|
Hi, Robert —
Thanks for the question.
You said:
Many times, in
the past, a priest would tell you
to wait until he went and got this
stole, as it was not possible to
proceed without it.
- Are the sacraments
valid if he does not wear this?
Yes, if a priest does not wear his
stole for the sacrament of Confession,
it is still valid.
For a Confession to be valid:
- the priest must be validly ordained
- use the correct matter and form
for the sacrament.
the correct
matter for the sacrament
of Confession are the acts of
the penitent.
Under this category, the Catechism
states:
1450 "Penance requires
. . . the sinner to endure all
things willingly, be contrite
of heart, confess with the lips,
and practice complete humility
and fruitful satisfaction."
- the correct
minimum form for
the sacrament of Confession
are the words of absolution
that are administered by
the Confessor:
The longer form, which has the
minimum form in it, is in CCC
1449 below.
There is no reason why every priest
should not have this longer form
memorized.
God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and the resurrection
of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among
us
for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I
absolve you from your sins
in the name of the Father, and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
For each sacrament of the Church
there is a one form (words) and one
matter (what's used to perform the
sacrament). For any sacrament to
be valid:
- the priest must be validly ordained
- use the correct form and matter
for the sacrament, and
- have the intention to do what
the Church wants him to do for
that sacrament
You said:
- Also, what
are the rules on this, both
the old ones and new ones?
The rules for the sacrament of Confession,
as with the other sacraments, can
be found in the Code of Canon Law.
- The older version was first promulgated
in May 1917.
- The newer version was promulgated
by Pope John Paul II in January
1983.
Here is a link to the current 1983
Vatican version:
Hope this helps,
Mike
|
