THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS
12.
The Sacred Ecumenical Council confirms and approves the ancient discipline of
the sacraments existing in the Oriental Churches, as also the ritual practices
connected with their celebration and administration and ardently desires that
this should be re-established if circumstances warrant it.
13.
The established practice in respect of the minister of Confirmation that has
obtained from most early times in the Eastern Church should be fully restored.
Therefore, priests validly confer this sacrament, using chrism blessed by a
patriarch or a bishop.14
14.
All Eastern Rite priests, either in conjunction with Baptism or separately from
it, can confer this sacrament validly on all the faithful of any rite including
the Latin; licitly, however, only if the regulations both of the common and the
particular law are observed.15 Priests, also, of Latin Rite, in
accordance with the faculties they enjoy in respect of the administration of
this sacrament, validly administer it also to the faithful of Eastern Churches;
without prejudice to the rite, observing in regard to licitness the regulations
both of the common and of the particular law.16
15.
The faithful are bound to take part on Sundays and feast days in the Divine
Liturgy or, according to the regulations or custom of their own rite, in the
celebration of the Divine Office.17 That the faithful may be able more
easily to fulfill their obligation, it is laid down that the period of time
within which the precept should be observed extends from the Vespers of the
vigil to the end of the Sunday or the feast day.18 The faithful are
earnestly exhorted to receive Holy Communion on these days, and indeed more frequently-yes,
even daily.19
16.
Owing to the fact that the faithful of the different individual churches dwell
intermingled with each other in the same area or Eastern territory, the
faculties for hearing confessions duly and without restriction given to priests
of any rite by their own hierarchs extend to the whole territory of him who
grants them and also to the places and faithful of any other rite in the same
territory, unless the hierarch of the place has expressly excluded this for
places of his rite.20
17.
In order that the ancient established practice of the Sacrament of Orders in
the Eastern Churches may flourish again, this Sacred Council ardently desires
that the office of the permanent diaconate should, where it has fallen into
disuse, be restored.21 The legislative authorities of each individual
church should decide about the subdiaconate and the minor orders and the rights
and obligations that attach to them.22
18.
To obviate invalid marriages when Eastern Catholics marry baptized Eastern
non-Catholics and in order to promote fidelity in and the sanctity of marriage,
as well as peace within the family, the Sacred Council determines that the
canonical "form" for the celebration of these marriages is of
obligation only for liceity; for their validity the presence of a sacred
minister is sufficient, provided that other prescriptions of law are
observed.23
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