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Council of Nicea I

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  • CANON XIII.
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CANON XIII.
 
CONCERNING the departing, the ancient canonical law is still to be 
maintained, to wit, that, if any man be at the point of death, he must 
not be deprived of the last and most indispensable Viaticum. But, if 
any one should be restored to health again who has received the 
communion when his life was despaired of, let him remain among 
those who communicate in prayers only. But in general, and in the 
case of any dying person whatsoever asking to receive the Eucharist, 
let the Bishop, after examination made, give it him.
 
NOTES.
 
ANCIENT EPITOME OF CANON XIII.
 
The dying are to be communicated. But if  any such get well, he must 
be placed in the number of those who share in the prayers, and with  
these only.
 
VAN ESPEN.
It cannot be denied that antiquity used the  name "Viaticum "not only 
to denote the Eucharist which was given to the dying, but also to 
denote the reconciliation, and imposition of penance, and in general, 
everything that could be conducive to the happy death of the person 
concerned, and this has been shown by Aubespine (lib. 1, Obs. cap. 
ii.). But while this is so, the more usual sense of the word is the 
Eucharist. For this cannot be denied that the faithful of the first ages of 
the Church looked upon the Eucharist as the complement of Christian 
perfection, and as the last seal of
hope and salvation. It was for tiffs reason that at the beginning of life, 
after baptism and confirmation, the Eucharist was given even to 
infants, and at the close of life the Eucharist followed reconciliation 
and extreme unction, so that properly and literally it could be styled 
"the last Viaticum." Moreover for penitents it was considered 
especially necessary that through it they might return to the peace of 
the Church; for perfect peace is given by that very communion of the 
Eucharist. [A number of instances are then cited, and various ancient 
versions of the canon.] Balsamon and Zonaras also understand the 
canon as I have done, as is evident from their commentaries, and so 
did Josephus AEgyptius, who in his Arabic Paraphrase gives the 
canon this title: "Concerning him who is excommunicated and has 
committed some deadly sin, and desires the Eucharist to be granted to 
him."
 
This canon is found in the Corpus Juris Canonici, Gratian, Decretum 
Pars. II. causa xxvi, Quaes. VI., c. ix.
 
 



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