Hello everyone! I have a scene that is giving me trouble on both medical and psychological levels and would appreciate any help I can get
( Read more... )
Is there some reason the guard couldn't just be wounded badly enough to be in no shape to continue fighting himself, without necessarily appearing to be about to drop dead sometime soon? If the priest really believes the guy is dying, he'd be obligated to give him at least a perfunctory version of the last rites. (According to Catholic theology, if the guard had any serious sins on his conscience, he wouldn't be able to get into Heaven without said rites.) If there was any period in Church history when it would have officially been considered okay for a priest to finish off a dying man in order to rush into battle himself, I'm unaware of it. Besides, he'd still be obligated to give the guard those essential last rites first. So killing him personally afterward would just add to the delay before the priest could grab the weapon and head off to fight himself.
That's a great point. Um. I need that guard dead for plot reasons, so I figured I might as well get him dying now. Also, I assumed that if the guard were incapacitated-but-potentially-surviving the priest would have to stay behind and tend the wound. I mean, otherwise he'd be leaving him to bleed to death, and that's exactly the same as leaving a dying man without last rites. Unless it's possible to come up with a wound that is severe enough to incapacitate him, but not severe enough to require immediate treatment?..
Would you be able to tell me more about "at least a perfunctory version of the last rites"? What would that consist of and how long would that take?
I have no idea how theologically valid this is, but on the current BBC "Father Brown" mystery series, Father Brown sometimes just makes the sign of the cross over the obviously dying/possibly already dead murder victim and mutters a few all-purpose words like "Ego te absolvo" ("I absolve you..."), which would normally be the conclusion of the Sacrament of Penance portion of the last rites. You could probably get a better idea of what's actually considered essential in this department, at least by current Church standards, by looking up local Catholic churches, then calling the rectory (priests' residence) and telling them you're doing research for a historical-fiction story involving a priest who has to give the last rites in the middle of a battle. If a priest is around and not too busy or cranky to be bothered with non-parish business, this could be a simpler way of obtaining the information than just googling "Roman Catholic last rites/extreme unction [the pre-Vatican II term for last rites]." Although hopefully whatever sites you
( ... )
If you need the guard dead but can delay it a couple of days -- then, given that you need him able to stagger inside under his own power and tell the priest of the attack, and you need the priest to get moving quickly to assist in defence, it might be better to give him a minor wound that the priest can patch up and leave, but then have a fatal infection set in a day later.
Reply
Would you be able to tell me more about "at least a perfunctory version of the last rites"? What would that consist of and how long would that take?
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment