Lijka, Kazimierz (Polskie Towarzystwo Teologiczne, 2012)
In the 4ᵗʰ century, when a time of freedom of Christian religion came, liturgical rites began to develop rapidly and this also applied to the liturgy of penance. At the time for heavy publicly known sins one needed to do public penance. On Ash Wednesday, one would be admitted within the group of penitents, and then on Maundy Thursday reconciliation took place. The first rites of such a celebration, comprised in Sacramentarium gelasianum from the 7ᵗʰ century, in later periods would become even more elaborate in the medieval pontificals. The Roman pontifical of 1596 took over the rites from the Pontifical of Durandus. The liturgy of public penitents lasted in certain places up to the 18ᵗʰ century. It was solemnly performed and presided over by a bishop, in the presence of the clergy, liturgical service and the faithful. In the rite published after the Second Vatican Council there is no mention of either public penitents or of the accompanying reconciliation rites.
