Abouna ROBERT MATHEUS: ON MINISTERIAL INTENTIONIntroductionToday we live in a very confusing time inside Christianity; even the Catholic Church doesn't escape to it. Themost fundamental dogms are denied, even by those who are supposed to teach them. As a consequence,respect for all what concerns God has diminished dramatically. Liturgy, once celebrated with fear andtrembling, became an area of experimentation and selfrealization, an area where one can show his artistictalents. New liturgies were introduced accompanied by a new catechese, a new idea and ideal of priesthood,a new church with a new doctrine completely cut off from the living tradition, even often in fragrantcontradiction with it. People, even bishops and theologians start to wonder what to think about certaincelebrations: Eucharist, ordinations, baptisms, where even the most fundamental parts arbitrarily arechanged. Even people higly placed in authority use non-approved texts for the Eucharist, ordinations, etc. Inthe area of evangelization adaptation has become inculturation, and when this one didn't satisfy those mindsalways searching for something new, it was replaced by 'inreligionisation', t.i., to adopt as far as possible therituals, vocabulary and theology of the pagan other religions.In this context it might be useful to examine the question of the minimum intention required from the part ofthe minister to administrate validly the sacraments. Since the intention is a hidden element in the minister,somehow we must be able to discern it through the external sign of the ceremonies. We will examine thecontroversed theory of the exterior, or better 'exteriorised intention'. Finally, we will see an application: thefamous case of the Anglicanordinations, declared by Leo XIII in an irreformable decision as invalid and voidbecause of defect of intention and of form.AbbreviationsD Denzinger & Schönmetzer: Enchiridion Symbolorum definitionum et declarationum...NRT Nouvelle Revue Théologique.A. Generalitie...