Does a Priest need permission to say Mass?

[CuriousAlan]

My cousin claims that after ordination, a priest must directly ask a Cardinal,

“Your Eminence, do I now possess the freedom to offer the sacrifice of the Mass?”

My cousin then says the Cardinal would then confirm that he is free to say Mass.

I find this claim really odd and cannot find any literature on it at all on the web. I have never ever heard of this rule and I am curious as to why it would even be one. I always figured once a priest is ordained, he is free to say Mass without consent of a Cardinal.

 

[CuriousAlan]

bump

 

[landon13]

Maybe that is just a traditional formality asking the Cardinal for permission to celebrate Mass for a one time thing. It would make more sense to me, however, for it to be ask a bishop.

God bless!

 

[Viola_Incognita]

I don’t know about asking a Cardinal, but I do know that priests need what are called “faculties” to celebrate the sacraments. I believe that these are conferred by their Bishop. Priests can have their faculties taken away.

Here is an article on New Advent on “Canonical Faculties”
newadvent.org/cathen/05748a.htm

Perhaps someone else knows sources from Canon Law.

May Christ’s peace be with you.

 

[commenter]

How does a priest’s “faculties” differ from his “incardination”? Are faculties and incardination a one-time process, or can they be renewable or not renewed each year?
For instance, if a priest belongs to a religious order, and serves in one diocese this year, does he need approval of the bishop of a new diocese before he can serve there next year? What is that approval called?

I am curious about this as there have been religious order priests reportedly not orthodox; I wonder if it were to come about that no bishop wanted him to serve in his diocese, would he essentially have to be inactive, even if his order allowed him to serve?

 

[aemcpa]

No, a priest does not need permission from a cardinal. “Incardination” has nothing to do with a cardinal, except that they share a Latin root word. Incardination is simply the legal process by which a priest is bound under the jurisdiction of a particular bishop and his successors. A priest must have faculties from his bishop to licitly say Mass publicly, but a Mass celebrated by a priest is valid with or without faculties.

 

[InThePew]

Just a follow up on aemcpa’s post - if a priest wishes to say mass outside of the diocese in which he is incardinated (basically where he’s living) then he needs what’s called a celebret which is a document confirming that he’s a priest in good standing (i.e. free from any restrictions). This is (usually) issued by his local bishop and the priest and allows the priest to say mass anywhere in the world.

 

[aemcpa]

Just a follow up on aemcpa’s post - if a priest wishes to say mass outside of the diocese in which he is incardinated (basically where he’s living) then he needs what’s called a celebret which is a document confirming that he’s a priest in good standing (i.e. free from any restrictions). This is (usually) issued by his local bishop and the priest and allows the priest to say mass anywhere in the world.

To say Mass publicly, yes.