190 



THE MEANS OF GRACE 



Extreme Unction may be administered to a 

 sick man who is really or apparently unconscious, 

 provided there is reason to think that he would 

 ask for, or at least not refuse, the Sacrament if 

 he had full control of his faculties. 5 



Even impenitent sinners and those who have 

 lost consciousness while in the act of sinning 

 (e. g., habitual drunkards) should not be de- 

 prived of Extreme Unction, unless they con- 

 sciously and positively refuse to receive the Sac- 

 rament, because a possible subsequent attrition 

 would make it operative. 6 



In conformity with the axiom, "In dnbio pars 

 tutior est eligenda," 7 the Sacrament of Extreme 

 Unction may be validly and licitly administered 

 if the danger of death is merely probable or even 

 doubtful. 



fieri voluisset, postea in insaniam et 

 furorem incidit." 



S Rit. Rom., tit. 5, c. 1, n. 6: 

 "Infirmis autcm qui, dum sand 

 mente et integris sensibus essent, 

 illud petierint sen verisimiliter pe- 

 tiissent, sen dederint signa contri- 

 tionis, etiamsi deinde loquclam ami- 

 serint vel amentes effecti sint, vel 

 delirent out non sentiant, nihilo- 

 minus praebeatur." — Ibid., n. 7: 

 "Sed si infirmus, dum phrenesi aut 

 amentia laborat, verisimiliter posset 

 quidquam facer e contra reverentiam 

 sacramenti, non inungatur, nisi peri- 

 culum tollatur animo." — Cfr. Gury, 

 Comp. Theol. Mor., II, n. 520: 

 "Debet dari hoc sacramentum deli- 

 rantibus, si ante petiverint aut pe- 

 tituri fuissent, si de hoc cogitassent, 



aut signum doloris de peccatis osten- 

 derint." 



6 Rit. Rom., tit. 5, c. 1, n. 8: 

 "Impenitentibus vero et qui in 

 manifesto peccato mortali moriuntur 

 et excommunicatis et nondum bap- 

 tizatis penitus denegetur." 



7 Cfr. St. Alphonsus, Theol. Mor., 

 1. VI, n. 714. — J. P. Gury, Comp. 

 Theol. Mor., Vol. II, n. 520: 

 "An hoc sacramentum licite conferri 

 possit aegroto in periculo mortis du- 

 bio seu probabilif Affirmatur cum 

 sententia communi et vera, quia ad 

 ministrandum hoc sacramentum va- 

 lide et licite sufficit, ut infirmus la- 

 boret morbo ita gravi, ut prudenter 

 existimetur versari in periculo pro- 

 ximo mortis." 



