The minister of the sacrament of confirmation

Abstract

In the Latin Rite, the bishop is referred to as the minister originarius of the sacrament of confirmation in the text of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen gentium and in the Rite of Confirmation. This term highlights the intimate link that binds confirmed Christians with their bishop and the local Church. It is important to observe, from the beginning of this research article, that the Code of Canon Law refers to the bishop as the minister ordinarius of the sacrament of confirmation. On the other hand, in the Eastern Rite Churches, confirmation was never the prerogative of the bishop alone. In fact, under normal circumstances, confirmation – in the Eastern rites – is administered immediately after baptism, even in the case of infants.