When discussing the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick in our Catholic Study Group last Monday night, we asked “What sins are remitted by this sacrament?“
The short answer, which can be found in two posts from the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) is:
Although the Sacrament is primarily concerned with the remission of venial sin, it also can remit mortal sin, provided the person is unable to confess and has at least imperfect contrition. This is why it is so important to contact a priest while the sick person is still lucid and in a good mental state, so as to give him the chance to make a sincere confession before being anointed.
The scriptural evidence for this is cited from the Epistle of St. James by our study group text:
Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5:14-15 RSV
More detail on this sacrament’s remission of sins is provided here:
