Question:
Answer:
Certain sins are not just sins but also considered canonical “crimes” and thus receive canonical penalties that need to be lifted. Most reserved penalties can be lifted by the local bishop, but some are reserved to the pope. In the case of danger of death, any priest can remit validly and licitly virtually all penalties (can. 976).
In the situation of sins that are accompanied by a penalty that is reserved to the local bishop, he can grant the faculty of lifting the penalty to some or all of the priests of his diocese.
Sins that carry a canonical penalty are:
- Apostasy, heresy, schism
- Violation of consecrated species
- Physical attack on a pope or bishop
- A priest who absolves an accomplice in sexual sin
- Unauthorized ordination of a bishop
- Direct violation by a confessor of the seal of confession
- Anyone who reveals the overheard confession of another
- Pretended celebration of the Eucharist by a non-priest
- Attempt to hear confession by one who cannot validly do so
- False accusation of the crime of solicitation in the confessional
- Attempted marriage by a religious or cleric
- Formal cooperation in abortion
Formal cooperation in an abortion had previously been reserved for the bishop to lift the canonical penalty. However, Pope Francis in 2016 extended that authority to all priests in the sacrament of confession.