Obviously, when valid ordination is extended, General Absolution will be a necessity.
But apart from that, it must come.
There are already too few priests and too many people no longer active Catholics for it to be
practically possible for them all to go to confession in the box.
We may be putting a man on Mars soon, but human ingenuity cannot arrange a means of
letting people obtain forgiveness for their sins .
In 1973, Pope Paul VI announced a revision of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as confession was now to be known,
which included general absolution. In 1984, the Polish Pope banned this. It became known that as a young priest, he could spend an hour with each individual penitent, since he saw confession as a drama.
Comment on this is irrelevant at the moment, without possibly giving offence.

But of course- we can let people obtain forgiveness for their sins.
The problem is that Canon Law will not permit it without “grave necessity “.
Some may feel that 50000 parishes without a priest, not to mention those struggling all over the world
with too few, is a grave necessity but, apparently there you are.
We remind you again that the Code of Canon Law as it stands was put together as recently as 1917,
by Messrs Gasperri and Pacelli, in a Vatican atmosphere of riveting and welding the status quo
on to Catholic life with as many nuts and bolts as possible. They were creatures of their time,
although the boy Pacelli did quite well later on.
(A essay title for theologians: ‘How would you define the relationship between Canon Law and the Holy Spirit? Discuss.’)

We know when to let the experts speak. We suggest you Google:
“General absolution-Theological Studies-“ and up will come ’General Absolution: New Law, old Traditions, some questions Ladislas Orsy, S.J.,’
You should have no trouble finding it.

Essentially, he says :”I want to recall some typical forms used by the Church to grant pardon. Those forms
taken singly and together can give us a good understanding of what is permanent and what is
changeable in our traditions. “
Also, :”The law of the new Code should not be interpreted as the full expression of divine revelation;
there remains a long way to go in understanding the mystery of forgiveness through the ministry of the Church,
and even longer to make laws accordingly. Our present structures and norms contain
historically conditioned elements which can be changed.”

The attitude of the Bishops in general to the Code of Canon Law reminds one irresistibly of the
old academic book review :”He uses statistics as a blind man uses a lamp-post, : for support rather than illumination”.
This is not, we remind you, a cynical or even insulting anti-secular priest blog.
But is it possible that it is simply too easy for Bishops to say, ”Well, that’s Canon Law, so there.”
Or- and we are going to go into this quite soon- is it for the absolutely unbelievably ludicrous belief,
which exists, that “Rome” might be offended?
What is “Rome” here? A nasty letter from an uppity Vatican civil servant ?
Or- surely not- fear of a black mark on one’s promotion record?
And for this people cannot receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

Fr Ladislas Orsy also appends a useful note on what the Code of Canon Law is, and , more importantly, is not.
He also comments in passing;”True, many persons have experienced a kind of natural healing
through the implicit therapy of confession; equally truly, many persons were hurt deeply by imprudent confessors”.
We recommend him to you. And we ask you to remember, as you read this,
those who are prevented, despite themselves, for whatever human reason, from making their peace with God.

from making the peace with God which they desire.