Pope Contradiction in Sacraments?

[Richard_Feynman]

Basically, from this link, I see a contradiction between what Pope Eugenius IV and what Pope Pius XII said about the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Pope Eugenius IV said the matter (material) for the Sacrament is the handing over of instruments while Pope Pius XII said it is the laying of hand and ONLY that. I’m confused, and this can’t be a contradiction, can it?

fordham.edu/halsall/source/1438sacraments.asp

If any of you could ease my mind on this issue, that would be wonderful!

Thanks

Richard Feynman

 

[Genesis315]

Essentially, at the Council of Florence, Pope Eugene IV imposed those sacramental actions above and beyond the minimum laying on of hands as the form the Armenians were to use so that there would be greater uniformity in the West. But there was not intention to declare the handing over of instruments as the only valid matter or form or the minimal valid matter or form. Notice, the same Pope and Council did not impose that requirement on the Greeks, who only ordained with the laying on of hands.

Pope Benedict XIV explained this back in the 18th century:

Necesse est igitur fateri Eugenium locutum de materia et forma integrante et necessaria, quam optavit ab armenis superaddi manuum impositioni iam diu ab illis adhibitae, ut ecclesiae latinae moribus se prorsus accomodarent ac rituum uniformitate firmius ei adhaererent. (De Synodo Diocesana, L. VIII, c. 10, n. 8.)

 

[dans0622]

Basically, from this link, I see a contradiction between what Pope Eugenius IV and what Pope Pius XII said about the Sacrament of Holy Orders. … I’m confused, and this can’t be a contradiction, can it? …

Hello,

As Pius XII stated: “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.” (See here, n. 3: papalencyclicals.net/Pius12/P12SACRAO.HTM )

In the last sentence, he notes that the Church did, in the past, mandate the handing of instruments “even for validity.” However, since “the matter” of this Sacrament is not determined in Revelation, by the Lord Himself, the Church can change what is required. Is this “a contradiction”? I guess you could call it that but a change such as this doesn’t mean one practice is “right” and the other is “wrong.”

Dan

 

[SyroMalankara]

Basically, from this link, I see a contradiction between what Pope Eugenius IV and what Pope Pius XII said about the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Pope Eugenius IV said the matter (material) for the Sacrament is the handing over of instruments while Pope Pius XII said it is the laying of hand and ONLY that. I’m confused, and this can’t be a contradiction, can it?

fordham.edu/halsall/source/1438sacraments.asp

If any of you could ease my mind on this issue, that would be wonderful!

Thanks

Richard Feynman

I’d say the reason was to preserve the practice of the Armenians and to keep them from latinizations. It is considered part of the Rite of Ordination to hand over the instruments, not something to be deleted or to ignore to copy the Latin practice.