When a Priest in Mortal Sin Celebrates Mass
Date: February 18, 2023
Author: Fr. Edward McNamara, LC
Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and sacramental theology and director of the Sacerdos Institute at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university.
Question: If a priest is not in the state of sanctifying grace, is the Mass and consecration lawful? And if a priest, bishop or cardinal publicly promotes same-sex marriages or the blessings of same-sex unions, is that person in a state of sanctifying grace? -- T.B., Courtenay, British Columbia
Answer: There are two questions involved: One is whether a particular person is in the state of grace, and the other regards the validity of the sacraments when an ordained minister is not in the state of grace.
Concerning the first question, the issue is delicate and difficult because the Church has always recognized as a principle that “de internis neque Ecclesia iudicat,” not even the Church can judge the state of the most intimate part of the conscience. That is, the Church can judge an objective reality as being true or false, right or wrong, but cannot know the intentions of the individual person or whether that person is in the state of grace or not.
In the example given by our reader, Church authorities can judge the objective conformity, or lack thereof, of a prelate’s publicly proposed doctrine to the tenets of the Catholic faith. If they determine an error, they can demand a public retraction and even impose canonical penalties if the situation requires it.
In the case of a bishop, any canonical action would require the authority of the Holy See. At the same time, there is nothing to prevent other prelates and competent persons from publicly pointing out any doctrinal errors involved.
However, they can never judge regarding a person’s internal motivation or if the action has resulted in the loss of grace. In some ways only God knows the true state of each soul, as even something objectively sinful can be mitigated by internal factors which God can take into account.
On the negative side, an individual might be aware that he or she has committed a mortal sin. On the contrary, the individual can never be absolutely sure of being in a positive state of grace. Thus, we can remember the famous reply of St. Joan of Arc at her trial when, to trap her into a doctrinal error, the prosecutors asked if she was in a state of grace. St. Joan answered, “If I am not, may God put me there; and if I am, may God so keep me.”
The second question regards the validity of a sacrament celebrated by a minister who lacks sanctifying grace.
We can first point out that when receiving or celebrating the sacraments, the priest is subject to the same requirements of sanctity and state of grace as every other Catholic; that is, the state of grace is required for fruitful reception of all sacraments except those that actually forgive sins.
Therefore, a priest who is in a state of mortal sin should seek to confess as soon as possible and refrain from celebrating the sacraments until he has done so.
Normally, to celebrate Mass or receive Communion while in a state of mortal sin would be to commit a sacrilege.
Yet, in accordance with the longstanding tradition of the Church, the sacrament would be valid; that is, there would be a true consecration and a true sacrifice.
The reason is: Christ is the principal actor of the sacraments, so they are efficacious even when performed by an unworthy minister. St. Augustine in a sermon of the Gospel of St. John strongly makes this point:
“For it was said of the Lord before He suffered, that He baptized more than John; then it was added: How be it, Jesus Himself baptized not, but His disciples. He, and not He: He by power, they by ministry; they performed the service of baptizing, the power of baptizing remained in Christ. His disciples, then, baptized, and Judas was still among his disciples: and were those, then, whom Judas baptized. […] For those […] whom Judas baptized, Christ baptized. In like manner, then, they whom a drunkard baptized, those whom a murderer baptized, those whom an adulterer baptized, if it was the baptism of Christ, were baptized by Christ. I do not fear the adulterer, the drunkard, or the murderer, because I give heed unto the dove, through whom it is said to me, This is He which baptizes” (cf. Augustine, Treatise on the Gospel of John VI, 1,7).
St. Thomas Aquinas sums this up succinctly when he says: Christ may act even through a minister who is spiritually dead.
However, a priest who has fallen into mortal sin, but who is unable to make his confession despite his desire to do so, may celebrate Mass for the benefit of the faithful without adding a further sin of sacrilege.
Thus, as Canon 916 of the Code of Canon Law states: "A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible (see also Canon 1335)."
Note that the code requires a grave reason in order to avail of this exception.
One such grave reason is based on the principle of the good of souls. If a priest is required to celebrate Mass or a soul requests the sacrament of reconciliation, the anointing of the sick, or indeed any other sacrament from this priest that would have to be performed before he can avail of confession, then he may, and usually must, administer the sacrament.
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