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325
The Council Of Nicaea
The Council Of Nicaea pu the forgivness of grave sins under the authority of the bishops. -
430
Changes to the sacrament
Later in the century, changes to the sacrament were being made even before Augustine died. -
Jan 1, 650
Council of Chalons-sur-Saône
This council approved the Celtic monastic practice and tried to establish Episcopal control over it. The severity of penances led to fewer Christians practicing sacramental penance. Some found other persons who would take on the penance and prayers for them. -
Jan 1, 1215
Fourth Lateran Council
They prescribed that all who had “reached the age of discretion should at least once a year faithfully confess all their sins in secret to their own priest” and receive communion. -
Jan 1, 1439
Council of Florence
The Council of Florence defined what the sacrament of penance involved: The acts of the penitent should be:1. Contrition of heart including sorrow for committing the sin and resolve not to sin again.2. Oral confession of all sins that are remembered.3. Satisfaction for sins assigned by the priest ordinarilydoneby prayer, fasting and almsgiving. -
Jan 1, 1551
Council of Trent
In response to the Reformers claim that sinners should renew baptismal justification by interior conversion, they pushed an extreme non-communal, individualistic approach to the sacramental rite of penance to effect reconciliation with God. -
The Vatican II
The Vatican II document Lumen Gentium emphasized that in addition to receiving pardon for their sins, penitents are reconciled with the Church which they have “wounded by their sins.”There became a renewed sense that sacramental penance reconciles sinners with God and with the Church community -
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI in his document Ordo Paenitentiae (Order of Penance), introduced the new name “Sacrament of Reconciliation.” -
Augustine
Augustine distinguished three kinds of reconciliation with God through the Church:1. The remission of all previous sin through baptism.2. The daily remission through prayer and fasting of “light and smallsins.”3. The formal one-time remission of deadly and serious sin throughpublic penance. -
Third Council of Toledo
Third Council of Toledo tried to maintain the old system of reconciliation and remain with once-only reconciliation and rejected the Celtic monastic practice.