Monday, October 24, 2005
Get The Terminology Straight, Please
EWTN and CWN fumble this one.
The E's headline:
VATICAN RELEASES NOTE BARRING DEACONS, LAITY FROM ADMINISTERING LAST RITES
Picking up a Catholic World News story the Vatican's been sitting on for eight months: "A Vatican document that was approved in February, indicating that only priests should administer the last rites, was made public on October 21." A few things ... St Blog's Catholics whine and wince when the secular media can't get the Catholic stuff straight. Just for the record: - The sacrament of the anointing of the sick is not last rites, though a dying person may be anointed. - Communion for the dying is called viaticum. And a question about this "friendly reminder" ... why did the Vatican sit on this for eight months? It's not really as if deacons and lay people don't know about the restrictions on presiders for these sacraments. I understand conservatives want their own churchspeak just like the liberals, but sheesh, at least get your sacraments straight when you invent your own lingo. This is embarassing.
