The Sacrament of Anointing the Sick in the Liturgical Praxis and in the Theology of the Orthodox Churches in the Bizantine Tradition

Jacek Froniewski

Faculty of Theology in Wroclaw , Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0133-3125

Abstract

It is commonly held that essential consensus can be found in the sacramental pastoral of the roman catholic church and of the Orthodox church. This cannot, however, be said of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, where there are significant differences. In this article the author first outlines the historical development of the liturgy of the Anointing of the Sick in the byzantine rite. For this reason he delineates then the theology of this sacrament according to the orthodox mind. In conclusion he expounds three significant differences between the orthodox liturgy of Anointing of the Sick and the catholic praxis. Firstly, the Anointing of the Sick in the orthodox liturgy is generally done in concelebration with seven priests. Secondly, the oil of the sick would be blessed by the priest directly during the anointing and not by the bishop, like in the catholic church during the liturgy of Maundy thursday. Finally, the orthodoxy emphasizes so strongly the forgiveness of sins as an effect of the Anointing of the Sick that the latter sometimes becomes in the praxis a substitute for the sacrament of reconciliation.