Blessings

[Nihil Obstat]

Do nuns have the same authority to give blessings that priests do?

Thanks.

[CatherineM]

It partially depends on what exactly you mean, but if you mean bless religious articles, or holy water, then no. They have the same authority to bless a child in their care as a parent would, but it's not the same as a priest blessing us at mass. If you are talking about one serving as a EM at mass, making the sign of the cross on the forehead of a child or non-communicant, that is symbolic only and does not have the same effect that a priest doing the same thing. They could administer an emergency baptism in the same way any other lay person can.