The duty of pastors to administer the sacraments

All who have the cure of souls are bound in justice and in charity to administer the sacraments to the members of their flock when these need them or ask for them reasonably. The obligation is principally one of justice, and it arises from the implicit contract which those who have the cure of souls enter into on assumption of office. The obligation is a grave one if the subject is in extreme or grave necessity, and even when there is no grave necessity one who has the cure of souls would commit serious sin if he frequently refused the sacraments to those who ask for them reasonably. An occasional refusal in such cases would not be a grievous sin, as although the spiritual good of which they are unjustly deprived is considerable, yet the loss can without much inconvenience be made good at another time.

The obligation of justice is so strict that those who have the cure of souls are bound even at the risk of life to administer the sacraments to their flock in extreme or in grave necessity. This obligation, however, only extends to those sacraments which are necessary for salvation, such as Baptism and Penance; it does not extend to those which are not necessary, not even to the holy Eucharist, according to a very probable opinion. Mortal sin will be committed not only by frequent refusal of the sacraments to those who ask for them in a reasonable manner, but also by making one’s self difficult to approach and by an ungracious manner of yielding to reasonable requests, inasmuch as such methods deter the faithful from exercising their just rights.

Ministers of the sacraments who have not the cure of souls are bound in charity to administer the sacraments to such as are in extreme or grave spiritual necessity. This obligation is less strict than that which lies on those who have the cure of souls, so that those who have no such cure will only be bound at the risk of life to administer the sacraments which are necessary for salvation to those who are in extreme necessity. But in order that this grave obligation of charity may exist there must be moral certainty that the person in question is in extreme spiritual necessity, or in other words, that he is in proximate danger of damnation unless the sacraments be administered. There must also be a reasonable certainty that the attempt to administer the sacraments will be successful; it would be hard if a minister of the sacraments were bound to imperil his life for a mere probability of being able to help another in spiritual distress. Furthermore, before so grave an obligation can be imposed on anyone it must be morally certain that he who is in spiritual necessity is unable to help himself by making an act of contrition for his sins or of perfect love of God, and that there is no one else who is able and willing to succour him in his necessity. As all these conditions are seldom verified in any concrete case, it is apparent that those who have not the cure of souls will seldom be under a grave obligation of administering the sacraments to those who are in extreme necessity at the risk of life.

Duties of the Pastor in Reference to Confirmation.—(a) The pastor should instruct his people on the nature and advantages of Confirmation and should see to it that they receive the Sacrament in due time (Canon 787). He should also instruct his parishioners about the terms of Spiritus Sanctus. His power as extraordinary minister imposes an obligation per se grave to use it when the cases arise; excusing causes, however, are possible, and neglect in a single case would be only venial. At appointed times each year he should hold a continuous course of instructions over a period of several days in order to prepare the classes of children for the proper reception of Confirmation (Canon 1300).

(b) The pastor should see that the Confirmations of his parishioners are entered in a special book of record, and should also note in the baptismal register the fact of Confirmation (Canons 798, 470, n. 2).

215. • QUESTION 3º. Is someone held to expose life for ministering the aforesaid Sacraments with only probability of success or necessity?

Resp. It seems it must be denied, because it is too hard to demand an act so heroic for helping neighbor unless there is present a morally certain hope either of success or of necessity. Hence you are not held certainly to expose life for baptizing or absolving someone, if you probably ought to perish before you can fulfill this, or if you probably presume that he is baptized, or is not in the state of mortal sin, or even can easily succor himself by an act of perfect contrition. - Collet, Decalogue, c. 4, and St. Ligorius, lib. 2, n. 27.

216. You will resolve. - 1º Those having care of souls sin gravely, not only if without reason they deny their ministry, but also if they often show themselves slow and difficult; because in this way they deter the faithful from the Sacraments, and the matter comes back to the same point as if they denied the Sacraments.

2º Nevertheless it is not mortal to deny the Sacrament of Penance or of the Eucharist to one or another, or to the same person once or again, asking apart from necessity; because the damage can easily be repaired, nor is the subject for this reason judged gravely unwilling.

3º If subjects ask irrationally, there is no sin. Hence a parish priest is not held daily to spend time with a scrupulous person or with little devout women, since so frequent confession is not expedient for these, nor do they have a strict right to so frequent absolution.

4º If a Parish Priest has suitable Vicars, he will not be held so rigorously to receive the confessions of subjects; nevertheless he ought to satisfy the faithful requiring him by name, unless either he is impeded, or the penitents are willingly going to approach another Confessor.

5º Generally speaking, those carrying the care of souls sin gravely who are unwilling to receive the confessions of subjects except on a few determined days within the month; because they are the cause why the faithful remain long in the state of sin and are kept away from receiving the Sacraments. - See St. Ligorius, n. 58, and elsewhere throughout.

See more where the individual Sacraments are treated; and recall what was said about the office of Parish Priests in the Treatise on states, n. 113 and following.

72. Principle 1. Those upon whom the care of souls is incumbent by reason of office are bound from justice to administer the sacraments to their subjects who reasonably request them.

The reason is that, by undertaking their office, these pastors entered into a quasi-contract diligently to procure the spiritual salvation of their subjects. Now, the sacraments are most excellent and necessary means for obtaining spiritual salvation. By office, the duty of the care of souls with respect to their own subjects is incumbent upon bishops and other Ordinaries, pastors, vice-pastors, and clerical superiors of religious, but not upon simple priests or even, at least ordinarily, assistant pastors. But it is said: who reasonably request them. For whenever a certainly graver inconvenience arises for pastors of souls from administering a sacrament than arises for the faithful from its denial, there is then no obligation, at least no grave obligation, to acquiesce in the petition of the faithful. Otherwise, there is an obligation to administer the sacraments, which is the graver according as the harm arising for the faithful from the sacraments being denied is graver. If these things are kept before the eyes as a general rule, the following are easily understood.

73. Resolutions:

1. A pastor of souls does not sin if he sometimes denies the sacrament of penance to scrupulous persons and to others who request it importunately. The reason is that either no spiritual harm or only a slight one befalls those requesting from this denial; but a great inconvenience would arise for the pastor if he always had to acquiesce in petitions of this kind that have little foundation.

2. A pastor of souls sins who shows himself morose and difficult in administering the sacraments; who does not willingly visit the sick in order to administer the sacraments to them; who is altogether unwilling to hear confessions except on fixed days, for example, on Saturdays and vigils before feasts. The reason is that the faithful can reasonably be displeased with such modes of acting. There is added the fact that zeal in receiving the sacraments then gradually vanishes, with great harm to the faithful.

3. A pastor of souls does not sin if he administers the sacraments not by himself but through suitable vicars, provided, however, that no scandal arises therefrom and that at least the tacit consent of the superior is present. The reason is evident, because then no spiritual harm befalls the faithful.

4. A pastor of souls is bound, even with danger to life or other great temporal inconveniences, to administer the sacraments to the faithful who are situated in extreme spiritual necessity. For example, during a plague or another contagious disease he is bound to administer the sacrament of baptism or penance even with danger to life, according to the saying: "The good shepherd gives his life for his sheep."²⁷⁹ The same holds concerning the administration of extreme unction, if, however, the sick person certainly cannot receive the sacrament of penance.

5. Authors sharply dispute whether, in the same circumstances, a pastor is bound to administer Viaticum with danger to life. The affirmative opinion is truer, at least in practice, whatever may be said concerning the theoretical probability of the negative opinion. For the faithful would be gravely scandalized if, during a contagious disease, the pastor were unwilling to administer Viaticum to the dying. On October 26, 1576, Gregory XIII replied by rescript that a pastor is absolutely bound to administer baptism and penance; and thus he modified a decision of the Sacred Congregation of the Council issued fifteen days earlier, in which it was determined that during a plague pastors were bound to minister to their parishioners suffering from the plague only the two sacraments necessary for salvation, namely, baptism and penance.²⁸⁰

6. During a plague or another contagious disease a pastor can and must employ suitable precautions lest he himself be infected by the disease, for example, by giving Communion by means of a gilded spoon or by performing the anointings by means of a rod at the end of which there is a little cotton. Benedict XIV permitted this by a decree of the Holy Office on June 11, 1754, but he earnestly exhorted the Apostolic Vicar of Algeria to procure the administration of the Eucharist and extreme unction during the plague.²⁸¹ Lehmkuhl²⁸² rightly writes: "Excessive fear and excessive caution, whether on the part of the pastor or of other priests, is truly reprehensible, since the faithful, seeing so great a fear, will receive scandal rather than edification. Trust in God and remedies employed with sober prudence will sufficiently remove the danger. St. Charles Borromeo gave an altogether heroic example of charity when, himself the Archbishop of Milan, during the plague he took the lead in ministering the sacraments, and indeed approached the sick lying in hospitals so that he might confer not only the necessary sacraments but even confirmation itself."

²⁷⁹ John 10:11.

²⁸⁰ Cf. St. Alphonsus, Theol. mor., l. 6, n. 233. Benedict XIV treats this controversy at length, De syn. dioec., l. 13, c. 19.

²⁸¹ Collect. de Prop. Fide, n. 596, note.

²⁸² Theol. mor. II, n. 51.

74. Principle 2. Those who by reason of office are not pastors of souls are bound from charity to administer the sacraments to those reasonably requesting them; and this obligation is grave if grave scandal or great spiritual harm for the faithful arises from the administration being denied.

It is self-evident that priests who are not pastors of souls by office are not bound to administer the sacraments as strictly as pastors are. Nevertheless, the avoidance of scandal or the order of charity can also impose this obligation upon them. And first, scandal must be avoided; for no slight scandal arises if a priest refuses a sacrament to one reasonably requesting it; for example, if a confessor sitting in the confessional were to refuse to hear the confession of a poor man while admitting several rich persons. Then, the order of charity²⁸³ requires that we assist our neighbor who is situated in necessity. If he is situated in extreme spiritual necessity, a priest must administer the sacraments necessary for salvation even with danger to bodily life. It is self-evident that this obligation does not exist if another is present who can and wills to administer the sacrament. Therefore, for example, a simple priest is bound under grave sin to give absolution to a dying sinner rightly disposed if no other confessor willing or able to hear the confession is present.

As regards the baptism of a dying infant of non-Catholic or Jewish parents, even the hatred against the Church which would certainly arise seems to be a sufficient cause for a priest or layman to abstain from conferring baptism if the parents are vehemently unwilling.²⁸⁴ If the neighbor is situated in grave spiritual necessity, a priest is bound to administer the sacraments even with notable bodily inconvenience. Hence, for example, a confessor is bound to hear confessions even with some fatigue if otherwise the penitents must remain in the state of mortal sin for a notable time. In a light or common necessity of the neighbor, there is indeed no strict obligation to administer the sacraments to him; nevertheless, the priest is not to show himself difficult in administering the sacraments unless necessity or at least a reasonable cause demands it. On the contrary, let him always be ready to provide the faithful with such efficacious means of eternal salvation.

²⁸³ The order of charity and the diverse degrees of charity were discussed above, I, 579 sqq.

²⁸⁴ Thus also teach D'Annibale (Summul. II, 82 [3]); Vermeersch (Theol. mor. III, 199).

I say. Priests having the care of souls are bound under grave obligation from justice to minister the sacraments to their subjects reasonably asking. For by undertaking the care of souls, they have bound themselves to this by a tacit contract entered into with their subjects, from whom they receive sustenance or at least honor. But others not having the care of souls are not bound from justice to minister the sacraments; sometimes, however, they are bound from charity, namely in a grave necessity of the neighbor. - Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 58. Cf. Can. 467.

Question. Are any sacraments, and which ones, to be ministered even with danger of death, whether by those having the care of souls or by others?

Resp. Only two, namely Baptism and Penance. For, on the one hand, the eternal life of the neighbor must be valued more highly than the temporal life of the Minister of the sacraments, and, on the other, only the two aforesaid sacraments are necessary for salvation.

Observe, however, 1st. that those who have the care of souls are bound to expose life not only in extreme necessity, but also in grave necessity, while other Ministers are bound to this only in extreme necessity; 2nd. that this obligation ceases when only a probability of success or necessity is present. - Hence you are not bound to expose your life for baptizing or absolving someone if you probably must perish before you can fulfill it, or if you probably presume that he has been baptized, or is not living in the state of mortal sin, or even can easily provide for himself through an act of perfect contrition. - Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 58; and de praec. caritatis, n. 27.

You Will Resolve. 1st. The Pastor sins as often as he denies administering the Eucharist, whether by himself or through another, to those reasonably asking for it; but the sin does not exceed venial if this is done rarely and there is not grave scandal or grave sorrow of the one asking. The reason is that then neither grave injury nor grave damage is inflicted, and if damage is present, it can easily be repaired.

2nd. A Pastor is not held to administer the Eucharist to the dying with danger to his life, for example, in time of plague, because it is not an absolutely necessary sacrament. A fortiori other priests not having care of souls are not held to this. - Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 233.