EXTREME UNCTION 189 



posed to the danger of death but are not se- 

 riously ill, e: g., soldiers going into battle, con- 

 demned criminals preparing for execution, etc. 

 The Sacrament may, however, be given to those 

 in danger of dying from an operation or after 

 confinement, but not to those who have not yet at- 

 tained the use of reason or have not committed a 

 personal sin, that is to say, infants and perma- 

 nently insane adults {perpetuo amentes). 3 If an 

 insane person enjoyed the use of reason at any 

 moment of his previous life, or has occasional lu- 

 cid intervals, he may and should be given Extreme 

 Unction, 4 because a habitual and interpretative 

 intention suffices for the valid reception of this 

 Sacrament, and there is a well-founded presump- 

 tion that many insane persons temporarily regain 

 the use of reason at the approach of death, 

 though they are unable to manifest their sanity by 

 definite signs. 



3 Cat. Rom., P. II, c. 6, qu. 9. — prope organa quibus carent, nam 



Rit. Rom., tit. 5, c. 1, qu. 9; cfr. etsi extertus per ilia non peccave- 



Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 940, 941, tint, per interior es tamen animae po- 



943. — Cfr. H. Noldin, S. J., Summa tentias, quibus ea respondent, pec- 



Theologiae Moralis, nth ed., Inns- care potuerunt." 



bruck 1914, Vol. Ill, pp. 543 sqq. * Cat. Rom., P. II, c. 6, qu. 9: 



— J. P. Gury, Compendium Theol. "■ . • ad hoc sacramentum susci- 



Mor., Vol. II, n. 519, says: piendum apti non sunt . . . amentes 



"Subiectum huius sacramenti sunt item et furiosi, nisi interdum ra- 



omnes et soli homines peccatores de tionis usum haberent, et eo potissi- 



vita periclitantes. Hinc (1) huius mum tempore pii animi significa- 



sacramenti capaces non sunt pueri tionem darent, peterentque ut sacro 



ante usum rationis nee perpetuo oleo ungerentur. Nam qui ab ipso 



amentes, quia nulla peccata actualia ortu nunquam mentis et rationis com- 



commiserunt ; (2) potest conferri ex- pos fuit, ungendus non est; secus 



trema unctio mutis, surdis et caecis vero si aegrotus, quum mente adhuc 



a nativitate, possunt enim inungi integra huius sacramenti particeps 



