From the condemned proposition:"mortal sins as regards their guilt and their punishment in the other world, are blotted out by contrition alone without any reference to the keys" (The keys refer to the actual sacrament of Penance).
Therefore it is clear that in the present order of salvation, not even heartfelt sorrow based on the highest motives, dispense with the power of the keys (the Sacrament of Penance). The Act of Contrition teaching is being heavily abused by the liberals nowadays who end up concluding that they can get away with it any time and that Catholic priests are no longer necessary for absolution.
There is no real reason why God's providence would not send a priest to a sincere penitent before death.
This brings to mind the following said by Fr. Feeney in Bread of Life:
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"May I pause here to declare that I think, both with regard to the Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of Penance, that the Liberal theologians, when it suits them, are making perfect acts of love of God altogether too easy for a fallen nature like ours.
I am not going to think it as difficult for a Catholic who has fallen into mortal sin but who, through his Faith, remembers his Holy Communions, his Blessed Mother, his past confessions, God’s rich forgivenesses in the sacraments, to make an act of perfect love, as for a catechumen, who has not had yet the benefit of one of God’s sanctifying sacraments. But the very fact that the Church requires every mortal sin committed to be confessed, whether one is perfectly sorry for it or not, shows the Church has a maternal suspicion of this perfect act of love of God obtaining forgiveness apart from the Sacrament of forgiveness instituted by Christ.
When I am dying, my dear children, if I tell you I am in the state of mortal sin (and I promise to do so if so it seems to me) do run for a priest, no matter how far you have to run! Do not just kneel down and teach me how to perfectly love without any sanctifying grace in my soul!
If the priest reaches me before I die, know that I have truly received the mercy of God. If the priest does not reach me, then wonder very much whether I have received it or not!"