade. Old CL.ir !., . l/;.';./,rs, and Families of Virginia (2 vols., Philadelphia. lS,-,7) ; Cniin, Hise of Relidious Liberty in America (New York. 1902); Hughes, His- tory of the Society of Jesus in North America (Cleveland, 1910).
Jarvis Keiley. Penalty. See Censures, Ecclesiastical.
Penalver y Cardenas, Luis Igxatius, Bishop of Xew Orleans, Arclibishop of Guatemala, son of a wealthy and noble family, b. at Havana, 3 April, 1749; d. there, 17 July, ISIO. After studying belles-lettres and philosophj' in St. Ignatius College of his native city, he followed there the courses of the University of .St. Jerome and in 1771 obtained the degree of Doctor of Theologj'. Having distinguished himself by his learning and charity, his bishop entrusted him with several missions of an afhninistrative nature, and in 177.3 appointed him provisor and vicar-general. When Pius VI, in deference to the prayer of Carlos VI, King of Spain, created Louisiana and the Floridas a diocese, distinct from that of Santiago de Ci'^^i. ^ " ^^ -"^Ivcr ■••-.- r- ' ■ 'o
, . lok loi .n
-. ■ <,:'e to!lo^\ing December pji^Iished an "li^.,„i jcci6n para el govierno de los pdrrocos de la di6cesis de la Luisiana". He soon began the visita- tion of his diocese, which then extended over the coun- try known later as the "Louisiana Purchase Terri- tory". On 21 April, 1796, he was at Iberville, on 8 November of the same year at Natchitoches, and at Pensacola on 7 May, 1798. Upon his return in 1799, he drew up a report in which he complained bitterly of the ignorance, irreligion, and the want of discipline which then prevailed in Louisiana.
Bi.shop Penalver was promoted to the Archiepiscopal See of Guatemala on 20 July, 1801, and by a Rescript from Rome was empowered to transfer his authority in Louisiana and the Floridas to Canon Thomas Hasset, his vicar-general, and to Rev. Patrick Walsh. .\fter a chase by an English war-vessel, Archbishop Penalver arrived at Guatemala, wherehesoonattaincd to prominence through the interest he manifested in questions that concerned education and the public good. At his own expense he built a hospital and various schools. He resigned his see on 1 March, 1806, and, returning to Havana, devoted the last years of his life to charitable works. At his death he be- queathed S200,000 to the poor and several important legacies to educational institutions.
Shea. History of the Catholic Church in the V. S.. 17fi3-lSl5 (New York, 188S).
J.^^MES H. Blenk.
Penance (poBnilentia) designates (1) a virtue; (2) a sacrament of the New Law; (3) a canonical punish- ment inflicted according to the earlier discipline of the Church; (4) a work of satisfaction enjoined upon the recipient of the sacrament. These have as their com- mon centre the truth that he who sins must repent and as far as possible make reparation to Divine jus- tice. Repentance, i. e., heartfelt sorrow with the firm purpose of sinning no more, is thus the prime condi- tion on which depends the value of whatever the sinner may do or suffer by way of exijiation.
I. The Virtue of Penanck. — Penance is a super- natural moral virtue whereby the .sinner is disposed to hatred of his sin as an offence against (iod and to a firm purpo.se of amendment anil satisfaction. The principal art in the exercise of tliis virtue is the detes- tation of sin, not of sin in general nor of that which others commit, but of one's own sin. The motive of this detestation is that sin offends God : to regret evil
deeds on account of the mental or physical suffering,
the social loss, or the action of human justice which
they entail, is natural; but such sorrow does not
suffice for penance. On the other hand, the resolve
to amend, while certainly necessary, is not sufficient
of itself, i. e., without hatred for sin already com-
niitted; such a resolve, in fact, would be meaningless:
it would profess obedience to God's law in the future
while disregarding the claims of God's justice in (lie
matter of ])ast transgression. "Be converted, and
do penance for all your iniquities. . . . Cast away
from you all your transgressions . . . and make to
yourselves a new heart, and a new spirit" (Ezeeh.,
xviii, 30-31; cf. Joel, ii, 12; Jer., viii, 6). In the
same spirit St. John the Baptist exhorts his hearers:
"Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of penance"
(Matt., iii, 8). Such too is the teaching of Christ
as expressed in the parables of the Prodigal Son and
of the Publican; while the Magdalen who "washed
out her sins with her tears" of sorrow, has been foi
all ages the type of the repentant sinner. Theologians,
following the doctrine of St. Thomas (Summa, III,
Q. Ixxxv, a. 1), regard penance as truly a virtue,
though they have disputed mucli regarding its place
among the virtues. Some ha,\c. classed it with the
virtue of charity, others with the virtue of religion,
others again as a part of justice. Cajetan seems to
have considered it as belonging to all three; but most
theologians agree with St. Thomas (ibid., a. 2) that
penance is a distinct virtue {virtus specialis). The
detestation of sin is a praiseworthy act, and in penance
this detestation proceeds from a special motive, i. e.,
because sin offends God (cf. De Lugo, "De poeniten-
tiae virtute"; Palmieri, "De pccnitentia", Rome,
1879; theses I-VIL).
Necessity. — The Council of Trent expressly declares (Sess. XIV, c. i) that penance was at all times neces- sary for the remission of grievous sin. Theologians have questioned whether this necessity obtains in virtue of the positive command of God or independ- ently of such positive precept. The weight of author- ity is in favour of the latter opinion; moreover, theo- logians state that in the present order of Divine Providence God Himself cannot forgi\e sins, if there be no real repentance (St. Thomas, III, Q. Ixxxvi, a. 2; Cajetan, ibid.; Palmieri, op. cit., thesis VII). In the Old Law (Ezech., xviii, 24) life is denied to the man who does iniquit}'; even "his justices which he has done, shall not be remembered"; and Christ restates the doctrine of the Old Testament, sajdng (Luke, xiii, 5) : "except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish." In the New Law, therefore, re- pentance is as necessary as it was in the Old, repent- ance that includes reformation of life, grief for sin, and willingness to perform satisfaction. In the Chris- tian Dispensation this act of repentance has been subjected by Christ to the judgment and jurisdiction of His Church, whensoever there is question of sin committed after the reception of Baptism (Council of Trent, sess. XIV', c. i), and the Church acting in the name of Christ not only declares that sins are for- given, but actually and judicially forgives them, if the sinner already repentant subjects his sins to the "power of the keys", and is willing to make condign satisfaction for the wrong he has done.
II. The Sacrament of Penance. — Penance is a sacrament of the X'ew Law instituted by Chnst in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through the priest's absolution to those who with true sorrow confess their sins and promise to satisfj' for the same. It is called a "sacrament" not simply a function or ceremony. Iiec ause it is an out- ward sign instiluled by Christ to impart grace to the soul. As an outward sign it comprises the actions of the penitent in presenting himself to the priest and accusing himself of his sins, and the actions of the priest in pronouncing absolution and imposing satis-
