Question:
When I was in the hospital recently, the only priest available was Russian Orthodox. He gave me Communion—he said he consecrated the hosts himself—and also the sacrament of the sick. Was it really okay for me to receive these sacraments from him?
Answer:
Ordinarily, a Catholic can receive the sacraments mentioned in the canon from a validly ordained non-Catholic priest, such as a Russian Orthodox, if the Catholic does not have access to a Catholic priest and there is some necessity or spiritual good that receiving the sacraments would facilitate (see Code of Canon Law 844). A Catholic in the hospital without access to a Catholic priest would qualify.
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