Article IV: On Those for Whom the Sacrifice Can Be Offered

S. Th. III, q. 79, a. 3; Suppl., q. 71.

354. Principle I. The sacrifice of the altar is offered in the name of the Church, or of the society of the faithful, by Christ, the head of this society; whence it is offered directly for the good of the faithful and of their society, namely, for its conservation and propagation, and thus indirectly for others, namely, that by their conversion the Church may be increased.

Therefore the general fruit directly profits 1. all living faithful, i.e., all members of the body of the Church which belong to the communion of saints, and 2. the faithful departed, under which name there do not indeed come the damned, such as unbaptized infants, who do not belong to the Church, nor the Saints: for to these and to those the sacrifice does not profit, - but a) all baptized deceased who are in purgatory, although on earth they adhered to heresy or schism: for with the obstacle of adhesion to their sect removed, they now belong perfectly to the Church, and are of those who have preceded us with the sign of faith; indeed b) also probably all who, though not baptized, are in purgatory, because they belong to the Church in the manner in which it exists in purgatory, and are simply of the mystical body of Christ: for in purgatory the distinction between the body and soul of the Church is lacking.

That the sacrifice is offered for the dead is proved both by the example of the Old Law (II Macc. XII, 43), and from tradition, which is established by the Liturgies, the Fathers¹ (n. 342), and the sense and practice of the Church; and also from the definition of faith by the Council of Trent, sess. 22, c. 2, can. 3, and sess. 25, de purg., confirming the doctrine of the Council of Florence, decree of union.

¹ There can be compared: Did. ap. VI, 59; Tertullian, de cor., 3; de exh. cast., 11; de monog., 10; Cyprian, ep. 66, n. 2; Cyril of Jerusalem, c. XXIII, n. 8-10; Chrysostom, hom. 3 in Phil., n. 4; hom. 21 in Acts, n. 4; Epiphanius, anacephal. II; Ambrose, de off. I, 48; Augustine, in Hept., q. 57, n. 4; conf. IX, 12.

355. Principle II. The Church generally and regularly does not pray except for the faithful and for the conversion of others; exceptionally, however, it sometimes prays for others and for goods of theirs of whatever kind. - Thus for catechumens, heretics, schismatics, unbelievers, or a nation or homeland of unbelievers, as is established both by examples of the Old Law (I Esdr. VI; II Macc. III), and from the doctrine of the Apostle (I Tim. II, 1 sq.), and from the history of the Church.

It can also pray for them through the sacrifice of the Mass, and similarly the priest has the power of offering for them and applying the special fruit for them; in which cases Christ too would pray for them, unless perhaps they placed an obstacle.

356. Principle III. The priest validly applies the sacrifice to whomever he wishes, living or dead, provided that this person is not incapable; nevertheless not licitly, because the Church prohibits certain applications.

According to the discipline now in force, the following is prohibited:

1. Public application, such as can be known to the community from an announcement made, or from the nature of the thing, as in a funeral Mass and a sung anniversary:

a) for any living excommunicated persons (can. 2262), because the effect of the censure is privation of the public suffrages of the Church;

b) for the deceased to whom ecclesiastical burial was denied (can. 1241).

Such are unbelievers (catechumens excepted), notorious apostates, those notoriously addicted to a heretical or schismatic sect or to the Masonic sect or to others of the same kind, those excommunicated or interdicted after sentence, those who ordered their body to be handed over to cremation, public and manifest sinners. But if in doubt the Ordinary has granted ecclesiastical burial to any of these, a public Mass can also be said.

2. Private application, namely, one which is made secretly and hiddenly, and is known only to the priest or to one or another person, is prohibited for excommunicated persons to be avoided, unless for their conversion (can. 2262, § 2, 2).

Therefore privately it is now licit for all, faithful and unbelievers, even heretics and schismatics, living and dead, also with a stipend accepted, or according to their intention, to apply, scandal nevertheless being excluded (S. Off., July 12, 1865), and only excommunicated persons to be avoided being excluded. Whence can. 809: "It is permitted to apply Mass for any persons whatever, both living and also the dead expiating admitted faults by the fire of purgatory, with due regard for the prescription of can. 2262, § 2, n. 2," in which it is said: "Priests are not prohibited from applying Mass privately and with scandal removed for an excommunicated person (such as by can. 2314, § 1 a heretic and schismatic is judged to be); but, if he is to be avoided, only for his conversion."

357. Corollaries. - 1. A priest is not prohibited from praying privately for an excommunicated person, even one to be avoided, also during the memento of the Mass.

2. An application made against the prohibition of the Church, although illicit, nevertheless is valid; whence a priest who has accepted a stipend for such an application, once the application has been made, is not bound to restitution.