diff --git a/src/mpi/c/add_error_class.c b/src/mpi/c/add_error_class.c
index a05b42077a..23c2c3b92f 100644
--- a/src/mpi/c/add_error_class.c
+++ b/src/mpi/c/add_error_class.c
@@ -23,9 +23,7 @@ int MPI_Add_error_class(int *errorclass)
     int class;
 
     if ( MPI_PARAM_CHECK ) {
-        if ( ompi_mpi_finalized )
-            return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_INTERN, 
-                                          "MPI_Add_error_class");
+        OMPI_ERR_INIT_FINALIZE;
     }
     
     class = ompi_errclass_add();
diff --git a/src/mpi/c/add_error_code.c b/src/mpi/c/add_error_code.c
index feb46fb6d3..9bf4d18d69 100644
--- a/src/mpi/c/add_error_code.c
+++ b/src/mpi/c/add_error_code.c
@@ -24,9 +24,8 @@ int MPI_Add_error_code(int errorclass, int *errorcode)
     int code;
 
     if ( MPI_PARAM_CHECK ) {
-        if ( ompi_mpi_finalized) 
-            return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_INTERN,
-                                          "MPI_Add_error_code");
+        OMPI_ERR_INIT_FINALIZE;
+
         if ( ompi_errclass_is_invalid(errorclass) )
             return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_ARG,
                                           "MPI_Add_error_code");
diff --git a/src/mpi/c/add_error_string.c b/src/mpi/c/add_error_string.c
index e0e607d9d3..60d1589a13 100644
--- a/src/mpi/c/add_error_string.c
+++ b/src/mpi/c/add_error_string.c
@@ -24,9 +24,8 @@ int MPI_Add_error_string(int errorcode, char *string)
     int rc;
 
     if ( MPI_PARAM_CHECK ) {
-        if ( ompi_mpi_finalized) 
-            return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_INTERN,
-                                          "MPI_Add_error_string");
+        OMPI_ERR_INIT_FINALIZE;
+
         if ( ompi_mpi_errcode_is_invalid(errorcode) )
             return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_ARG,
                                           "MPI_Add_error_string");
diff --git a/src/mpi/c/error_class.c b/src/mpi/c/error_class.c
index d44bf5e4e4..a9e477f5e5 100644
--- a/src/mpi/c/error_class.c
+++ b/src/mpi/c/error_class.c
@@ -22,9 +22,8 @@ int MPI_Error_class(int errorcode, int *errorclass)
 {
 
     if ( MPI_PARAM_CHECK ) {
-        if ( ompi_mpi_finalized )
-            return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_INTERN, 
-                                          "MPI_Error_class");
+        OMPI_ERR_INIT_FINALIZE;
+
         if ( ompi_mpi_errcode_is_invalid(errorcode))
             return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_ARG,
                                           "MPI_Error_class");
diff --git a/src/mpi/c/error_string.c b/src/mpi/c/error_string.c
index 3251b95a77..a205c2f041 100644
--- a/src/mpi/c/error_string.c
+++ b/src/mpi/c/error_string.c
@@ -23,9 +23,8 @@ int MPI_Error_string(int errorcode, char *string, int *resultlen)
     char *tmpstring;
     
     if ( MPI_PARAM_CHECK ) {
-        if ( ompi_mpi_finalized )
-            return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_INTERN, 
-                                          "MPI_Error_string");
+        OMPI_ERR_INIT_FINALIZE;
+
         if ( ompi_mpi_errcode_is_invalid(errorcode))
             return OMPI_ERRHANDLER_INVOKE(MPI_COMM_WORLD, MPI_ERR_ARG,
                                           "MPI_Error_string");