SIN EATER

Historically, the term sin-eater refers to a person who, through ritual means, would take on the sins of a dying person, thus absolving the dying of their sins while receiving the burden of the same. Traditionally, each village maintained its own sin-eater who would be brought to the dying person's bedside, where either he or a relative would place a bit of bread on the breast of the dying. After praying or reciting the ritual, he would then remove the bread from the breast and eat it, the act of which would remove the sin from the dying person and take it into himself.

The act of being a sin-eater was considered a cardinal sin by the Roman Catholic Church because it provided absolution outside the purview of the priesthood, and resulted in immediate excommunication.

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