§ III. On the Faith and Probity of the Minister

1220. Principles. - I. For the value of the Sacraments neither faith, nor probity, or state of grace, is required in the Minister. It is clear: 1° from the perpetual practice and tradition of the Church, which has never wished those baptized by heretics and the wicked to be rebaptized. It is clear: 2° from the definition of the Church. - Trent.¹

II. For the licit administration of the Sacraments, however, faith and probity are required in the Minister, at least if he has been consecrated for conferring Sacraments, and confects solemnly, i.e. with the whole rite prescribed by the Church. Therefore he sins gravely who ministers Sacraments in mortal sin; for a Minister destitute of faith, or unworthy, inflicts grave injury on God and Christ, by treating sacred things unworthily, and, as much as is in him, by contaminating them. Moreover, since the Minister of the Sacraments represents Christ, the primary Minister, who is the Saint of saints, and bears his person, it is necessary that he himself also be holy.

1221. Questions. - Query 1° Does a Minister sin gravely who confers a Sacrament in mortal sin, in a case in which he has not been specially ordained or consecrated for this, for example, if a woman ministers Baptism in the state of sin?

Resp. Negatively, probably; because the obligation of having holiness in a Minister does not arise precisely from the very holiness of Christ and of the Sacrament according to itself, but from the consecration of the Minister for conferring the very holiness of Christ and of the Sacrament. - Billuart,¹ St. Thomas,² and many others.

Yet not a few others affirm, both on account of the reason diametrically opposed to the negative sentence, namely on account of reverence due to Christ, whose minister also in this case is a lay person, although he is not a minister of the Church, and on account of the Sacrament, since here too sacred things, and indeed in a grave matter under grave obligation, are being handled. Thus Collet, Lacroix, Lugo, etc. - St. Alphonsus adheres to the affirmative sentence as intrinsically and by far more probable.³

Query 2° Does a priest, or consecrated Minister, sin gravely when he ministers indeed a Sacrament in mortal sin, but not solemnly, for example, Baptism without ceremonies in a case of necessity?

Resp. It is disputed, as in the preceding question; but St. Alphonsus adheres to the affirmative.⁴

Query 3° Does a Minister sin gravely in mortal sin, if grave necessity urges?

Resp. Negatively, speaking rigorously, namely if the danger is so urgent that no time is allowed for an act of contrition to be elicited by him. But this hypothesis must generally be denied. Moreover, a Minister conscious of mortal sin is not excused who can foresee such a case of necessity, as a Pastor and others (for example, priests exercising the care of souls subsidiarily, or ministering in large hospitals or in camps), who by office are bound to minister the Sacraments, and by an almost special obligation are held to remain habitually in the state of grace.⁵ Resolve the same concerning midwives.

1222. - Query 4° Does he sin who, outside the celebration of Mass, ministers the Eucharist in mortal sin?

Resp. Affirmatively, probably. The reason is, because grave injury is done to the Most Holy Eucharist. For although he does not act as an efficient cause in confecting the Sacrament, nevertheless he is its dispenser, and for this is specially consecrated, and he undertakes a ministry by which he cooperates immediately in sanctification (n. 219. § Otherwise).¹

Query 5° Do they sin who in mortal sin touch or carry the Most Holy Eucharist, whether mediately or immediately?

Resp. It is disputed. There is a threefold probable sentence:

I. It affirms in each case, because the thing is most holy, or the Body of Christ, which they handle unworthily. St. Alphonsus calls this very probable.²

II. It denies, because here there is no administration of a Sacrament, nor does matter so grave appear that it would induce mortal sin. - Thus Lacroix,³ Salmant.,⁴ Busemb.,⁵ and St. Alphonsus says that this is not improbable.⁶

III. It thus distinguishes: They who immediately touch the Most Holy Eucharist in mortal sin do indeed sin gravely, but not they who touch mediately. The reason is repeated from the very diverse grade of irreverence between the first and second case. - Thus Billuart.

1223. - Query 6° Do they sin gravely who exercise other sacred functions in mortal sin?

Resp. Negatively; because all other exercises of Orders besides the confection and administration of Sacraments do not seem to require holiness under grave obligation, since they are not proximately ordered to the sanctification of the soul. - Thus more commonly and more probably Salm., Mazzotta, and St. Alphonsus says that this is sufficiently probable.¹ - Nevertheless a preacher exercising from office is with difficulty excused from mortal sin, who from office preaches, and inveighs against that very vice of which he is publicly defamed, since the scandal impedes the fruit of doctrine.²

Query 7° Is a Minister confecting a Sacrament held to confess beforehand, if he is guilty of mortal sin?

Resp. 1° Affirmatively, if there is question of the celebration of Mass, and the availability of a confessor is not lacking to him; because all the faithful who are guilty of mortal sin and about to communicate must first make Confession, from the Decree of Trent.³

Resp. 2° But negatively, more probably, if there is question of other Sacraments; because by no law is he obliged to Confession; and therefore it suffices that he elicit an act of contrition.⁴

1224. - Query 8° Does he sin gravely who hears Confession in mortal sin, but does not absolve, or with the purpose of eliciting contrition before he absolves?

Resp. Negatively, more probably; because a confessor, by hearing Confession, does not confect the Sacrament.⁵

Query 9° How many sins does a confessor commit by absolving several penitents successively in mortal sin?

See the response at n. 219.