Online text: “Popes Benedict XVI and Francis on the Sexual Abuse of Minors”, by Dr. Mariusz Biliniewicz

See this online text:

• “Popes Benedict XVI and Francis on the Sexual Abuse of Minors: Ecclesiological Perspectives”, by Mariusz Biliniewicz, Ph.D., Australasian Catholic Record, Vol. 97, No. 3 (2020), pp. 297-311. Available in pdf format at ResearchOnline@ND, which states: “Copyright © 2020 Australasian Catholic Record. All rights reserved. For personal use only. No other uses without permission”

See also these related texts:

Free ebook: “Collection of Indulgenced Prayers and Good Works”, by Ambrose St. John

See this legally free ebook:

• The Raccolta; or, Collection of Indulgenced Prayers and Good Works, 1910 edition, by Ambrose St. John, 1815-1875 (London: Burns & Oates; New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Bros, 1910). With Imprimatur. May be read online and available in pfdf, epub, and mobi formats at Internet Archive; and available in pdf format on this page of Saints’ Books.

On the Feast of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Online text: “The Political Implications of Thomas Aquinas’s Theory of Conscience”, by Dr. Angela Concetta Miceli

See this online text:

• Thinking Together about the Common Good: The Political Implications of Thomas Aquinas’s Theory of Conscience, by Dr. Angela Concetta Miceli. LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 252 (2013). Available in pdf format on this page of LSU Digital Commons.

See also these related texts:

Free ebook: “The Sinner’s Guide”, by Venerable Luis de Granada

See this legally free ebook:

• The Sinner’s Guide, by Venerable Louis of Granada, O.P., a new and revised translation by a Father of the same Order (New York: P.J. O’Shea, 1890). With Imprimatur; and containing approbatory letter of Pope Gregory XIII. May be read online, and available in pdf, mobi, epub, and other formats, at Internet Archive. 
• Another translation is also available:
  • The Sinner’s Guide, in Two Books; Book I. Containing a Full and Ample Exhortation to the Pursuit of Virtue, with Instructions and Directions How to Become Virtuous; Book II. The Doctrine of Virtue, with Necessary Instructions and Advice for Making a Man Virtuous, by the Rev. F. Lewis of Granada, Provincial of the Order of St. Dominick, in the Kingdom of Portugal, translated from the Spanish (Philadelphia: Henry. McGrath, 1844). With the favorable recommendation of the Bishop of Philadelphia. Available in pdf format on this page of Saints’ Books; and may be read online, and available in pdf, mobi, epub, and other formats, at Internet Archive.

See also these related ebooks:

Online text: “New Challenges to Humanae Vitae: Conscience and Discernment”, by Dr. Janet E. Smith

See this online text:

• “New Challenges to Humanae Vitae: Conscience and Discernment”, by Dr. Janet E. Smith, UFL Life and Learning Conference XXVIII (2018): pp. 229-253. Available in pdf format through this page of University Faculty for Life.

See also the texts listed on the page “Marriage and the Family“ and on the 25 July 2019 post “Online text: “Every Marital Act Ought to be Open to New Life: Toward a Clearer Understanding”, by Germain Grisez et al.”

On the Feast of the Annunciation in the one true and Catholic Church. For other texts and ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title), the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject), the List of Worth-It Catholic Books & eBooks, and the main page of the Catholic eBooks Project.

“In marriage, as the marriage law declares, the man and woman come together for the procreation of children. Therefore whoever makes the procreation of children a greater sin than copulation, forbids marriage, and makes the woman not a wife, but a mistress, who for some gifts presented to her is joined to the man to gratify his passion. Where there is a wife there must be marriage. But there is no marriage where motherhood is not in view; therefore neither is there a wife.”

(Saint Augustine, On the Morals of the Manichaeans, xviii, 65)

“For God, the Lord of life, has conferred on men the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life in a manner which is worthy of man…. The sexual characteristics of man and the human faculty of reproduction wonderfully exceed the dispositions of lower forms of life. Hence the acts themselves which are proper to conjugal love and which are exercised in accord with genuine human dignity must be honored with great reverence.

“Hence when there is question of harmonizing conjugal love with the responsible transmission of life, the moral aspects of any procedure does not depend solely on sincere intentions or on an evaluation of motives, but must be determined by objective standards. These, based on the nature of the human person and his acts, preserve the full sense of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love. Such a goal cannot be achieved unless the virtue of conjugal chastity is sincerely practiced. Relying on these principles, sons of the Church may not undertake methods of birth control which are found blameworthy by the teaching authority of the Church in its unfolding of the divine law.

“All should be persuaded that human life and the task of transmitting it are not realities bound up with this world alone. Hence they cannot be measured or perceived only in terms of it, but always have a bearing on the eternal destiny of men.”

(Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution “Gaudium et Spes”, 51)

“[I]t is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it (cf. Rom 3:8) — in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general”

(Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, No. 14, as quoted by Pope St. John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor, No. 80)

Worth-it ebook: “Will Many Be Saved? What Vatican II Actually Teaches”, by Dr. Ralph Martin

See this worth-it ebook:

• Will Many Be Saved?: What Vatican II Actually Teaches and Its Implications for the New Evangelization, by Professor Ralph Martin, S.T.D. [Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Archdiocese of Detroit] (Grand Rapids: Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2012). The ebook and/or the printed book may be purchased at Verbum and Amazon.

See also these related free or online texts/ebooks and media:

• “Balthasar and Salvation: What Does He Really Teach?”, by Ralph Martin, Josephinum Journal of Theology, Vol 21, no. 2 (2014): pp. 1-29. Available in pdf format on this page of Renewal Ministries.
• A Critical Examination of Key Claims Karl Rahner Makes About His Thesis of the Anonymous Christian, by Brantly C. Millegan (2015). School of Divinity Master’s Theses and Projects. 10. Available in pdf format on this page at University of St. Thomas Research Online.
• Eschatology; or, The Catholic Doctrine of the Last Things: A Dogmatic Treatise, by Joseph Pohle, translated by Arthur Preuss (St. Louis, Mo.: B. Herder, 1918, c1917). With Imprimatur. Volume XII of Fr. Pohle’s Dogmatic Theology series. Available on multiple formats at Internet Archive and Open Library (Digitizing sponsor: MSN, Book contributor: Kelly Library, University of Toronto).
•  “Fewness [of those saved]: One Hundred and One Texts”. A collection of quotes from the Sacred Scriptures and the Saints. May be read online on this page of Saints’ Quotes.
• “Hell and Hope for Salvation”, by Germain Grisez and Peter F. Ryan, S.J., New Blackfriars, Volume 95, Issue 1059 (September 2014): pp. 606-615. May be read online on this page and available in pdf format on this page of Wiley Online Library. Available in pdf format on this page through this page of The Way of the Lord Jesus, which states:
• • “This article is copyright © 2014 The Dominican Council and the authors; published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. under a Creative Commons Attribution license (see http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-815641.html); provided this entire paragraph is included, anyone may without payment freely copy, distribute, transmit, adapt, and commercially or non-commercially use this article.”
• “The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved” (Homily), by St. Leonard of Port Maurice.
  • The text may be read online at Our Lady of the Rosary Library and Today’s Catholic World, and is available in pdf format on this page of Saints’ Books. Under the title The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved OR aka The Fewness of Those Catholics Saved (St Athanasius Press, 2009), the Kindle edition may be purchased at Amazon.
  • The audio is provided with this video on the Sensus Fidelium Youtube channel and with this video on the Kate & Mike Catholic Crusade Youtube channel.
• “Of the Small Number of Those that are Saved”, by Jean Croiset, May be read online on this page of Endeavoring Catholic Perfection, and at Wikisource. A different translation with Early Modern orthography may be read on pages 159–175 of A Spiritual Retreat for One Day in Every Month (1698?), the microfilm copy of which is available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats at Internet Archive.

On the Feast of Pope St. Anastasius I. For other texts and ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title), the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject), the List of Worth-It Catholic Books & eBooks, and the main page of the Catholic eBooks Project.

O radix Jesse qui stas in signum populórum, super quem continébunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabúntur: veni ad liberándum nos, jam noli tardáre. (Text from Divinum Officium)

Online text: On Reconciliation and Penance, by Pope John Paul II

See this online text:

• Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Reconciliatio et Paenitentia” on Reconciliation and Penance in the Mission of the Church Today, by St. John Paul the Great (2 December 1984). Available on this page of Catholic Culture; in 2 parts, part 1 here and part 2 here, at Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary; at the Holy See; and at IntraText.

See also the following related text(s):

• The Sacraments: A Dogmatic Treatise. Volume III, Penance, 2^nd revised edition, by Rev. Joseph Pohle, Ph.D., translated by Arthur Preuss (St. Louis, Mo. and London: B. Herder, 1918). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats, at Internet  Archive. The 1^st edition (1917) is also available at Open Library and Internet Archive, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive.
• Theory and Practice of the Confessional: A Guide in the Administration of the Sacrament of Penance, 2^nd edition, by Prof. Caspar Erich Schieler, edited by Rev. H.J. Heuser, with an Introduction by Archbishop S.G. Messmer (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1905). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in pdf, mobi, epub and other formats, at Internet Archive, with a 2nd copy at Internet Archiveand Open Library, and a 3rd copy at Internet Archive. Also available at HathiTrust, with a 2^nd copy at HathiTrust.

On Holy Wednesday, 2020. For other texts and ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title), the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject), the List of Worth-It Catholic Books & eBooks, and the main page of the Catholic eBooks Project. We adore You, oh Christ, and we bless You: for by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Online Texts & Media on Forgiveness of Sins outside Confession

An Act of Contrition

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee,

and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell;

but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.

Amen.

See these online texts and media on the forgiveness of sins, especially mortal sins, outside the Sacrament of Penance / Reconciliation–for persons who, due to illness, quarantines, lockdowns, or other just and sufficient reasons, are unable to reach a priest of the one true and Catholic Church with faculty to hear confessions, or even a priest exceptionally allowed to hear the confession of penitents in danger of death):

Online text: “The Sacrament of Penance and St. Cyprian’s De Lapsis”, by Maurice Bévenot, S.J.

See this online text:

• “The Sacrament of Penance and St. Cyprian’s De Lapsis”, by Maurice Bévenot, S.J., Theological Studies, volume 16, issue 2 (1955): pp. 175-213. Available in pdf format at Theological Studies.

For the Feast of St. Cyprian and Pope St. Cornelius in the Roman Rite. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities: and iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions… and make to yourselves a new heart, and a new spirit…  For I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God, return ye, and live.” (Ezechiel xviii, 30-32)

Worth-it book: “The Power of Truth: The Challenges of Catholic Doctrine and Morals Today”, by Cardinal Gerhard Müller

See this worth-it book and ebook:

• The Power of Truth: The Challenges of Catholic Doctrine and Morals Today, by Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal Müller (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2019).
  • The paperback is available on this page of Ignatius Press and on this page of Leaflet Missals. The Nook book and paperback is available at Barnes & Noble. The Kindle ebook and paperback are available at Amazon.
  • N.B., The work consists of various essays by Cardinal Muller, including the following essays which may be read online:
    • “Faith’s Political Witness: The Demands of Justice and Love”—earlier published on this post at First Things (April 2013);
    • “Testimony to the Power of Grace: On the Indissolubility of Marriage and the Debate Concerning the Civilly Remarried and the Sacraments”—from “L’Osservatore Romano, ed. quotidiana, Anno CLIII, n. 243, Merc. 23/10/2013”, earlier published at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith;
  • See also the following essays and audio on the work:
    • “Cardinal Müller on the Truth”, by Dr. Jeff Mirus (May 10, 2019) at Catholic Culture;
    •  “May 20 –The Power of Truth: Fr. Joseph Fessio Interview” (podcast), by Amy D’Angelo (May 20, 2019) at My Catholic Faith, which summarizes it thus: “Dr. Tom Curran interviews Fr. Joseph Fessio, Founder and Editor of Ignatius Press, to discuss the book: The Power of Truth, The Challenges to Catholic Doctrine and Morals Today by Cardinal Gerhard Müller.”
    • .“A sorely needed theological justification of the truth of the Catholic faith”, by Eduardo Echeverria (June 18, 2019) at Catholic World Report, which states: “Cardinal Gerhard Müller’s book The Power of Truth addresses the challenges to Catholic doctrines and morals today—not only by the culture at large, but also by elements within the Church.”
    • “A zealous pastor of souls”, by Francis Phillips (5 August, 2019) at Catholic Herald.

For related texts, see the texts indexed in our 08 April 2018 post “Online texts: Commentaries on “Amoris Laetitia”” and on the subject index page “Marriage and the Family“, as well as the following texts:

• Apostolic Exhortation “Familiaris Consortio” on the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World, by Pope St. John Paul II (22 November 1981). May be read online at the Holy See.
• Encyclical “Arcanum” on Christian Marriage, by Pope Leo XIII (10 February 1880). May be read online at the Holy See.
  • Included in the larger work: The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII: Translations from Approved Sources, with Preface by Rev. John J. Wynne, S.J. (New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: Benziger Brothers, 1903). With Imprimatur.
    • The ebook may be read online, and is available in pdf, epub, mobi, and other formats at Internet Archive, with a 2^nd copy at Internet Archive and Open Library. It may also be read online at Wikisource; and it is available in pdf format at Today’s Catholic World.
    • The audiobook, read by Maria Therese, may be listened to online and downloaded in mp3 and other formats at LibriVox and at Internet Archive. [N.B., The recording states that it is in the public domain.]
    • The LibriVox audio is also reproduced for Youtube in 2 parts at Classic Catholic Audiobooks: Part 1 of 2 (11:16:51) and Part 2 of 2 (7:70:43), said Part 2 being also available at Padre Manuel Antonio Garcia Salcedo; and in 2 parts at Full Audiobooks: Part 1/2 (9:10:55) and Part 2/2 (9:56:40); and in 13 parts at Priceless Audiobooks: Part 1/13, Part 2/13, Part 3/13, Part 4/13, Part 5/13, Part 6/13, Part 7/13, Part 8/13, Part 9/13, Part 10/13, Part 11/13, Part 12/13, and Part 13/13.  A portion of the recording (4:26:34) is available at Padre Manuel Antonio Garcia Salcedo and Free Audio Books, and likewise, a part (10:42:14) is available at GreatAudioBooks In Public Domain.
• Exhortación Apostólica “Familiaris Consortio” sobre la misión de la familia cristiana en el mundo actual, del Papa San Juan Pablo II (22 de noviembre 1981). Disponible en la Santa Sede, y Catholic.net, y la Vicaria de Pastoral, Arquidiocesis Primada de Mexico.
• The Juridical and Christian Anthropological Study of the Indissolubility of Canonical Marriage in the Light of Canon 1056, by Clothilde Ngwe Wanki (Rome, 2011). Doctoral thesis in canon law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross – Faculty of Canon Law. 580 pages. Available in pdf format at Bibliotecanonica.
  • [N.B., This is an admirably comprehensive historical-theological overview of Catholic Christian teaching on the unity and indissolubility of marriage, which shows (i) its fidelity to divine revelation and natural law, seen in the continuity of apostolic, patristic, scholastic, and modern canonical legislation, especially on sacramental marriages; and (ii) its development on matters subject to positive law, such as the effect of privileges in favour of the faith on non-sacramental marriages.]
• Lettre Encyclique “Casti Connubii” sur le Mariage Chrétien Considéré au Point de Vue de la Condition Présente, des Nécessités, des Erreurs et des Vices de la Famille et de la Société, du Souverain Pontife Pie XI (31 décembre 1930).  Disponible sur le site officiel du Saint-Siège. [D’apres Wikipedia : « Elle forme l’essentiel de l’enseignement doctrinal de l’Église sur le sacrement matrimonial et la vie conjugale. »]

On the Feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. For other online texts and legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).