Can a Melkite Priest do all the same things as a Latin Rite priest?

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thunderballs75

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Sorry for being a little ignorant. Can the Melkite Catholic priest bless any sacramentals (rosaries, scapulars) the same as any Latin Rite priest? Can he hear my confession? Also, are Eastern Catholic priests allowed to celebrate Mass? Thanks.
 
Yes, a Melkite Priest can celebrate Mass (which would be called Divine Liturgy) - in fact, a Latin Rite (or any other) Catholic can attend any Liturgy in any other Catholic Rite and fulfill his/her Sunday obligation. Likewise, that Melkite or other Catholic priest can celebrate Sacraments for you regardless of whether you are a Latin, Melkite, Maronite, Byzantine, or any other type of Catholic. A Latin Rite Catholic may attend a Melkite Liturgy and receive communion, and may have his/her confession heard by the Melkite priest. A few priests, including Fr Mitch Pacwa, have faculties to celebrate Mass according to 2 different Rites.

As for sacramentals, I suspect they could bless them, too, as I believe they can bless anything at their discretion - some of the Latin sacramentals just are not rooted in Melkite tradition.
 
Are you laboring under the impression that Melkite (and other Eastern Catholic) priests are somehow not “real” priests?
 
Cluny said:
Are you laboring under the impression that Melkite (and other Eastern Catholic) priests are somehow not “real” priests?
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Certainly not! I’m just not sure if they’d have a problem blessing Latin tradition sacramentals(rosaries/scapulars). And what I meant more of, was whether they are allowed to celebrate the Latin Rite Mass. I always thought they could administer the sacrament of reconciliation, I just wasn’t sure though because I assume their traditions are a little different.
 
That is decided on a personal basis between the priest’s bishops and the local heirarch, based on the personal knowledge of the other Church and her Rituals by the individual priest and the needs of the local community.

For example, Fr. Chrysostom Frank outside Denver has faculties to celebrate both the Russian Catholic Divine Liturgy and Roman Catholic Holy Mass, but Fr. Gerald down the street celebrates only the Roman Rite.

Usually, because of priest shortages in the US and Canada, most Eastern Catholic priests are given dual ritual (aka bi-ritual) faculties. However, this is not always the case.
 
The other thing to be aware of: any cleric can serve in the liturgy of any Catholic church, even without biritual faculties, provided he is not the primary celebrant and is vested per his incardinated church’s vestments.

I’ve seen Roman priests vested Roman while concelebrating the Ruthenian DL, and I’ve seen Ruthenian priests vested byzantine while concelebrating the Roman Mass.
 
thunderballs75 said:
Sorry for being a little ignorant. Can the Melkite Catholic priest bless any sacramentals (rosaries, scapulars) the same as any Latin Rite priest? Can he hear my confession? Also, are Eastern Catholic priests allowed to celebrate Mass? Thanks.
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…plus Eastern Catholic priests administer Confirmation, which occurs as part of the ritual of Initiation of an infant (Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist). Latin Catholic priests can not administer Confirmation. FYI.

U-C
 
Brendan said:
No, by the priest. The bishop is the preferred minister of the Sacrament, but a priest may do so as well.
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…but isn’t that the exception to the rule because some Latin Catholic bishops are too busy to schedule Confirmation visits?

U-C
 
thunderballs75 said:
Sorry for being a little ignorant. Can the Melkite Catholic priest bless any sacramentals (rosaries, scapulars) the same as any Latin Rite priest? Can he hear my confession? Also, are Eastern Catholic priests allowed to celebrate Mass? Thanks.
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The answer is yes they can bless sacramentals. Assuming you are being precise and saying “Mass” instead of “Divine Liturgy” for a reason the answer is “it depends.” In your city the Melkite priest has bi-ritual faculties and may celelbrate the Mass as well as the Divine Liturgy.

Any Catholic can receive any of the sacraments in any ritual church so, yes, a Melkite priest can hear your confession and grant absolution.

Deacon Ed
 
Ungcsertez said:
…but isn’t that the exception to the rule because some Latin Catholic bishops are too busy to schedule Confirmation visits?

U-C
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No, in fact Roman Canon Law requires that those who are being Baptized and are above the age of reason be Confirmed and Communicated. That then falls to the parish priest regardless of the bishops schedule.

Also, if a priest baptizes anyone who is in danger of death, he is also to Confirm if at all possible, regardless of age. If the priest encounters a road accident and does not have Holy Chrism, he is of course, exempt.

So it is not an exception to the rule, but is, quite literally, the rule.

Of course, in the Latin Church, the bishop desires to know his flock in a personal way, and thus often reserves Confirmation to himself. But priestly Orders (Latin or Eastern) certainly does configure the man to call forth the Sacrament.
 
Ungcsertez said:
…but isn’t that the exception to the rule because some Latin Catholic bishops are too busy to schedule Confirmation visits?

U-C
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Yes, the priest can confirm only in certain specific circumstances. The Norm is for the Bishop to confirm, but he can confer faculties to a priest, and that is for one time only. Other exceptions occur in the case of danger of death.
 
Ignatius said:
Yes, the priest can confirm only in certain specific circumstances. The Norm is for the Bishop to confirm, but he can confer faculties to a priest, and that is for one time only. Other exceptions occur in the case of danger of death.
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No, a priest is required by Canon Law to Confirm (and Communicate) when he baptizes anyone over the age of reason.

There is no permission or faculties required from the Bishop.
 
FWIW, a few years ago. Pope Benedict attended Divine Liturgy on the feast of St. Andrew in the Patriarchal Cathedral Church of St. George in Constantinople.

Whether he celebrated privately beforehand, I know not.

If he didn’t, you have the best precedent in the world.

And a friend of mine who went to Catholic schools BEFORE V2 said that he was taught that if he could not get to a Catholic Church, he could fulfill his Sunday mass obligation by attending an Orthodox Church.
 
Cluny said:
FWIW, a few years ago. Pope Benedict attended Divine Liturgy on the feast of St. Andrew in the Patriarchal Cathedral Church of St. George in Constantinople.

Whether he celebrated privately beforehand, I know not.

If he didn’t, you have the best precedent in the world.

And a friend of mine who went to Catholic schools BEFORE V2 said that he was taught that if he could not get to a Catholic Church, he could fulfill his Sunday mass obligation by attending an Orthodox Church.
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I’m afraid not. As the universal patriarch, the Pope is not incardinated to any one particular rite, but is the supreme authority of all rites. Therefore, he has faculties to celebrate all valid rites, in any place, at any time.
 
Toribus said:
I’m afraid not. As the universal patriarch, the Pope is not incardinated to any one particular rite, but is the supreme authority of all rites. Therefore, he has faculties to celebrate all valid rites, in any place, at any time.
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The comment “I’m afraid not” was directed at the statement “…you have the best precedent in the world”, not at the statement about fulfilling the Sunday Obligation at an Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy.

Catholics are required to attend Holy Mass on all Sundays and days of obligation. Their own rite is preferred, but any valid, licitly celebrated Catholic rite is permissible. An illicitly celebrated yet valid Catholic Mass (such as those offered by SSPX priests) also fulfil the obligation, though are obviously not preferred over Masses offered by priests in full communion.

Likewise, the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox churches is a validly offered Eucharistic sacrifice, consecrated and presented by a (presumably) validly ordained priest. Hence, if a valid and licit Catholic liturgy is unavailable, then the Orthodox or “not-quite-schismatic” SSPX liturgy will suffice.

If none of these are available, you are dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass - but not the obligation to keep the Lord’s Day holy.
 
The Pope did NOT concelebrate on this occasion. He simply wore his simar (mistakenly called a cassock) and perhaps mozetta, and sat on a throne in the north.
 
Brendan said:
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Ignatius:
Yes, the priest can confirm only in certain specific circumstances. The Norm is for the Bishop to confirm, but he can confer faculties to a priest, and that is for one time only. Other exceptions occur in the case of danger of death.
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a priest is required by Canon Law to Confirm … when he baptizes anyone over the age of reason.

There is no permission or faculties required from the Bishop.
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You keep claiming that, but don’t cite which Canon that you think that makes Confirmation by the priest the norm.
So, what is the canon that you’re citing?
 
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