CCBI Clarifies Norms on Bi-Ritual Faculties

New Delhi, 11 July 2026: The Commission for Canon Law and Legislative Texts of the CCBI has issued a circular clarifying the canonical norms governing the grant of bi-ritual faculties to Catholic priests, reaffirming that such faculties can be granted only by the Apostolic See.

 

The circular makes it clear that no priest enjoys bi-ritual faculties by default and that no bishop has the authority to grant them independently. Permission to celebrate the sacraments according to a rite other than a priest's own is reserved exclusively to the Apostolic See.

 

Issued under the signature of Archbishop Antonysamy Savarimuthu, Chairman of the CCBI Commission for Canon Law and Legislative Texts, the circular explains that bi-ritual faculties are intended solely to meet genuine pastoral needs, particularly where there is a shortage of clergy or where the faithful require sacramental and spiritual care in another rite. It stresses that such faculties are not granted for personal preference or devotional attraction to another liturgical tradition.

 

The circular further states that bi-ritual faculties are granted only for a specific pastoral assignment and for a limited period, ordinarily not exceeding five years. Renewal requires a fresh application before the expiry of the existing indult.

 

The Commission also reiterates that the grant of bi-ritual faculties does not amount to a transfer from one Church sui iuris to another. Rather, it is a pastoral provision that enables priests to minister to the faithful of another rite while remaining fully incardinated in and committed to their own Church and its liturgical heritage.

By Catholic Connect Reporter