Consultation before General Sacramental-Sharing Norms is the canonical requirement that competent Catholic authorities consult at least the local authority of the interested non-Catholic Church or Ecclesial Community before issuing general norms for the exceptional cases governed by canon 844.
Who consults and who is consulted
In the Latin Church the diocesan bishop or conference of bishops must consult at least the local competent authority of the interested non-Catholic Church or community before issuing general norms for the cases in canon 844 §§2–4. The CCEO imposes the parallel requirement before particular-law norms are made. The rule concerns competent authorities, not an informal poll of clergy or internet opinion.
The interested body depends on the proposed norm. A hospital protocol affecting Orthodox Christians, an emergency rule for Anglican patients, and guidance for Catholics in an isolated Eastern region may require different interlocutors. Consultation should identify actual discipline, pastoral conditions, and foreseeable conflicts rather than seek a ceremonial endorsement.[1]
Consultation is not consent
The canon requires consultation, not the non-Catholic authority's juridical approval of Catholic law. Catholic authority remains responsible for norms consistent with doctrine and universal discipline. Serious consultation nevertheless requires listening and considering the response; it is not satisfied by announcing a completed policy after the fact.
General norms and individual cases
The procedural requirement governs general norms. It does not mean that a dying person must wait while two ecclesiastical administrations negotiate a policy. An individual minister still applies universal and existing particular law to the concrete case, while stable recurring circumstances should be addressed through properly consulted guidance.
Why reciprocity and discipline matter
The Ecumenical Directory urges consultations about spiritual sharing so that lawful reciprocity and the traditions of each community are understood. Catholic permission does not oblige another Church to admit Catholics, and another community's hospitality does not dispense Catholics from their own discipline.[2]
Consultation can prevent pastoral harm: an Eastern Christian should not be unknowingly placed under a penalty from his or her own Church, a Catholic should not mistake a community's rite for a valid Eucharist, and staff should not promise sacramental access that no competent minister can lawfully provide.[3]
Authority and public explanation
General norms should state their issuer, territory, covered Churches or communities, sacraments, conditions, and relation to universal law. They cannot broaden sacramental validity, dispense the cumulative conditions of canon 844 §4, or authorize concelebration forbidden by canon 908 and CCEO canon 702.[4]
A local policy is not universal Catholic law. Its date, issuing authority, consultation requirement, and distinction between binding legislation and pastoral commentary govern its scope. This preserves both proposition-sensitive authority and the legitimate diversity of local circumstances.
References
- 1.Code of Canon Law, canons 840–878 — Binding Latin law, especially canon 844 on necessity, spiritual advantage, Eastern Christians, other Christians, grave necessity, and consultation
- 2.Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism — Holy See norms on baptismal agreements, witnesses and godparents, common prayer, sacramental sharing, reciprocity, and respect for discipline
- 3.The Bishop and Christian Unity: An Ecumenical Vademecum — Dicastery guidance for bishops on prayer, ecumenical formation, reception, and the pastoral application of sacramental-sharing norms
- 4.Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canons 469–1546 — Official promulgated text, especially canons 670–672, 702, and 916 on worship, sacramental sharing, concelebration, and proper hierarchs