Father Raymond J. de Souza is the editor in chief of Convivium magazine.
Father Raymond J. de Souza is the editor in chief of Convivium magazine.
Regarding confession and canon law in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic: If I get to confession, is there a chance it will be invalid?
Catholics can be at peace on that important canonical point.
The sacraments become more, not less, important in a time of distress.
That (is) why bishops who have restricted the public celebration of the sacraments have described the decision as “excruciating.”
A question has arisen that might disturb the peace of the Catholic faithful. If a bishop restricts, or even “suspends,” the sacraments, does that mean that a sacrament administered is invalid?
It’s not a theoretical question. The Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, had said that priests could administer the anointing of the sick by reciting the sacramental formula while someone else (a nurse) anointed the sick person with the oil. That separation of the two acts renders the sacrament invalid, which was clarified within days by the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. ….
Read more here: https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/sacraments-validity-amid-coronavirus