Are the ordained still restricted from performing surgical acts?

[Digitonomy]

Does Canon 18 of the Fourth Lateran Council remain in effect, or have these rules been superseded by newer regulations on this topic?
Fourth Lateran Council:

No subdeacon, deacon, or priest shall practice that part of surgery involving burning and cutting.

 

[Lorrie]

Sweet fancy Moses, I would hope so!! Need good spiritual advice/confession? Go to a priest. Need surgery/something burned off? Go to a physician.

 

[cameron_lansing]

Digitonomy:

Does Canon 18 of the Fourth Lateran Council remain in effect, or have these rules been superseded by newer regulations on this topic?

The tools of surgery (cutting, burning) and the means to alleviate pain have come a long way since the Lateran Council and so has the reputation of those practicing medicine. In part the Lateran legislation reflected a desire to not bring disrepute on the clergy.

However, earlier universal disciplinary laws such as this one which were not contained explicitly or implicitly in the 1917 code were abolished when it was issued (CIC 1917 c. 6). Yet, canon 139 §2 of the 1917 code required an apostolic indult for a cleric to be a surgeon or physician.

With the 1983 code though, the 1917 code itself was abrogated, and the subject matter of the former canon was completely reordered. On the basis of canon 6 in the new code, the prohibition ceased to be universal law.

Today, the means to regulate this would arise from canon 285 of the new code:

“§1. In accord with the prescriptions of particular law, clerics are to refrain completely from all those things which are unbecoming to their state. §2. Clerics are to avoid those things which, although not unbecoming, are nevertheless alien to the clerical state.”

So while universal law doesn’t prohibit clerics from these professions, a diocesan bishop, for example, could make a law for his diocese that would prohibit them, or he could forbid a particular cleric. He could believe there is a just cause to allow it in a particular case, and he does has the right and authority to assign his clergy, who are bound to obey his legitimate commands.

In point of fact, a number of permanent deacons do exercise medicine in their secular professions today, and this is totally lawful. It adds a special dimension to the healing arts they practice.

I do think the possibility that a bishop would permit a priest to do this is low however, since priests exercise the functions of ministry on a full time basis. They should be about the business of healing souls.

The subdiaconate, of course, has been suppressed in the Latin Church for a number of years. One becomes a cleric, not by tonsure as was formerly done, but by ordination to the diaconate.

 

[Brendan]

A Deacon I know of in our diocese is a Dentist, but then again the Lateran council didn’t mention anything about drills

 

[puzzleannie]

Deacon Cameron must have undergone a very thorough diaconate formation program in Michigan, your answers are always so complete and authoritative. we are blessed to haveyou, so is Mich. Go Spartans.

 

[stbruno]

In our diocese we have several physicians and even a neurosurgeon who are deacons…So I guess that rule does not apply to these ordained men. By the way, they are terrific deacons too! Praise God!

 

[a_cermak]

Loyola University Medical Center (and med school) was founded by the Jesuits and in the early days, I’m pretty sure some of the profs were S.J.s and if they were teaching it, I sure hope to goodness they had practised surgery. Most S.J.s are ordained (I’ve never met one that wasn’t a priest anyway or studying to be)

 

[Detroit_Sue]

Digitonomy:

Does Canon 18 of the Fourth Lateran Council remain in effect, or have these rules been superseded by newer regulations on this topic?

Whew! I’m glad to not see “chiropractor” in there, because my hubby is a deacon AND a chiropractor!