Sacramental life during this time

On Tuesday, Bishop Ronald Hicks, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Chicago, sent out a communique to archdiocesan clergy, explaining how the archdiocese is going to handle certain sacramental situations.  What follows is a summary of some of the main points.

I'd like to start by pasting the first paragraph, as it strikes me as sensible, and in a time like this, good sense should be embraced whenever it occurs:

As all residents of the state comply with the order to stay at home and refrain from non-essential activities, we are nonetheless painfully aware that being cut off from the sacramental life of the church, especially the Eucharist, creates a great hardship for our people, indeed for all of us.  However, we make this sacrifice for the common good, convinced that we, like all citizens, have a responsibility in preventing the spread of COVID-19. In fact, doing so will ensure that our people can return to the sacraments as soon as possible.

On to the main points:

The Sacrament of Reconciliation:  The sacrament of penance is on many people's minds during this season of Lent.  Bishop Hicks sets a baseline expectation that, during this time of COVID-19, individual confessions aren't permitted, whether the traditional Saturday morning custom in a confessional, or more creative means such as via Zoom or drive-through.  Nor, in all likelihood, will it be possible to for parishes to team up to hold the reconciliation services which usually are celebrated at this time of year. 

So if those approaches aren't possible, what is? "In keeping with longstanding pastoral practice when penitents’ access to the sacrament is restricted, they can be assured that their sins are forgiven if they make an act of contrition with a firm resolve to approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation after the stay-at-home order is lifted."  This strikes me as both merciful and sensible, and should be possible for anyone who wishes to do so.  Perhaps it doesn't qualify as a sacrament (and so perhaps wouldn't include the conferral of sacramental grace, although I'm not one to put limits on the Holy Spirit), but it strikes me as a spiritually cleansing act nevertheless.  True, er, confession: I've done it already today.

But what about general absolution, in which a priest simply says (more or less) to a group of people, "Your sins are forgiven!" without the need for people to confess their sins individually to a priest?  This option is in the liturgical book but is hardly ever utilized, in no small part because senior authorities in the church are reluctant to unleash it - perhaps rightly so.  The Chicago Archdiocese's interpretation of a recent "Note from the Apostolic Penitentiary on the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the current pandemic" (http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2020/03/20/200320d.html) is that our situation doesn't permit our archdiocese to make use of general absolution.

Communion for the hospitalized, institutionalized and homebound is not permitted, for reasons of public health.  I don't remember if I've mentioned this already, but hospitals and nursing homes already were turning away our ministers of care, even before Illinois implemented it's stay-at-home regime.  Of course, now that the churches in Illinois are all locked, none of us is able to receive communion.  All of us, including those who are in institutions or homebound, can make a spiritual communion.  (https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/act-of-spiritual-communion-339)

Anointing of the sick is still permitted, but special procedures are to be utilized.  Bishop Hicks states that, "Under the State’s exemption for essential services, the Archdiocese of Chicago is including anointing of the sick as an essential service".  I'm grateful that the Archdiocese has decided that anointing is essential.

If the person requesting anointing is not a COVID-19 patient, the priest who receives the call may respond.  However, if it takes place in a healthcare facility (or, I'd think, even if it doesn't), everyone present is to follow good social-distancing practices.  The priest is to scrub his hands thoroughly right before and right after the anointing.  In addition, "The anointing must be done with a cotton-tipped swab or a cotton ball which is to be burned or buried after use".  I guess, if I were a priest, I'd pack an ashtray or similar vessel suitable for burning the swab or cotton ball, and matches or a lighter, as part of my regular kit for anointings.

If the patient is a COVID-19 patient, then the anointing must be carried out by a specially-designated priest.  Each of the archdiocese's six vicariates (vicariates are sort of sub-dioceses in large dioceses, each led by a bishop) is to appoint four priests for this purpose.  There are criteria for these priests: they must be under 60 years old, and must not have a serious or chronic health condition such as cancer, heart disease, asthma or other conditions which might render them vulnerable in the event of contracting the disease.  The pool of priests in each vicariate who meet these criteria probably will not be large.  When administering the sacrament in a hospital, the priest must follow all of the hospital's guidelines, such as wearing protective garments.  If the sacrament is to be administered at home, the priest is to to wear latex or other non-porous gloves, a face mask and eye covering (eye glasses are deemed sufficient).  The vessel with the oil, the liturgical book, the pyx with communion and any other items needed for the sacrament are to be sanitized before entering the home.  They are to be sanitized again after leaving, and then kept in sealed plastic bags in the priest's car, ideally in the trunk, or in another place to which people are not likely to come into proximity.  Communion may be administered but only in the hand.  The gloves should be sealed in a plastic bag and then thrown away.  Upon returning from the visit, the priest is to shower immediately and then put on fresh clothes.

Funerals and burials: in traditional church teaching, funerals and burials are not classified as sacraments per se, but spiritually they certainly are important - arguably more important to many people than some of the church's 'official' sacraments.  Funeral masses (which would be sacramental, because mass is a sacramental celebration) are not possible during this time of COVID-19 because the churches are closed.  However, a funeral service may be conducted at a funeral home if the family requests it.  This represents a pretty significant concession on the part of the archdiocese (although, in truth, it may simply be acknowledging what already is happening at the grass roots).  A funeral service may also take place at  the graveside.  In either case, no more than 10 persons at a time may take part (including the cleric and any other liturgical ministers), and everyone must follow social distancing best practices.

There is also a section on plenary indulgences.

On the whole, I welcome these instructions, because I think there is pastoral wisdom to them, and it provides some concrete options for the church to adapt its pastoral practices to these times.