In the Bollettino today you will find a document, a “Note”, from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith … I’m still not used to that “dicastery” thing… why?… just, why? The Note concerns validity of the sacraments.
Before you panic, it doesn’t thrown matter and form out the door or say overly weird things (as it lately has done about blessings). In fact, it addresses the problem of priests throwing matter and form out the window in favor of their own creativity. It says that such changes “merita una pena esemplare… merits exemplary punishment” because doing so harms the faithful People of God.
Think about the harm a priest does over years of jacking around the form of baptism with his own amazing insights and alterations. Or a priest who so changes the form of absolution that he hasn’t validly absolved for who know how long.
I don’t think there is an English translation yet, but there will be very soon, I imagine.
Of course the document has a Latin name, “Gestis verbisque” but there is no Latin text in sight. Why? Just, why? Why can’t they get their act together and do this right, and in the right order? WHY?
I haven’t read the whole thing yet in Italian. A scan suggests that it isn’t dreadful. It’s longish and heavily footnoted.
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