(By the way, kudos to those non-Catholic clerics who-unlike so many Catholic bishops and priests who are making no effort whatsoever-are doing their utmost to keep their churches open!) But since in many places, Catholics have absolutely no idea when they will once again be able to attend Catholic Mass and receive Catholic sacraments, this clearly suggests that it will be to their spiritual advantage to get them from a non-Catholic minister if and when they can. In theory, if bishops had stated up-front that the ban would last (let’s say) “only” a couple of weeks, it might be arguable that this should be endurable, and that Catholics shouldn’t actually need to receive the sacraments elsewhere. This too is a condition that is being met by the current situation, as many dioceses have illegally banned the faithful from receiving the sacraments indefinitely. Next, canon 844.2 states that necessity must require it, or true spiritual advantage must commend it. Likewise, if you’re located in a state where the government has imposed a “lockdown” that renders you unable legally to travel across town to meet a Catholic priest ( even if he otherwise is willing to help you!), you’ve met this condition of canon 844.2. If you are asking your Catholic priest for the sacraments and he is illegally refusing them to you “because the bishop said so,” or if the church is locked and you are trying to contact the priest, but nobody answers the phone or the door, that certainly fits the bill here. Let’s take this canon apart and see how it applies to our current questions.įirst of all, canon 844.2 only applies if it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister for these sacraments.
(We took a look at this canon already in a different context, in “ When Can Catholics Receive Communion at a Non-Catholic Service?”) The Latin term that is translated into English as “permitted” indicates that this is not only valid, but also licit-see “ How Do You Fix an Illicit Sacrament?” for more on the distinction between validity and liceity. It notes that whenever necessity requires it, or true spiritual advantage suggests it, and provided that danger of error or of indifferentism is avoided, Catholics are permitted to go to non-Catholic ministers for the sacraments of penance, Holy Communion, and anointing of the sick, if the Catholic Church holds that these sacraments are valid in their churches. After all, as has been discussed many times before in this space, this is their right.Ĭanon 844.2 is of direct relevance here, as it provides us with direction in those cases when it is impossible to receive the sacraments from a Catholic cleric. But if the Catholic clergy are illegally preventing them from doing so, as discussed in “ Do Bishops Have the Authority to Cancel Masses Completely?” and “ Can Priests Cancel Masses, and Say a Private Mass Instead?” it’s equally reasonable that Catholics begin looking for other places where they can find a valid Mass and valid sacraments. It only stands to reason that practicing Catholics want to attend Mass and receive the sacraments on a regular basis.
#SSPX SINGLES FULL#
Am I permitted to attend Mass? –SpencerĪ: Brooke and Spencer weren’t the only ones to submit queries like these in recent weeks, not by a long shot! As we Catholics know full well, these sorts of questions would probably not be raised at all, but for the mind-boggling spiritual situation that Catholics in huge portions of the globe currently find themselves in. The only liturgy left is a Sedevacantist church. Mass/Divine liturgy in my area has shut down. Every diocesan, Eastern Rite, Ordinariate, Orthodox, SSPX, etc. Does canon 844.2 apply to Sedevacantist chapels and churches? I understand I have no obligation to attend Mass but out of devotional reasons I would like to attend. Our pastors and our Archbishop have turned a deaf ear to our pleas that they utilize similar creative ways within the law to feed the flock, nor are they commenting upon any time at which they might allow the laity to return to Mass.
The SSPX priests are complying completely with the state law, yet are being creative enough to meet the needs of their flock at the same time. Q1: In these trying times when our Archbishop is denying the sacraments to the faithful, what do you think of attending Mass at the nearby SSPX church? It’s my understanding that currently all their sacraments excepting marriage are licit.
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