Posted on 10/24/2005 8:02:08 PM PDT by NYer
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 24, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican has reiterated that that only a priest -- that is, bishops and presbyters -- may administer the sacrament of the anointing of the sick.
The Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith emphasized that point in a Note published in response to several questions it had received in recent years.
"Neither deacons nor lay persons therefore may exercise such ministry and any action in this connection is a simulation of the sacrament" and would be "invalid," said the dicastery. Canon law provides sanctions for such an action, it added.
The congregation's "Note on the Ministry of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick" was published Friday in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.
It had been issued by the congregation last Feb. 11, World Day of the Sick, with the signature of its then prefect, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Benedict XVI).
The Note, also signed by the dicastery's secretary Archbishop Angelo Amato, is addressed to the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, bishops' conferences and Eastern synods.
In an accompanying letter, the then prefect said he was attaching a brief note on the history of the doctrine in this regard prepared by an expert.
Trent's teachings
The "brief note" is a commentary, also published in the Vatican newspaper, which explains that "in these last decades theological tendencies have been manifested that cast doubt on the Doctrine of the Church, according to which the minister of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick 'est omnis et solus sacerdos,'" in keeping with the formulation of the Council of Trent (1542-1563).
"The topic," it continued, "is addressed with preference from the pastoral point of view, especially taking into account those areas in which the scarcity of priests makes the timely administration of the Sacrament difficult, while such difficulty might be resolved if the Permanent Deacons and also qualified lay persons could be delegated ministers of the Sacrament.
"The Note of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith intends to call attention to these tendencies, to avoid the danger of the existence of attempts to put them into practice, in detriment of the faith and with grave spiritual harm of the sick whom one wants to help."
The commentary continued: "Catholic theology has seen in the Letter of James (5,14-15) the biblical basis for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. The author, after giving several counsels relative to Christian life, also offers a norm for the sick: 'Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.'"
"In this text, the Church, under the action of the Holy Spirit, has identified in the course of the centuries the essential elements of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick," the commentary stated.
Definitive
The Vatican Note describes as "definitive tenenda" -- to be considered in a definitive manner -- the doctrine that makes the priest the only minister of the sacrament.
The Greek words of the Letter of James, which the Vulgate translates as "presbyteros Ecclesiae," "cannot refer to the elders of the community, but to the particular category of faithful to whom, by the imposition of hands, the Holy Spirit had placed to lead the Church of God," the commentary explained.
Following a brief review of Church history, the commentary arrives at the Council of Trent, which spells out the form of the sacrament. Trent anathematized "those who deny that the Anointing of the Sick is one of the seven Sacraments and that the minister of that Sacrament is solely the priest."
The doctrine of Trent was codified in the Code of Canon Law promulgated in 1917, repeated almost verbatim in the existing Code of Canon Law (see Canon 1003.1) of 1983 and in the Code of the Canons of the Eastern Churches of 1990 (Cf. Canon 739.1).
The commentary reminds about "the particular dignity and efficacy" of the sacrament, underlining that the priest, being its minister, "makes present in an altogether particular way the Lord Jesus Christ, Head of the Church," because "He who acts in this Sacrament is Jesus Christ," while the priest is the "visible" instrument.
I received anointing when I was less than 2 years old, (as well as having many masses said for me and a whole gaggle of nuns praying for me). I drank a glass of turpentine, went into convulsions lost consciousness. I recovered, no permanent damage, although some may disagree whether or not there was any brain damage. ;-)
Fine, bigotry is out, then.
Offensive is in. I know the Truth. I hope that you will someday. Until that time, I will pray for all our separated Brethren.
I was about to post that verse. Thanks for doing it for us!
>>I do want to point out to you that this is a religion forum, not a Catholic forum. You have criticized Bellflower for not seeing him on Jewish sites, but how do you know that he doesn't post the same there? I would suggest a word of caution on the use of the term bigotry. We are all to quick to use terms like this.May God bless you.<<
I know that these posters do not go to the Jewish threads because I am on three of their ping lists.
I have no caution when it comes to people "ministering" on Catholic threads. Sorry my friend, we have had this going on for too long. It is in poor taste and crass. When one demands attention by coming onto a thread that is informative for Catholics to give us the opposite view, bigotry is the word I see.
If anyone would like to advance our common struggle against secular humanism, why would one insult a groups beliefs? It is not the way to win hearts.
I am married to a Presbyterian who comes from a Fundamentalist family. They have more decorum than the people that "minister" on the Catholic threads.
We'll all be there for a while.
"I drank a glass of turpentine, went into convulsions lost consciousness. I recovered, no permanent damage, although some may disagree whether or not there was any brain damage. ;-)"
Some say I drink turpentine every time I open a bottle of Retsina! Never had the convulsions, but I suspect I may have "fallen asleep" a few times in my youthful exuberance for the stuff! As for my experiences, well there has never been any doubt about the brain damage part! :)
YOU my FRiend are a uniter and not a divider.
I stand with all Protestants, Jews and Catholics who fight against secularism. We all growl like tigers when the world is shoved on us.
I would never go onto a Jewish or Protestant thread and tell them that I feel they are wrong. WHO am I?
God Bless You!
A good number of the pastors I know are terrible fundraisers. Most are great homilists and spiritual advisors, but have no clue on how to organize a bake sale.
This has always been the case!
Unbelievable story.
I agree. I think many don''t particularly like that part of the job, which would generally be better done by a layperson with more practical experience in any case. However, the post VatII Church seems to expect them to do this while the laypeople to do the jobs formerly done by the priests.
Oddly enough, I do remember, way back when at the dawn of VatII, that there was talk of making the laity more responsible for the nuts and bolts of plant maintenance, etc. and freeing the priests to devote more time to spiritual tasks in growing parishes. Strange that it turned out almost the opposite.
That's interesting.
In some parishes, there are finance committees that really do run things. When Father keeps his mitts off, things usually end up alright. It's when they start meddling...I know too much about a few parishes.
The other thing that is a problem is that you get volunteers from all over and there are some that drive away others, sometimes very good ones. It's a pitfall.
*** Let him bring in the priests of the church and let them pray over him...***
***The offices of "bishop, priest (presbyter) and deacon..." ***
Both of you are translation Presbuteros (elder) as priest. Why is that?
Is not the Greek word for priest "Hiereus"?
*** I suspect that many of us are going to be surprised to see who is walking the streets of the New Jerusalem.***
Indeed.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Not necessarily. "Hiereus" is a generic word for "religious leader," coming from the root word "hier," meaning "holy."
Etymologically, the English word "priest" (which, of course, originally described Catholic clergy) comes from "presbyter". "Bishop" comes from /episcopos/, "overseer". The overseers and elders described in the NT are bishops and priests, respectively.
Catholics often carry cards in their wallets, or wear medals around their necks, that contain the above words (or simply, "I'm Catholic; call a priest"), sometimes with the priest's phone number/pager number. These cards are meant to help ensure that in an emergency, a doctor, nurse, EMT, policeman, etc., will call a priest to administer Unction to the Catholic in need. Make sure that family members, even non-Catholic ones, are aware of your desire for Unction if you are facing death, and have your priest's phone number/pager number someplace where they'll be able to locate it easily.
You will be surprised to find that I agree with you. Bellflower's post was in bad taste but I still don't see bigotry. Lets agree to disagree on that. We don't win hearts that way as you say. Blessings
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