CONFITEOR. - Formula of the general confession of sins in the Latin liturgy, whose origin goes back to the custom of priests of confessing their own unworthiness before offering the Holy Sacrifice. The oldest text of the C. is that of Egbert of York (d. 735) and of Chrodegang of Metz (d. 766): « Confiteor Domino et tibi frater, quod peccavi in cogitatione, et in locutione et in opere; propterea precor te, ora pro me » (Regula canonicorum, 18; PL, 89, col. 1067). In a missal of St. Vincent at Volturno from the 10th century there is found a formula of the C. almost similar to the present one. Canon 15 of the Council of Ravenna, held on 10 October 1314, fixes the number (the present one) of the saints to be remembered in the C. (Mansi, XXV, 547). The present text of the C. was fixed by the reform of St. Pius V.
It is said at the beginning of the Mass before the Introit, and in the pontifical Mass the deacon sings it before the promulgation of the Indulgence and the distribution of Communion to the faithful. In the distribution of Communion outside Mass the server says it.
In the office it is said at Compline every day, and at Prime only when there are preces. The Ritual prescribes the C., or at least its abbreviated formula, in the sacrament of Penance, in Extreme Unction, in the administration of Viaticum and in the papal blessing in articulo mortis.
Religious Orders add to it the name of their founder.
Bibliography6 worksG. Bona, Rerum liturgicarum libri duo, Rome 1671, p. 288 ff.; Benedict XIV, De SS. Missae sacrificio, Rome 1748, p. 4 ff.; S. De Stefani, La
BIBL.: G. Bona, Rerum liturgicarum libri duo, Rome 1671, p. 288 ff.; Benedict XIV, De SS. Missae sacrificio, Rome 1748, p. 4 ff.; S. De Stefani, La S. Messa, Turin 1935, pp. 345-54; C. Callewaert, Sacris erudiri, Steenbrugge 1940, pp. 191-94; J. A. Jungmann, Missarum sollemnia, I, Vienna 1948, pp. 370-86; M. Righetti, Storia liturgica, III, Milan 1949, pp. 160-62.
Pilkington, Rinaldo. “Confiteor.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. IV, coll. 255–256. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1950. https://azioneromana.com/article/confiteor.
MLA
Pilkington, Rinaldo. “Confiteor.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. IV, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1950, coll. 255–256. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/confiteor.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec4_confiteor,
author = {Pilkington, Rinaldo},
title = {Confiteor},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {IV},
pages = {255--256},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1950},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/confiteor}
}
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