Holy Communion and Surgery
Holy Communion and Surgery
Question:
A patient wishes to receive Holy Communion before undergoing a surgical operation during which he will inevitably lose blood. Is he permitted to do so?
Answer:
He may receive Holy Communion one or two days before the surgical operation, but not immediately before it. However, what is more appropriate for the patient is the Sacrament of the Unction of the Sick. He may be anointed with the oil of this unction, and prayers may be offered for him according to the teaching of the Apostle (James 5:14–15), before the operation is performed.
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