The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has published Gestis Verbisque [By Deeds and Words], a doctrinal note on the validity of the sacraments.
The document, currently published only in Italian, emphasizes that “observance of both matter and form has always been required for the validity of the celebration.”
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the dicastery’s prefect, said that members of the dicastery have been concerned about “the multiplication of situations in which they were forced to note the invalidity of the Sacraments celebrated.”