Case 2. Short Form for Extreme Unction

The Sacred Office, asked to determine a short form for administering Extreme Unction in necessity, on April 26, 1906, decreed: “In a case of true necessity the following form suffices: By this holy anointing, may the Lord forgive you whatever you have sinned. Amen.” After this decree, some teach that in cases in which this form is employed, the anointing must afterwards be repeated conditionally according to the ritual form if time permits; others teach that this can be done but that no obligation to do the same is present; others maintain that it ought not to be done. Titius, however, a priest who, since he serves a public hospital, not rarely employs the short form, perplexed, inquires what he must do. Hence it is asked:

1. Before the said decree was issued, what did theologians teach about the essential form of Extreme Unction?

2. What did the same decree determine, and with what certainty?

3. What is to be said of the case?

Before the decree of the Holy Office, 26 April, 1906, what did theologians teach about the essential form of Extreme Unction?

The ritual form of Extreme Unction is: “ Per istam sanctam unctionem et suam piissimam misericordiam indulgeat tibi Dominus quidquid per visum, etc., deliquisti. Amen.” Theologians taught that in this form the words et suam piissimam misericordiam, sanctum Amen, did not belong to its essence. They did not agree as to whether the mention of the senses in special or at least general terms belonged to its essence. They differed also as to whether a single anointing was sufficient or not for the validity of the sacrament. Hence they taught that in a case of necessity Extreme Unction might be given conditionally with one form such as: Indulgeat tibi Deus quidquid per sensus deliquisti. Others required all the senses to be expressed in the single form. If the sick man survived, St. Alphonsus teaches that the anointing of each sense and the prayers were to be supplied.¹

1 St. Alphonsus, Theol. Moral., lib. vi, n. 710.

2. What did the decree determine and with what certainty?

The Holy Office was asked to determine a single short form for the administration of Extreme Unction to be used in case of death being imminent. It decided that the following form would be sufficient: “ In casu verse necessitatis sufficere formam: Per istam sanctam unctionem indulgeat tibi Dominus quidquid deliquisti. Amen.” This decree was confirmed next day by Pius X. Hence it determines authentically but not infallibly that in case of necessity it is not necessary to mention the different senses nor even one, and that one anointing under this general form is sufficient for the validity of the sacrament.

3. The case. This decree tells us what is sufficient for the validity of Extreme Unction in casu verae necessitatis, when there is not time to perform the full rite according to the Ritual. If the sick person thus anointed survives, and there is time to go through the Ritual form and prayers, then the case is one not contemplated in the decree. We think, then, that the first opinion mentioned is to be followed in practice, and that if time allows and the state of the sick person permits it, the sacrament should be given according to the form prescribed by the Ritual after this short form has been used. This is the opinion of the Redactor of the Acta Sanctae Sedis when the decree was issued. He says: “ But when the danger has ceased, especially if the sick person was unable to receive the other sacraments safely, the individual anointings upon the individual senses are to be repeated conditionally, under their own particular forms, and all the omitted prayers are to be added at once. This formula accords perfectly with the prescriptions of the Roman Ritual, and as far as the disposition of the recipient of the sacrament may be improved, contributes to obtaining a greater increase of grace.” (A. S. S., XXXIX, 275.)