The Vatican has issued a warning to parish priests who use excessive creativity while distributing the sacraments.
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has pointed out that the number of null sacraments has multiplied due to priests' improper pronunciations.
One example is baptisms where the priest said “I baptize you in the name of the Creator” or “we baptize you in the name of your father and mother.” The dicastery points out that there are other areas where there is room for creativity, but not regarding the sacraments.
The document reminded that the sacraments are not the property of the priest but of the Church and that his duty is to administer them.
The priest must respect the established manner, both in the formulas and in the materials used: water, bread, wine or oil, depending on the sacrament.
The Vatican doctrine office points out that the manner of imparting the sacraments has been profoundly studied and defined by the magisterium on the basis of Tradition and Scripture. The Vatican's rationale for this warning is to recall that the sacraments are an essential part of the Church's life and that the faithful have the right to receive the sacraments that the Church has directly established.
JRB
TR: AT
