Confessional
Sin is an inevitability, even for the most devout members of The Lancea Sanctum. When a Sanctified violates one of the tenets of his faith, he may seek absolution from a local Priest. Unlike the Catholic confessional box, however, there is no expectation of either anonymity or secrecy. The vampire must confess his sins to his Priest face-to-face, and if his crimes are so serious that she cannot grant him absolution, then she is free to expose him to the authorities. Usually, however, a vampire will not seek an absolution that he knows the Priest cannot give. Instead, the vampire will seek absolution for minor sins that would not normally be punished by a temporal authority but that might jeopardize his standing within the covenant. After hearing the confession, the Priest will absolve the vampire of his sins, but will also set some form of penance. The nature of the penance is largely within the discretion of the Priest, and may include almost anything, from requiring the vampire to acquire Vitae for the next communion ceremony to forcing him to accept lashes in front of the entire congregation.
The most potent effect of the rite of confession occurs typically when The Lancea Sanctum is the dominant covenant in the domain. In such domains, a Priest (indeed, any Priest) may hear any Kindred’s confession and assign whatever penance she thinks is appropriate, and a higher clerical authority normally cannot assign a harsher punishment later for the same acts. In other words, if a confessing Kindred in a Sanctified domain confesses his sins and persuades the Priest of his sincerity, even the lowliest Anointed Priest can pre-empt higher-ranking Sanctified’s power to punish the Kindred in question. Of course, most Priests track the sort of punishments that the local authority might impose, though they are typically less severe (but not always; some Priests are even more punitive than their superiors). Furthermore, few Priests seek to challenge the authority of their superiors, some of whom are not above tangentially spurning or victimizing Priests who absolve enemies of the covenant in defiance of the covenant’s prevailing local policies. In any case, a Priest never has the unfettered authority to grant absolution in a non-Sanctified domain, nor does she have the power to completely absolve someone of siring without permission or committing Diablerie, even is she were inclined to do so.
The most potent effect of the rite of confession occurs typically when The Lancea Sanctum is the dominant covenant in the domain. In such domains, a Priest (indeed, any Priest) may hear any Kindred’s confession and assign whatever penance she thinks is appropriate, and a higher clerical authority normally cannot assign a harsher punishment later for the same acts. In other words, if a confessing Kindred in a Sanctified domain confesses his sins and persuades the Priest of his sincerity, even the lowliest Anointed Priest can pre-empt higher-ranking Sanctified’s power to punish the Kindred in question. Of course, most Priests track the sort of punishments that the local authority might impose, though they are typically less severe (but not always; some Priests are even more punitive than their superiors). Furthermore, few Priests seek to challenge the authority of their superiors, some of whom are not above tangentially spurning or victimizing Priests who absolve enemies of the covenant in defiance of the covenant’s prevailing local policies. In any case, a Priest never has the unfettered authority to grant absolution in a non-Sanctified domain, nor does she have the power to completely absolve someone of siring without permission or committing Diablerie, even is she were inclined to do so.
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