Blessed Items For Sale?

[Paladin D]

There was this Catholic e-store I found on the net, it claimed to be selling [b]blessed items by Pope John Paul II[/b]. However, I lost the url to it and I don't remember the name of the site.

Is it a sin to sell blessed items?

[Fiat_Voluntas_Tua]

I have never heard of someone selling blessed sacramentals...I think it goes against the Church, but I am not sure.

[Iacobus]

I am not sure, I mean they can sell cross and things like that so I am not sure if a blessing before the sale matters. But I am not that sure.

[Paladin D]

The site was selling a bunch of patron saint medals.

[Dave]

NO!!!!!

Selling blessed items is FORBIDDEN; it's the sin of simony.

[Archangel]

They are not charging for the blessing. They charge for the cost of materials and for shipping.

[willguy]

As archangel said, I believe that they can sell them for the price of shipping and materials. What they cannot do is make a profit off of it.

[morostheos]

That question came up in our Newman Club last year when someone wanted to buy a rosary online. Our priest told us that it's perfectly fine for them to sell items that are blessed. I think that's taking into account you aren't selling it because of its blessing, or making a profit off of blessings, but merely selling religious items with the special bonus of them being blessed being completely free. Now, if blessed items had higher prices than non-blessed items, there would be a problem there....

[popestpiusx]

morostheos is correct. I would say this though. It is permissable to buy these blessed items, even if they are being sold at higher prices, in order to rescue them and get them off the market.

[PedroX]

Yes, technically simony is charging for a blessing or sacrement. So as long as all prices were equal, or if your motive was to rescue the item (such as buying relics off of Ebay!) you would be fine.

peace...