I call B.S. The entire footnote is addressing "irregular" immoral unions without a call for withdrawal from such unions. Mercy without charity (aka love) is worthless and a call for sacrilege of the Body of Christ. I'm sorry you can't comprehend that.
The notorious footnote boggles everyone because it is so inapt for actually answering the presumed question. Nevertheless, since repentance in a constitutive element of every valid Confession, a call to Confession is a call to repentance. The words -— the actual words, ebb tide -— do not contradict this.
The fault is in the elision.
Please try to comprehend that.