The incident in El Salvador has been condemned by the Apostolic Nuncio as a violation of liturgical and canon law.
(LifeSiteNews) — The Apostolic Nuncio to El Salvador has issued a correction after a female Anglican prelate joined Catholic clergy on the altar to concelebrate a recent Mass.
On March 24, a Mass was held to mark the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. Held in the chapel of the Hospitalito La Divina Providencia, where Romero was assassinated, the Mass was offered by Bishop Oswaldo Estéfano Escobar Aguilar of the Diocese of Chalatenango.
Pictures of the event clearly show a female Anglican cleric participating in the Mass on the altar, wearing a stole and alb like the concelebrating Catholic priests.
Though not identified by name, the woman has been described as a female bishop of the Anglican Episcopal Church of El Salvador.
Reports suggest that she was present on the altar until the time for the reception of Communion, though there is no evidence to suggest she received Holy Communion herself.
Citing locals who attended the Mass, InfoVaticana reported that it was the third year that an Anglican cleric joined Catholic clergy on the altar to concelebrate.
Her participation in the liturgy appears to be a clear violation of Catholic canon law. Canons 907 and 908 expressly forbid a layperson from offering the prayers of the Eucharist, as well as prohibiting Catholic priests from concelebrating with non-Catholic ministers:
In the eucharistic celebration deacons and lay persons are not permitted to offer prayers, especially the eucharistic prayer, or to perform actions which are proper to the celebrating priest.
Catholic priests are forbidden to concelebrate the Eucharist with priests or ministers of Churches or ecclesial communities which do not have full communion with the Catholic Church.
Canon 844 states that “Catholic ministers administer the sacraments licitly to Catholic members of the Christian faithful alone, who likewise receive them licitly from Catholic ministers alone.”
Referencing these canon laws, the Apostolic Nuncio issued a statement later that same day stating that “what happened this morning in the Chapel of the Hospitalito should not have taken place because it is forbidden by ecclesiastical law.”
The Nuncio added that “ecumenical celebrations that are shared with members of non-Catholic churches, provides only for the liturgy of the Word and commentary on the Word, just the prayers of the faithful and the prayer that Our Lord taught us: the Our Father.”
“In addition, according to liturgical norms, it should be noted that the altar is reserved for the Eucharistic Celebration only,” the statement continued.
There was no notice given of punitive measures against those who organized the event and who allowed the female Anglican prelate onto the altar as part of the ceremony.
The Mass also caused controversy due to environmental activists using it as a stage to push their cause. Campaigners against mining held banners in front of the altar, denouncing mining for its impact upon the environment.
Sources from the Archdiocese of San Salvador told ACI Prensa that the banners were not authorized and were placed there at the end of Mass.
But the Mass comes hard on the heels of another such event, this time in South America, which took place in recent weeks.
READ: Female Anglican vicar ‘concelebrates’ Mass with new Brazilian archbishop
On February 9, a female Anglican cleric from the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil joined Catholic priests on the altar for the installation Mass of Archbishop Odelir José Magri as new ordinary of the recently created Archbishopric of Chapecó in Brazil.
Vivian Schwanke De Oliveira can be seen prominently throughout the ceremony, and was mentioned by name by Archbishop Magri during the ceremony as the new archbishop praised the ecumenical nature of the event. She was not the only non-Catholic presence in the sanctuary appearing to “concelebrate,” but was joined also by another female minister, identified by ACI Prensa as from the Evangelical denomination named the Reborn in Christ Church.
De Oliveira also lined up with the concelebrating Catholic priests to receive Communion, though footage on the livestream cuts away just as she is about to consume the Eucharist.
When questioned about De Oliveira’s participation, the Archdiocese of Chapecó issued a response, stating that they had already informed the papal nuncio to Brazil about the event, and described it as an "isolated incident of inadvertent violation of liturgical norms."
