Moral Theology Part 142

2773. Confessarius debet, graviter onerata ejus conscientia, de onere denuntiationis poenitentem monere.

(a) Obligatio confessarii gravis est. Sed antequam moneat, serio consideret utrum poenitens persona fide digna sit, utrum certo constet de facto, de turpitudine, de gravitate, de ordine ad confessionem, utrum detur causa excusans (e.g., mors sollicitantis; probabiliter, ejus plena emendatio per plures annos manifestata; grave d.a.m.num poenitentis quoad vitam, famam, fortunam, nisi gravius d.a.m.num simul immineat bono communi). Si de delicto sollicitationis et de obligatione poenitentis nullum dubium est, confessarius moneat, etiamsi poenitens in bona fide sit et prvideatur certo non obtemperaturus, mortis periculo autem excepto. Si poenitens irrationabiliter renuat denuntiare, absolvi non potest, sed confessarius de casu consulere debet Ordinarium.

(b) Obligatio poenitentis etiam gravis est. Denuntiatio facienda est intra mensem a cognita obligatione., Ordinario sollicitantis, vel loci delicti, vel poenitentis, personaliter et judicialiter. Poenitens qui nec comparere nec scribere potest, interea excusatur; sed ille qui justa causa exemptionis carens scienter omitt.i.t denuntiare intra terminum unius mensis incurrit in excommunicationem lat sententi nemini reservatum, non absolvendus nisi postquam obligationi satisfecerit aut se satisfacturum serio promiserit (Canon 2368, n. 2).

Confessarius non tenetur in se suscipere onus denuntiationis, nisi secus gravissimum d.a.m.num bono publico inferretur.

2774. The Sacrament of Extreme Unction.--As Confirmation perfects Baptism by bringing to maturity the new life of grace, so Extreme Unction perfects Penance by strengthening against the spiritual debility that remains after sin itself has been wiped away.

Confirmation makes ready for the battle of life, Extreme Unction a.s.sists during the struggle of death. The fifth Sacrament is defined: "A Sacrament of the New Law in which through the anointing with oil and the prayer of the priest adult persons who are in danger of death receive health of soul, and also at times health of body."

(a) The remote matter or element of the Sacrament is oil (James, v, 14, 15). For validity it is required that this be olive oil, blessed by a bishop or by a priest having special papal delegation, with the special blessing for the oil of the sick (O. I.); for lawfulness, _sub gravi_ that it be oil blessed the previous Holy Thursday (Canon 734), _sub levi_ at least that it be blessed by the bishop of the diocese, or, in case of vacancy, by the neighboring bishop. In necessity the old oils may be lawfully used, while chrism and the oil of the catechumens may be used as doubtful matter. Unblessed oils and oils blessed by an unauthorized priest do not suffice for validity.

(b) The proximate matter is the anointing of the sick man with blessed oil. In urgent necessity it suffices to anoint one sense, or rather the forehead; in other cases the various senses should be anointed in the order given in the Ritual. Each anointing of a double sense should begin with the right organ (e.g., the right eye) and should be given with the right thumb in the form of a cross. If one organ is missing (e.g., a hand amputated), the anointing should be made, if possible, near to its place (e.g., on the wrist); if there is danger of contagion, the anointing may be made by means of an instrument, such as a brush or small stick. The anointing of the reins should always be omitted and the anointing of the feet may be omitted for any good reason, such as inconvenience to the dying person.

(c) The form of the Sacrament is the prayer used by the priest. In the Latin Church the ordinary form is contained in the words: "_Per istam sanctam unctionem_, etc. By this holy anointing and His most tender mercy may the Lord forgive thee whatever sin thou hast committed by sight (by hearing, by smell, by taste and speech, by touch, by thy steps). Amen." The extraordinary rite for use when there is not time to give all the anointings is bestowed on the forehead in the words: "Per istam sanctam unctionem et suam piissimam misericordiam indulgeat tibi Dominus quidquid deliquisti. Amen." The essential words of the form are: "Per istam unctionem indulgeat tibi Dominus quidquid deliquisti,"

because they express the intercession and the effect of the rite. It would probably be a grave sin to omit the reference to the senses in the ordinary form, as that seems to be a notable part of the form; but it would be a light sin, apart from contempt or scandal, to omit an unimportant word such as "Amen." If there is doubt about the recipient's capacity (i.e., whether he has reached the use of reason, whether he is in danger of death, whether he is already dead, whether he is impenitent and unwilling to receive the Sacrament), the form should be conditional. The condition should be "_si es capax_," not "_si es dispositus_," even in the last-mentioned case. For the Sacrament is given validly even to one who is not well disposed (i.e., who lacks repentance) and there is thus the possibility, when validity is not made dependent on the condition of good disposition, that sacramental fruitfulness will follow later when impenitence, the obstacle to the Sacrament's activity, shall have been removed.

(d) The recipient of the Sacrament is a Catholic who after attaining the use of reason has come into the danger of death through sickness or old age. No one is capable of receiving this Sacrament unless he is baptized, for Baptism is the gateway of the Sacraments (2671); unless he has reached the use of reason, for the Sacrament is a remedy against personal sin and supposes that the recipient can or formerly could distinguish between right and wrong; unless he is in danger of death through the infirmity of disease or of decrepitude, for St. James teaches that the anointing is for those who are enfeebled by illness dangerous unto death. Hence Extreme Unction cannot be administered validly to the unbaptized, to young children who have not come to the use of reason, to the perpetually insane, to those who are sick but not in danger of death, to those who are in danger of death but not sick (e.g., a strong man going to the gallows or to battle). But the Sacrament may be administered to children who have not yet made their first confession, if they are capable of sin, and to the insane who once had the use of reason. The danger of death need not be immediate, and hence Extreme Unction may be given when the disease is mortal but the patient will last for several months or even a year, as in tuberculosis. Illness includes not only chronic sickness, but also fatal disorders caused by wounds, accidents, poison. The rule about the old is that those who have reached sixty years and show some signs of approaching death, such as great feebleness or fainting spells, even though they have no special malady, may be anointed; for their old age itself is a disease.

(e) The minister of Extreme Unction is the priest, since St. James directs that the presbyters (i.e., the priests) of the Church be called to anoint the sick. Extreme Unction, unlike Penance, is not exercised in the form of a judicial process, and hence the power of Orders suffices for its valid administration, and any priest, even one who lacks jurisdiction, gives it validly. But for lawful administration church law prescribes that the minister regularly be the ecclesiastical superior or spiritual director (i.e., the pastor for his parish, the head of a clerical religious inst.i.tute for his house, the parish-priest or chaplain for a lay religious body, the confessor for nuns), and that the minister extraordinarily (i.e., in necessity) be any other priest who has permission, or reasonably presumed permission.

(f) The effects of Extreme Unction are _per se_ an increase of sanctifying grace, since this is a Sacrament of the Living; _per accidens_ (i.e., when the recipient is not in the state of grace, but is in good faith and has attrition) the forgiveness of sins and first grace. Extreme Unction produces first grace more surely than does absolution, if the penitent is unconscious, since it does not call for any external manifestation of contrition; hence the importance of anointing those who are dying but unconscious. The special benefit of Extreme Unction is immediate preparation of the soul for entrance to heaven, though restoration of the health of the body is sometimes vouchsafed when this is for the spiritual good of the sick person.

Venial sins and the remains of past sins (i.e., the debility left by them) are removed and the soul is strengthened with confidence as to things past and future and with peace and resignation as to present suffering. Since the Sacrament is given for the period of danger of death, it cannot be repeated during the same danger; but should the patient recover and relapse into a distinct danger through the same or another sickness, there arises a new need and the Sacrament may then be repeated.

2775. Special Duties.--In addition to the duties that are common in all the Sacraments, the following duties should be noted in reference to Extreme Unction.

(a) The Recipient.--_Per se_, Extreme Unction is not necessary as a means to salvation, for sanctifying grace may be had or recovered without it; but _per accidens_ it would be necessary as a means, if a dying person were in mortal sin and could not recover grace except through it. He who omits Extreme Unction unwillingly or for a good reason (e.g., because he is well prepared for death and cannot get a priest without very grave inconvenience) does not sin. He who omits the Sacrament voluntarily and without good reason, is guilty of grave sin if he acts from contempt, or gives scandal, or exposes himself to eternal d.a.m.nation; but if there is no contempt, scandal or danger to salvation, sin is indeed committed by the neglect at such a crisis of so important a spiritual aid, but only venial sin, since there is no grave precept to receive this Sacrament. The recipient of Extreme Unction should be in the state of grace; and hence, if he has mortal sin on his conscience, he must beforehand make an act of contrition or receive absolution with attrition, or, if neither is possible, he must make an act of attrition. The custom of the Church calls for confession before Extreme Unction, and divine law commands confession if one is in mortal sin and in danger of death.

(b) The Minister.--The pastor is gravely bound in justice to give or have given the Sacrament of Extreme Unction to all his subjects who reasonably request it; other priests not charged with the spiritual care of the dying person are held in charity to anoint him, if he has not received the last rites and cannot otherwise be anointed. It is clear that sick calls should be attended to promptly, and it would be a serious matter to delay so long as to put the sick person in danger of dying without Extreme Unction or of receiving it when he had become unconscious and could not dispose himself properly. If the person has been p.r.o.nounced dead before the priest's arrival, he should nevertheless be absolved and anointed conditionally if the last breath was not long before; because physicians teach that death takes possession gradually, life lingering in the body for some time after its external signs have ceased, for about a half hour when the end has come after long illness, for one or two hours when death is sudden or accidental. The ceremonies are obligatory under pain of sin, and it is considered a serious matter to neglect the more notable parts, that is, without reason to omit all or nearly all the prayers, or to give the Sacrament without any sacred vestment.

(c) The Pastor.--The oil of the sick should be kept in a neat and properly decorated place, and should be contained in a vessel of silver or white metal. Only in exceptional cases is it lawful to keep it in the rectory (Canon 946). The Catechism of the Council of Trent (page 307) declares that Extreme Unction should form a subject of frequent instruction. It is important to exhort the people not to delay in sending for the priest till the sick person has become insensible, nor to omit to send for him in case of sudden death, since, as already said, life remains for some time in the body after apparent death.

(d) The People.--All those who are responsible for the good of the dying person, such as members of the family, physicians, nurses, relatives, friends, or neighbors, should beware of deceiving him about his condition and his need of preparation for death; on the contrary, they should see to it as far as they can, that he receives the last Sacraments in good time and while he has the full use of his senses, when the spiritual benefit and the comfort of mind will be of greater a.s.sistance and the bodily cure more likely.

Art. 4: HOLY ORDERS; MATRIMONY

(_Summa Theologica_, Supplement, qq. 34-68.)

2776. The first five Sacraments arc necessary for the spiritual welfare of individuals, the remaining two, which are the subject of this Article, are needful, not for each person, but for the Church as a body. A member of the Church may save his soul though he remains outside the priesthood and the married state, but the spiritual good of the Church itself requires both Orders and Matrimony. Without Orders the Church would be deprived of her rulers, teachers and ministers of divine things; without Matrimony the family would lack that sacramental protection which is so important for the Christian home and the right rearing of members of society.

2777. The Sacrament of Orders.--The spiritual office and power of a member of the clergy is called Orders on account of the order or rank of superiority which it gives in the Church. The rite or Sacrament by which an Order is conferred is strictly called Ordination, and hence it is more correct to speak of the Sacrament of Ordination than of the Sacrament of Orders. Ordination may be defined as "a Sacrament of the New Law in which a member of the clergy receives spiritual power in reference to the Eucharist and the grace to exercise properly the duties of his office."

(a) Orders is conferred only on a member of the clergy. Just as Baptism is preceded by catechumenate and Matrimony by espousals or engagement, so is Ordination preceded by tonsure, a ceremony inst.i.tuted by the Church whereby a man is separated from the laity and enrolled among clerics with a view to prepare him for Holy Orders. The candidate for tonsure must be a male who has received Baptism and Confirmation (_sub levi_), and who has begun his course of theology; he sins if he approaches without a divine vocation or with the purpose not to go on for the priesthood. The privileges of clerics are those of forum and canon, and they are capable of receiving Orders, jurisdiction and benefice (Canons 108 sqq). In the reception of tonsure the cleric is admonished to make his life agree with the garb which he then a.s.sumes, or, in other words, to cultivate the special virtues of his state (see 2596 sqq.).

(b) Ordination confers spiritual power in reference to the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Sacraments. Just as the sacred vessels of the altar receive a permanent consecration, so likewise the ministers of the altar are set apart by Ordination, which confers upon them an indelible character with the power to exercise higher or lower offices in reference to the supreme Sacrament and the sole Sacrifice of the New Law. Hence, an Order once conferred is eternal and the Ordination cannot be repeated.

(c) Ordination confers grace, which is _per se_ second grace, or an increase of holiness. The special feature of the grace of Orders is its suitability for the duties of the person ordained, for, where G.o.d imposes a special obligation, He confers also a special grace. It is clear that the duties of the ordained in reference to the real Body of Christ (i.e., duties as to the Eucharist and divine worship) and the mystical Body of Christ (i.e., duties to the faithful who receive the Eucharist and the other Sacraments) call for a high degree of virtue and a life edifying to all. Hence the need of a special grace in Ordination.

2778. Distinction of the Orders.--The following distinctions of the orders or ranks of the clergy should be noted:

(a) an Order is either sacramental or non-sacramental, according as it was inst.i.tuted by Christ Himself or by the Church. It is the teaching of St. Thomas that all of the Orders are sacramental in character, but there is not the same degree of certainty in each case. As to the priesthood, there is the certainty of defined dogma; as to the diaconate (and also episcopal consecration according to many) there is theological certainty, but no definition of faith; as to the subdiaconate, and the lower Orders, there is probability;

(b) an Order is Major (sacred) or Minor (non-sacred) according as its functions are concerned with consecrated or non-consecrated matter in the celebration of the Eucharist. The Major Orders, therefore, are the priesthood (whose office is to consecrate the Body and Blood of Christ), diaconate (whose office is to dispense Communion to the faithful), and sub-diaconate (whose office is to prepare the bread and wine of the sacrifice in the consecrated vessels, that is, the chalice and paten). The Minor Orders are those that prepare the matter of the Eucharist in non-consecrated vessels (acolythate), or that dispose the people for the Eucharist by freeing them from the impediments of demonic influence (exorcistate) or of ignorance (lectorate), or that exclude unbelievers from partic.i.p.ation in the sacred rites (portership). To the Sacred Orders, on account of their closer approach to the Eucharist, are annexed the duties of celibacy and of the Divine Office.

2779. The Hierarchy of Orders and Jurisdiction.--The Orders of the clergy may be considered, not only in reference to power over the real Body of Christ (i.e., the Eucharist), but also in reference to power over the mystical Body of Christ (i.e., the Church). Those who have power over the members of the Church belong to the hierarchy, and this is understood in two senses:

(a) the hierarchy of Orders is composed of those who receive in Ordination a permanent superiority over others in reference to the worship of G.o.d and the sanctification of souls by the ministry of the Sacraments. From divine inst.i.tution this hierarchy is composed of the three ranks of bishops, priests, and deacons; and from ecclesiastical inst.i.tution of the lower clergy in Orders. Thus, the deacon is able to baptize and administer Communion as extraordinary minister; the priest is the ordinary minister of Baptism and the Eucharist, and only a priest can act as minister of Penance and Extreme Unction; the bishop is the minister, not only of the Sacraments mentioned, but also of Confirmation and Orders;

(b) the hierarchy of jurisdiction is composed of those members of the Church who receive in their accepted election or canonical commission a power over the faithful which can be lost or resigned, and which relates to the instruction and government of subjects in matters of faith and morals. From divine law this hierarchy is composed of the Supreme Pontificate and the subordinate Episcopate; from ecclesiastical law there are other ranks of authority, such as those of parish-priest, prelate, abbot, archbishop, primate, patriarch and cardinal.

2780. The Matter and Form of the Various Orders in the Latin Church.--(a) In the Minor Orders the matter consists in the bestowal of the symbols of office, and the form in the words of ordination that accompany this bestowal. The porter is ordained when he touches with his right hand the keys of the church which the bishop presents to him with the words: "Conduct yourself as one who must give an accounting for the things that are under those keys", the reader, when he touches the lectionary (i.e., Missal, Breviary, Bible) offered him by the bishop with the form: "Receive this book and announce well the Word of G.o.d, knowing that, if you perform your office faithfully and usefully, you shall receive a portion with those who from the beginning have been good ministers of G.o.d's word"; the exorcist, when he touches the book of exorcisms (e.g., the Ritual, Pontifical or Missal) presented to him with the words: "Receive and commit to memory and have power to impose hands on the possessed, whether baptized or catechumens", the acolyte, when he touches the symbols of his office (i.e., first the candle and candlestick, next the empty cruet), while the words are said: "Receive this candlestick and candle and know that you are deputed to light the lamps of the church, in the name of the Lord"; "Receive this cruet to furnish the wine and water for the Eucharist of the blood of Christ, in the name of the Lord." "Amen" should be added by the acolyte after each form.

(b) In the subdiaconate, ordination is given when the candidate touches the empty chalice and the paten (the Bishop saying: "See what a ministry is committed to you; I admonish you, therefore, so to conduct yourselves that you may be pleasing to G.o.d") and the Book of Epistles, such as Missal or Bible (the Bishop saying: "Receive the Book of Epistles and have power to read them in the holy Church of G.o.d, both for the living and for the dead. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost").

(c) Pope Pius XII in an official decree, an Apostolic Const.i.tution of Nov. 30, 1947 (see AAS, 40-5), determined the essential elements of ordination to diaconate, priesthood and episcopate. Formerly this had been a matter of discussion among theologians. In the diaconate ordination is given by the single imposition of the hands of the Bishop that occurs in the rite with the words of the "Preface," of which these are the essential: "Send into him, We ask, O Lord, the Holy Spirit, by which he shall be strengthened by the gift of Thy sevenfold grace for the faithful performance of the work of the ministry."

(d) The matter of the priesthood is the first imposition of hands of the Bishop which is made in silence. The form consists in the words of the "Preface" of which these are the essential and required for validity: "Give, we ask Thee, omnipotent Father, to this Thy servant the dignity of the priesthood . . ."

(e) In episcopal consecration the matter is the imposition of the hands of the consecrating Bishop; the form is the "Preface," the essential words being: "Fill out in Thy priest the fullness of the ministry . . . "

It is a disputed matter whether the episcopacy is a distinct Order from the priesthood or simply an extension of it. The common opinion favors the negative side and consequently maintains that the consecration of a Bishop is not sacramental. Accordingly, the supreme Order of Priesthood includes the simple priests or presbyters and the high priests or bishops. The episcopacy confers no new power in reference to the Eucharist, but it extends the character of the priesthood to new powers in reference to Christ's Mystical Body, the Church.

2781. The Minister of Ordination.--(a) For validity it is necessary that the minister be a consecrated bishop; but the Orders of ecclesiastical inst.i.tution (i.e., subdiaconate and Minor Orders) may be given by a priest authorized by law, or by special indult of the Apostolic See. Thus, Cardinals, Vicars and Prefects Apostolic, and Abbots have the power of conferring tonsure and Minor Orders from Canon 239.

(b) For lawfulness it is necessary that the consecrator of a bishop be the Pope or a bishop designated by him; that the ordainer to other ranks of the clergy be the proper bishop of the candidate (i.e., the bishop of his place of origin and residence or of his place of domicile), or a delegated bishop (i.e., the bishop who has received dimissorial letters from the proper bishop or religious superior). See Canons 951-967.

2782. The Special Duties of the Minister.-(a) As to the ordinandus, the ordaining prelate must be morally certain from positive arguments that the candidate is suitable according to the Canons; otherwise he would be guilty of a very grievous sin and would expose himself to the danger of sharing in the sins of others (I Tim., v. 22; Canon 973, n. 3).

(b) As to the ordination, the minister is bound to observe the law on time and place, and to follow carefully and exactly the ceremonies of his own Rite. If anything essential is omitted, it has to be supplied, absolutely or conditionally, according as there is certain or only doubtful lack. The omission of an accidental but notable ceremony (e.g., the anointing of hands) would be seriously culpable (Canons 1002-1009).

2783. The Recipient of Orders.--(a) For validity it is necessary that the recipient be of the male s.e.x, for the divine law has reserved sacerdotal and ministerial functions to men, and the church law has properly followed this example in regard to the Orders that are of church inst.i.tution; the recipient must be baptized, for without Baptism one has no capacity for other Sacraments; if he is an adult, he must have at least an habitual intention freely formed of receiving the Order to which he is raised.

(b) For lawfulness it is not sufficient that the recipient be in the state of grace, since Ordination is not merely a personal matter, but also a matter of great consequence to the whole Church. The recipient of Orders takes his place among the representatives and ministers of the Church, and therefore he should have the special qualities that fit him for his dignity and office. Intellectually, the ordinandus must be competent in theological and profane knowledge, and must have made a satisfactory course of studies (Canons 972, 1364 sqq., 589-591).

According to the Code, first tonsure should not be given before the study of theology has begun, Minor Orders may be given during the first and second years of theology, subdeaconship only towards the end of the third year, deaconship only after the beginning of the fourth year, and priesthood only after the first half of the fourth year (Canon 976).

Morally, the ordinandus should be of commendable life and have the internal and external excellence which is supposed by the Order he is to receive. Virtues to which the Pontifical especially exhorts clerics at their ordination are love and labor given to the Church and the things of G.o.d's house (porter), devotion to the Scriptures and sacred study (lector), conquest of pa.s.sion (exorcist), the light of good example and the self-sacrifice of good works (acolyte), temperance, vigilance, prayerfulness (subdeacon), liberality to the poor, chast.i.ty, fort.i.tude, zeal for preaching the word of G.o.d (deacon), elderliness in dignity, leadership in virtue, and justice in stewardship (priesthood).

No one should be admitted to a Sacred Order who is unable to overcome a serious habit of sin (especially _in materia turpi_), even though secret; and if there is doubt about amendment, a test during a suitable period of time should be made.

2784. Canonical Requirements for Ordination.--(a) Positive requirements are: proper age (that is, the twenty-first, twenty-second, and twenty-fourth years completed are necessary for subdeaconship, deaconship, priesthood, respectively); Confirmation should have been received before Ordination, for it is suitable that those who are to strengthen others in the faith should have the character of soldier of Christ; promotion from Order to Order should be from lower to higher in proper succession, that fitness may be shown in lesser offices before the greater are received; an interval must elapse between certain Orders, which will give to clerics the opportunity to exercise the powers they have received (e.g., between acolythate and subdiaconate a year, between subdiaconate and diaconate three months); the candidate for sacred ordination must have a t.i.tle or some canonical means of support (i.e., for secular clergy the t.i.tle of benefice, or patrimony or ministerial service; for religious the t.i.tle of profession, common life, etc.). The law allows certain dispensations from some of these requirements (Canons 974 sqq.).

(b) Negative requirements are freedom from certain disabilities introduced by the Church for the sake of the honor and dignity of the sacred ministry. Some of these disqualifications are of their nature permanent, and they are removed only by dispensation or by disposition of the law (e.g., in certain cases by cessation of the cause, or by baptism, or by religious profession), and these are known as irregularities; other disqualifications, which are of their nature temporary and cease with lapse of time or changes in circ.u.mstances, are known as simple impediments. The effect of disqualification is to make it unlawful to receive an Order, or to exercise an Order already received. Irregularities are produced either by deficiency or by delinquency, but the cause in either case must be certain; and, in case of delinquency, it must be a personal sin committed after Baptism, which is mortal, external, and consummated in act. The irregularities from defect are: illegitimate birth; mental imperfection (such as epilepsy, insanity, possession); bodily imperfection that makes one unsuited for the service of the altar, on account of mutilation (e.g., those who have lost hand or foot, or thumb or index finger), or of unsoundness (e.g., the blind, the deaf, the dumb, cripples, paralytics), or of very noticeable deformity that excites ridicule or horror (e.g., dwarfs, giants, noseless persons, those who are hunchbacked); successive bigamy, that is, the fact that one has been twice validly married, for St. Paul ruled that a cleric should be a man of not more than one wife (I Tim., iii. 2, 12; t.i.t., i. 5, 6); infamy of law, that is, the commission of certain crimes which the law declares infamous _ipso facto_ or after sentence (such as profanation of the Eucharist or of graves, violence done to the Pope or a Cardinal, duelling, simultaneous bigamy, and certain s.e.xual sins); partic.i.p.ation in capital punishment by p.r.o.nouncing (i.e., as judge or juryman) or executing the sentence of death. The irregularities from delinquency are: apostasy, heresy, schism; reception of Baptism from a non-Catholic; attempt at adulterous or sacrilegious marriage; voluntary homicide, coperation in an abortion, mutilation of self or of another, attempt to commit suicide; unlawful exercise of medicine or surgery by a cleric with fatal results; unlawful exercise of the powers of Major Orders by a cleric or layman. The simple impediments are found in the following: in those who may be weak in faith, namely, persons whose parents are non-Catholics, or who are themselves converts (I Tim., iii.

6); in those who are prevented by other occupations, namely, persons held by marriage, business forbidden to clerics, slavery, military service (II Tim., ii. 4); in those who are actually in bad repute before the community on account of misconduct (I Tim., iii. 7). See Canons 983-991.

2785. Duties of Ordinandi According to Canon Law.--(a) Before Ordination.--Application to the bishop must be made beforehand at an opportune time, and testimonials of Baptism, Confirmation, Orders already received, certificates of good character and studies, and letters from superiors testifying to freedom from impediments and general fitness must be presented. The candidate must undergo a special examination and make a spiritual retreat before the day of his ordination. The profession of faith is made before subdeaconship.

(b) During Ordination.--All the ceremonies should be observed, and especially the physical touching of the instruments (chalice and paten, etc.), which seems to be essential in Minor Orders and the Subdiaconate. In the imposition of the hands in the other Major Orders, the head of the subject should be touched physically, although even moral touch is sufficient for validity of the Sacrament (Pius XII, Apostolic Const.i.tution already cited). The law requires that the recipients of Major Orders receive Communion, and the obligations seems to be grave for the new priests, since they celebrate with the bishop.