SACRAMENTUM ORDINIS
November 30, 1947
1.
The Catholic Faith professes that the Sacrament of Order instituted by
Christ, by which are conferred spiritual power and grace to perform properly
ecclesiastical functions, is one and the same for the universal Church; for,
just as Our Lord Jesus Christ gave to the Church but one and the same
government under the Prince of the Apostles, one and the same faith, one and
the same sacrifice, so too He gave her but one and the same treasury of
efficacious signs of grace, that is, Sacraments. For these Sacraments
instituted by Christ Our Lord, the Church in the course of the centuries
never substituted other Sacraments, nor could she do so, since, as the
Council of Trent teaches (Conc. Trid., Sess. VII, can. 1,
De Sacram, in genere), the
seven Sacraments of the New Law were all instituted by Jesus Christ Our
Lord, and the Church has no power over "the substance of the Sacraments,"
that is, over those things which, as is proved from the sources of divine
revelation, Christ the Lord Himself established to be kept as sacramental
signs.
2.
As regards the Sacrament of Order, of which We are now speaking, it is a
fact that, notwithstanding its unity and identity, which no Catholic has
ever dared to question, in the course of time, according to varying local
and temporal conditions, various rites have been added in its conferring;
this was surely the reason why theologians began to inquire which of the
rites used in conferring the Sacrament of Order belong to its essence, and
which do not; it also gave rise to doubts and anxieties in particular cases;
and as a consequence the humble petition has again and again been addressed
to the Holy that the supreme Authority of the Church might at last decide
what is required for validity in conferring of Sacred Orders.
3.
All agree that the Sacraments of the New Law, as sensible signs which
produce invisible grace, must both signify the grace which they produce and
produce the grace which they signify. Now the effects which must be produced
and hence also signified by Sacred Ordination to the Diaconate, the
Priesthood, and the Episcopacy, namely power and grace, in all the rites of
various times and places in the universal Church, are found to be
sufficiently signified by the imposition of hands and the words which
determine it. Besides, every one knows that the Roman Church has always held
as valid Ordinations conferred according to the Greek rite without the
traditio instrumentorum; so
that in the very Council of Florence, in which was effected the union of the
Greeks with the Roman Church, the Greeks were not required to change their
rite of Ordination or to add to it the
traditio instrumentorum:
and it was the will of the Church that in Rome itself the Greeks should be
ordained according to their own rite. It follows that, even according to the
mind of the Council of Florence itself, the
traditio instrumentorum is
not required for the substance and validity of this Sacrament by the will of
Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. If it was at one time necessary even for
validity by the will and command of the Church, every one knows that the
Church has the power to change and abrogate what she herself has
established.
4.
Wherefore, after invoking the divine light, We of Our Apostolic Authority
and from certain knowledge declare, and as far as may be necessary decree
and provide: that the matter, and the only matter, of the Sacred Orders of
the Diaconate, the Priesthood, and the Episcopacy is the imposition of
hands; and that the form, and the only form, is the words which determine
the application of this matter, which univocally signify the sacramental
effects - namely the power of Order and the grace of the Holy Spirit - and
which are accepted and used by the Church in that sense. It follows as a
consequence that We should declare, and in order to remove all controversy
and to preclude doubts of conscience, We do by Our Apostolic Authority
declare, and if there was ever a lawful disposition to the contrary We now
decree that at least in the future the
traditio instrumentorum is
not necessary for the validity of the Sacred Orders of the Diaconate, the
Priesthood, and the Episcopacy.
5. As to the matter and form in the
conferring of each Order, We of Our same supreme Apostolic Authority decree
and provide as follows: In the Ordination to the Diaconate, the matter is
the one imposition of the hand of the Bishop which occurs in the rite of
that Ordination. The form consists of the words of the "Preface," of which
the following are essential and therefore required for validity:
"Emitte in eum, quaesumus, Domine, Spiritum Sanctum, quo in opus ministerii tui fideliter exsequendi septiformis gratiae tuae munere roboretur."
In
the Ordination to the Priesthood, the matter is the first imposition off
hands of the Bishop which is done in silence, but not the continuation of
the same imposition through the extension of the right hand, nor the last
imposition to which are attached the words:
"Accipe Spiritum Sanctum: quorum
remiseris peccata, etc." And the form consists of the words of the
"Preface," of which the following are essential and therefore required for
validity:
"Da, quaesumus, omnipotens Pater, in hunc famulum tuum Presbyterii
dignitatem; innova in visceribus eius spiritum sanctitatis, ut acceptum a
Te, Deus, secundi meriti munus obtineat censuramque morum exemplo suae
conversationis insinuet."
["Grant,
we beseech Thee, Almighty Father, invest this Thy servant with the dignity
of the Priesthood; do Thou renew in his heart the spirit of holiness, so
that he may persevere in this office, which is next to ours in dignity,
since he has received it from Thee, O God. May the example of his life lead
others to moral uprightness."]
Finally in the Episcopal Ordination or Consecration, the matter is the
imposition of hands which is done by the Bishop consecrator. The form
consists of the words of the "Preface," of which the following are essential
and therefore required for validity:
"Comple in Sacerdote tuo ministerii tui summam, et ornamentis totius
glorificationis instructum coelestis unguenti rore santifica."
["Perfect
in Thy priest the fullness of thy ministry and, clothing him in all the
ornaments of spiritual glorification, sanctify him with the Heavenly
anointing."]
All
these things are to be done as was determined by Our Apostolic Constitution
"Episcopalis Consecrationis"
of 30 November, 1944.
6.
In order that there may be no occasion for doubt, We command that in
conferring each Order the imposition of hands be done by physically touching
the head of the person to be ordained, although a moral contact also is
sufficient for the valid conferring of the Sacrament.
Finally, what We
have above declared and provided is by no means to be understood in the
sense that it be permitted even in the slightest detail to neglect or omit
the other rites which are prescribed in the
Roman Pontifical; on the
contrary We order that all
the prescriptions laid down in the said
Roman Pontifical be
religiously observed and performed.
The provisions of this Our
Constitution have not retroactive force; in case any doubt arises, it is be
submitted to this Apostolic See.
These things We proclaim, declare,
and decree, all things to the contrary notwithstanding, even those worthy of
special mention, and accordingly We will and order that in the
Roman Pontifical they be
clearly indicated. Let no man
therefore infringe this Constitution which We have enacted, nor dare to
contravene the same.
Given at
AAS 40-5;
Pius XII, Apostolic Constitution, 30 Nov., 1947 Cf.
Periodica, 37-9 (
Source: AAS 40-5. Volume 3, Canon Law Digest, 1954