Section — Prümmer, Manuale Theologiae Moralis
§ 1. On communication with unbelievers and heretics
522. Distinctions. First of all, a twofold communication with heretics and unbelievers is distinguished: the one civil or profane, the other religious or in sacred things. Civil communication is had in matters pertaining to civil life, e.g. in commerce, cohabitation, and especially in continuous friendly conversation. Religious communication or communication in sacred things is had in matters pertaining to religion and worship. This again is twofold: positive, when a Catholic participates in heretical or unbelieving worship, e.g. when a Catholic receives the Protestant supper; negative, when a non-Catholic participates in Catholic sacred ceremonies or spiritual goods, e.g. when a heretic assists at the sacrifice of Mass. Positive religious communication is again distinguished as twofold: formal and material. The first is present when a Catholic participates in non-Catholic worship with the true intention of worshiping God according to the manner of non-Catholics. The other communication, namely material, exists if a Catholic only externally assists for sufficient reasons, without inwardly or positively wishing properly to participate in heterodox worship. This communication is called in the Code of Canon Law (c. 1258, § 2) passive and material assistance.
523. General rules. 1. Civil communication between Catholics and non-Catholics (whether heretics or unbelievers) is now not prohibited by ecclesiastical law;46 often, however, from natural and divine law it is illicit, as being full of dangers of perversion.
It is established by experience that from such civil communication (at least if it is frequent and familiar) there arise doubts about faith, indifferentism, and other manifold inconveniences, indeed not rarely total defection from the Catholic faith. Therefore unless some necessity or great utility compels, that communication is to be avoided according to the admonition of St. Paul: "Avoid a heretical man."47 Hence parents should take care that sons and daughters not have special familiarity with non-Catholic companions. Likewise, unless true necessity exists, Catholic workers should not give their name to so-called interconfessional societies (interkonfessionelle Gewerkschaften).48
46 Civil communication with pagan unbelievers was never prohibited by ecclesiastical law; but communication with Jews and heretics in antiquity was forbidden, and indeed communication with notorious heretics under the penalty of minor excommunication (cf. c. 2, X 2, 25; c. 31, X 5, 39). - Martin V (Const. "Ad evitanda," 1418) permitted civil communication with tolerated excommunicates and excluded from this communion only excommunicates to be avoided and public assailants of clerics. According to present discipline an even milder practice obtains, since civil communication even with excommunicates to be avoided is licit, provided, however, a reasonable cause is present (Cod. iur. can. c. 2267). - According to the old ecclesiastical discipline Christians could not cohabit with Jews in the same house, nor be present at their banquets, use a common bath, serve them, employ them as physicians, and Christian women were prohibited from being nurses of Jewish infants. These prohibitions indeed were very good, but the Church never persecuted the Jews, as modern Antisemitism does.
47 Tit. 3, 10.
48 Pius X, "Singulari quadam," September 24, 1912.
524. 2. Negative religious communication with heretics (except excommunicates to be avoided), speaking generally, is licit.
The reason is that from such communication prudently admitted, not inconveniences but rather precious advantages are accustomed to arise. Therefore non-Catholics can be present at Catholic sacred ceremonies, e.g. they can assist at Mass, hear sermons in our churches, etc. Indeed the Church desires that non-Catholics devoutly be present at our religious functions; for in this way, seeing the beauty of our worship, they will more easily be converted to the true religion. Nevertheless non-Catholics cannot publicly participate in the sacraments, in sacramentals, in indulgences, and in other graces, because favors of this kind are not conceded except to true members of the Church. But nothing prevents non-Catholics from privately receiving sacramentals, blessings, e.g. holy water, blessed medals, etc.,49 provided abuse is guarded against.
49 Cod. iur. can. c. 1149, 1152.
525. The following statutes of ecclesiastical law are to be noted:
a) A heretic cannot validly be admitted as sponsor in baptism; indeed baptism is rather to be administered without a sponsor than with a heretical sponsor.50 But nothing prevents a heretic from being present at baptism, e.g. as a witness.
b) With a grave cause being added and scandal being absent, non-Catholics can be witnesses in the marriage of Catholics.51 But "it is illicit in sacred functions to invite heretics into the choir, to sing alternately, to give them the peace, sacred ashes, blessed candles and palms, and other things of this kind of external worship, which are rightly and deservedly judged signs of an interior bond and agreement, both in an active sense, namely by giving similar things to them, and in a passive sense, by receiving them from them in their sacred rites."52 Today a milder discipline is in force concerning sacramentals.
c) It is not permitted to non-Catholics to carry torches or lights at liturgical functions,53 nor to be enrolled in confraternities or pious associations.54
d) The custom of employing non-Catholic singers in liturgical chant the Holy Office on May 1, 1889, declared to be an abuse to be removed;55 but on January 24, 1906, taking account of peculiar circumstances, it permitted schismatic girls together with Catholics to sing in the parish church at ecclesiastical functions and especially at exposition and benediction with the Most Holy Sacrament.56
e) After solemn Mass and at benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament it is licit to sing publicly for the king of England: "Lord, save our king," etc., and to pray for him by name.57 Likewise the bishop and clergy can accompany a non-Catholic king to a Catholic church, provided the king does not mingle himself with Catholic prayers and rites.58
f) If a Catholic organist is lacking, a non-Catholic musician can temporarily be admitted to the office of organist in a church, provided the danger of scandal is removed.59
From all these decisions it appears that the Church without great difficulty sometimes permits to heretics negative communication in our sacred ceremonies, provided scandal is absent.
50 Holy Office, June 27, 1900 (Anal. eccl. IV [1901] 14); Holy Office, May 3, 1893 (Collect. de Prop. Fide n. 1831). Cod. iur. can. c. 765, n. 2.
51 Holy Office, August 19, 1891 (Collect. de Prop. Fide n. 1765).
52 Holy Office, June 22, 1859 (ib. n. 1176).
53 Holy Office, November 20, 1850 (ib. n. 1053).
54 Cod. iur. can. c. 693.
55 Cf. also Holy Office, June 30 and July 7, 1864 (ib. n. 1257).
56 Collect. de Prop. Fide n. 1703 and 2227.
57 February 23, 1820 (ib. n. 739).
58 Holy Office, June 22, 1864 (ib. 1256).
59 Holy Office, February 23, 1820 (ad 3).
526. 3. Formal communication in sacred things, positive and active, is by no means licit.
The Code of Canon Law c. 1258, § 1 has these words: "It is by no means licit for the faithful in any way actively to assist or to have a part in the sacred rites of non-Catholics." For often such positive assistance is nothing other than a denial of the Catholic faith through internal and external profession of a false religion. Hence, e.g., it is not licit to perform circumcision according to the manner of the Jews; but it is licit to procure a surgical operation similar to circumcision for the sake of health.
Even when denial of faith is absent, communication of this kind is prohibited, a) because often there is present danger of perversion; b) because scandal easily arises for the faithful; c) because at least some external approbation of heretical worship is included in such communication. Hence the following decisions of the Holy Office were issued:
a) It is absolutely not licit, either by oneself or through others, to perform the office of sponsor in baptisms which are administered by heretics to the children of heretics.60 The reason is obvious. For the sponsor offers the one to be baptized for baptism and therefore in the case would offer the infant to a heretical minister, which certainly is not licit. Besides, the sponsor must according to his powers take care that the baptized person be educated in the Catholic faith; which would be impossible for him. But it is licit that a Catholic be a witness in a non-Catholic baptism, because this seems to be nothing other than a civil function.
b) It is not licit to contract marriage before a non-Catholic minister; moreover he who nevertheless does this incurs an excommunication reserved to the Ordinary.61 The Holy Office on January 14, 1874, declared that it can be tolerated that Catholics be present at heretical marriages and also mixed marriages contracted before a non-Catholic minister only for the sake of a civil office, "scandal and every danger of perversion and contempt of ecclesiastical authority being removed."62
c) It is licit that Catholics be present at the funerals of heterodox persons,63 provided there is no question of those merely civil obsequies "from which, for the display of unbelief and in contempt of religion, every sacred rite and minister is deliberately excluded."64 But those Catholics act gravely illicitly and are suspect of heresy who call a non-Catholic minister to perform the funeral of a Catholic parent or relative deceased, to whom ecclesiastical burial has been denied, e.g. on account of cremation of the body.
d) It is not licit in the churches of heretics, when false worship is exercised there, to play the organ,65 or to pray and sing, although in the prayers and songs nothing heretical is found.
e) Religious sisters serving in the care of the sick cannot call a minister of false religion for a non-Catholic sick person who has requested the same minister,66 but they must conduct themselves passively. For in those cases it is better that the religious sister help the sick person to elicit an act of contrition than that she call a non-Catholic minister, who has no power of administering the sacraments. But if the sick person absolutely demands that the non-Catholic minister be called and great inconveniences arise from refusal made by the sister, then the religious sister can by herself or through another person announce this desire of the sick person to the non-Catholic minister. The reason is that such an announcement is only an action indifferent in itself, which it is licit to posit from a reasonable cause.67
f) From a grave cause the bishop can permit so-called simultaneity, i.e. that Catholic rites be performed in a church which also serves a heterodox rite. Thus in Jerusalem in the church of the Holy Sepulchre all sects perform their rites. Certain cautions, however, are customarily attached in such simultaneity.68
g) It is licit to swear by touching and kissing the Bible of heretics, as is the custom in England.69
h) Catholic pupils who in Russia were being compelled together with non-Catholic pupils to participate in non-Catholic rites, to kiss the cross presented by a non-Catholic minister, to genuflect, to receive blessed loaves, etc., were bound according to their powers to abstain from all these things, but they could be left in good faith if, having been admonished, they did not avoid these actions on account of the necessity imposed on them.70
i) It is prohibited to laymen to dispute publicly with heretics about matters of faith, since from disputes of this kind rarely does anything good, but most often something very bad, come forth.71 But Catholics provoked to this can indeed have private disputations, i.e. before a few hearers, about faith with heretics, but not public ones without express permission of the Supreme Pontiff, or, if the case urges, of the local Ordinary.72
60 Holy Office, May 10, 1710 and July 7, 1864 (Collect. de Prop. Fide n. 478 and 1257).
61 Cod. iur. can. c. 2319.
62 Collect. de Prop. Fide n. 1410. Cf. also Cod. iur. can. c. 1258, § 2. Wherefore in these cases and under these conditions it is licit for Catholics to perform the office of maid of honor, etc., commonly bride's-maid or best man.
63 Cod. iur. can. c. 1254, § 2.
64 Holy Office, May 11, 1892.
65 S. C. de Prop. Fide, June 19 and July 8, 1889 (Collect. n. 1713).
66 Holy Office, December 19, 1898 (ib. n. 2030).
67 Thus also Genicot, Cas. consc. I, 204. Indeed Lehmkuhl (Theol. mor. n. 810-811) thinks that from a wholly grave cause it is licit that a sister can, in similar circumstances, prepare for a non-Catholic minister the table on which he wishes to perform his rite, and during the rite itself present the utensils, bread, and wine. - Yet not all these things seem to be admitted. Certainly a sister can prepare the table, because this is an indifferent action, but during the heretical rite itself she cannot licitly minister actively, because this is proximate cooperation in the heretical rite itself, which does not seem to be licit. For if it is not licit in the churches of heretics, when false worship is exercised there, to play organs, a fortiori it seems illicit to cooperate so proximately in the Protestant supper. Besides, according to the prescription of the Holy Office repeated several times, sisters must conduct themselves passively in such a case. Is to cooperate so proximately to conduct oneself passively?
68 Cf. Holy Office, June 5, 1889 (Collect. n. 1707).
69 Holy Office, February 23, 1820 (ib. n. 739).
70 Holy Office, April 26, 1894 (ib. n. 1868).
71 c. 2, V, 2 in VI. If, however, there is hope of fruit either in those provoking or in the hearers, a layman can privately dispute with heretics to defend the Catholic faith.
72 Cod. iur. can. c. 1325, § 3. On the unhappy result of several religious disputations see Wetzer and Welte, Kirchenlexicon, s.v. "Disputation."
527. 4. Material communication, which is by accident and passive, is licit, provided a sufficient cause is present.
The reason is that such communication is an action honest in itself or at least indifferent, to which it happens that it is joined with some heterodox rite.
Hence the following actions are licit for a Catholic, provided sufficient reasons are present and scandal is absent: to visit churches of heretics for looking at paintings, statues, and other works of art, or for listening to music; to hear, when occasion is given, sermons of heretics, if danger of perversion is absent (nevertheless in practice in this case every danger of perversion is in reality rarely absent, even if such a sermon is heard by means of the new invention which is called "Radio"); to assist at other liturgical functions, if a sufficient cause is present. Thus, e.g., soldiers or pupils who are led in a group to such functions and cannot withdraw without grave inconvenience assist licitly. On this matter the Holy Office teaches on January 13, 1818:73 "To go to the churches of heretics is an act indifferent in itself, which becomes evil only from an evil end or from circumstances. Namely it becomes evil: 1. if someone goes to them with the intention of assisting at the sacred functions of heretics; 2. or even without such intention, if the entrance itself into the churches of heretics brings in, or seems to bring in, some communication with heretics in divine things, and hence gives occasion of scandal; 3. or if such going is ordered by a heretical government as a protestation of the same faith and religion between Catholics and non-Catholics; 4. or if each is commonly regarded as a token of one and the same communion of Catholics and non-Catholics."
Note. Since today almost innumerable cases can happen in which Catholics communicate with heretics, and since it is not easy to determine in each case whether licit or illicit communication is present, the rules concerning the indirect voluntary must be kept before one's eyes: It is licit to posit an action from which a double effect follows, one good and the other bad, if the action is honest in itself or indifferent, if a sufficient cause is present, and the bad effect is not intended. Especially also to be guarded against are both danger of perversion and scandal of one's neighbor. From these things said it follows that it is not licit to infer, e.g.: Visiting a Protestant church is licit in such a place and for such a person. Therefore the same thing is licit for anyone and in any place. It belongs to a prudent man, and especially to a confessor or bishop, to judge whether in a particular case all the conditions necessary for rendering some communication with heretics licit are present.
73 Collect. de Prop. Fide n. 727.