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.
Show me where in the NT your view is supported.
I suggest you seek the LORD independent of man's indoctrination. Read scripture and seek the LORD with all of your heart and you will find Him. All of life is about this. Maybe then, you too will know what it is like to have the truth burn in your heart.
Common Priesthood - 1 Peter 2
For your much needed edification:
The Mother of Priests, the Ministerial Priesthood and the Common Priesthood of the Baptized
Paul is talking to Timothy about Bishops, Deacons (which are to be married by the way) and ministering. He tells Timothy that if he put his people in remembrance of important things that he will have a good report as a minister. He is not talking about Timothy being a Priest in any special sense.
Hebrews is talking about Jesus Christ as our high priest not any other person. It is showing forth the utter completeness of Christ as high priest and His sacrifice as all sufficient. How do you possibly get anything out of these chapters to support the idea that a Catholic "Priest" is sanctioned by The Word of God to hold the office of priest? There is not any dispute that there are to be ministers in the church of God but these ministers are not specialized as priests.
Act 14:15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
They told them to turn directly from their vanities unto the living God not that they need them as their priest to mediate for them by any means.
Act 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
Is this where you get the idea of Priests over the church? These were elders not priests. The sacrifice of Christ and the shedding of His blood for the remission of our sins once for all shows for Christ as our High Priest. He is enough. We have only one mediator between us and God and that is Christ who is both God and man. Jesus Christ is in heaven and sits next to the Heavenly Father. He will one day bodily return again. He does not return over and over to thousands of Churches daily as a small round wafer.
Please be more clear about what you are referring to in Scripture to support your view, what verses and how do you interpret them?
Could be married, only once, if Timothy, in discharging his duties as Bishop of Ephesus, so choosed to select married men for ordination. Nowhere does St. Paul mandate that only married men were to be selected.
Your ignorance of Scripture is overwhelming.
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