§ 136. General Regulations Concerning the Sacred Acts

So that divine worship in general, and every sacred act in particular, might be performed worthily, it is necessary that there exist a definite order (ustav), established by lawful authority, to which all must keep, and from which no one may on his own authority depart. From the very beginning of the Church attention was given to this, and particular orders were prescribed, both for the exact performance of the chief sacred act of the Christian Church, namely the liturgy, and for the performance of all the other sacred acts, as each of these came to be established in the Church.[1] According to these orders, which were contained in the church books, the respective sacred acts alone might be performed, and any departure from the prescribed order, or the introduction of anything new, was most strictly forbidden—just as it is forbidden today.[2] The canons of the ecumenical councils tell us how the Church has always been watchful that the old liturgical orders be strictly followed, condemning every, even the smallest, departure from them,[3] while reserving only to the supreme central church authority the power to prescribe and ordain that some new service or prayer be introduced.[4] Just as she requires the exact keeping of the order, so the Church likewise ordains that every sacred act must be performed devoutly, attentively, with clear reading and singing, and without haste;[5] she likewise ordains that all sacred acts must be performed publicly in church, and not in private houses, except where there exist justifying reasons for this, or where the prayer itself, by its very subject, requires it.[6]

All the faithful are obliged to be present at this divine worship in church, especially on Sundays and feast days, and the Church holds liable to censure those who show negligence in this; while those who do so persistently are deprived of communion, since by this they cut themselves off from the unity of the Church and incline toward another, extra-ecclesial focus.[7] For this same reason she forbids all religious assemblies which gather under the pretext of piety apart from her, and in which, perhaps, prayers are read that she has not approved;[8] and she likewise forbids the faithful to take part in the prayers and rites of those of another faith and of those excommunicated from the Church, or to receive such persons into their own gathering for prayer.[9]

The performers of a sacred act are bound, by the canons, to take good care for whom they perform some sacred act and over whom they carry out some sacrament. For this reason the Church prescribes that, before every sacrament, priests must instruct the persons concerned as to what the power of this or that sacrament is, and that, if these do not know this, and in general if they do not know the basic truths of the faith, the priests may not perform any sacrament over such persons; just as they may likewise not do this in the case of those of another faith, until these have been fully converted and have entered the Church.[10]

CHAPTER THREE. The power of governance.

I. CHURCH LEGISLATION