NAVIGANTS. — By navigants are understood those who undertake a sea voyage on any vessel. For the purposes of the privileges granted by the Code of Canon Law, those who undertake an air voyage are equated with navigants (Pontifical Commission, 16 Dec. 1947, AAS, 40 [1948], p. 17).
The Code of Canon Law deals with navigants principally in relation to the administration of the Sacrament of Penance. Indeed, can. 883 establishes the following: “All priests who undertake a sea voyage, provided they are duly furnished with the faculty to hear confessions either by their own Ordinary, or by the Ordinary of the port of departure, or even by the Ordinary of any intermediate port through which they pass during their voyage, may, throughout the entire voyage, hear the confessions of the faithful traveling with them on the ship, even if the ship passes through or even stops for some time in places subject to the jurisdiction of different Ordinaries. Whenever the ship stops during the voyage, they may also hear the confessions of the faithful who approach the ship for any reason, as well as of those who wish to confess after having temporarily disembarked, and they may validly and licitly absolve them even from cases reserved to the Holy See.”
Regarding this provision of the Code of Canon Law, the following points must be noted: 1. By “own Ordinary” is to be understood only the Ordinary of the place, and thus the major Superior of Religious is excluded (Pontifical Commission, 30 July 1934, AAS, 26 [1934], p. 494). 2. Navigant priests are probably able to hear the confessions of the faithful traveling with them, both at the place from which the voyage begins and at the place where it ends, as well as during a river voyage immediately following a sea voyage. 3. When a ship stops in a port for several days, the navigant priest may exercise his faculty, but not beyond three days, if it is easy to approach the Ordinary of the place (Pontifical Commission, 13 Dec. 1923, AAS, 16 [1923], p. 114).
As regards the celebration of Mass, no one may celebrate it at sea without an apostolic indult. This indult is also necessary for one who enjoys the privilege of a portable altar, as expressly declared in the Code of Canon Law (can. 822 § 3). The apostolic indult is of common law granted to cardinals of the Holy Roman Church (can. 239 § 1, n. 8) and to bishops even if only titular (can. 349 § 1). The apostolic indult to celebrate Mass at sea is usually granted under the following conditions: a) that another priest be present; b) that the sea be calm; c) that there be no danger of irreverence. At times, the requirement of another priest’s presence is dispensed, provided that the danger of spilling the Precious Blood is equally avoided (cf. F. M. Cappello, *De Sacramentis*, I, Torino 1947, n. 753). It is held that the apostolic indult is not necessary for those who, enjoying the privilege of a portable altar, celebrate Mass on an airship; because the prohibition applies only to celebration at sea, and the parity established by the Pontifical Commission between sea and air navigants does not extend to this matter, since it pertains only to the Sacrament of Penance, and in odious matters one is not bound to maintain such parity. Naturally, the usual precautions must still be observed. Moreover, in air navigation the dangers of irreverence are far less than those inherent in sea navigation. It is a matter of record that the Holy See, through the Apostolic Nuncio to Germany, granted the faculty to celebrate Holy Mass on the airship *Hindenburg* during its voyage from Germany to America on 23 March 1936 (cf. T. Bouscaren-S. I. Lincoln, *The canon law digest, officially public document affecting the Code of canon law*, II, Milwaukee 1936, p. 45).