Shared communion ban with non-Catholics reaffirmed

Spero News ^ | March 15, 2007 | Luigi Sandri

[Alex Murphy]

Pope Benedict XVI has reaffirmed a strict ruling forbidding eucharistic concelebration with ministries of non-Roman Catholic churches, while at the same time giving priests the go-ahead to revive Latin as the main language used during the church service known as the Mass.

"The celebration and worship of the Eucharist enable us to draw near to God's love and to persevere in that love," Benedict said in an apostolic exhortation entitled "Sacramentum Caritatis" ("The Sacrament of Charity"). The 131-page document, released by the Vatican on 13 March, is a summary of papal reflections on discussions at the 2005 World Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist.

In his summary, the Pope restates his strong opposition to Catholics remarrying, and also asks priests to refrain from celebrating the Mass during weddings or funerals attended by non-practising Catholics.

"The Eucharist," Pope Benedict wrote, "implies full communion with the Church. This is the reason why, sadly, albeit not without hope, we ask Christians who are not Catholic to understand and respect our conviction, which is grounded in the Bible and tradition. We hold that eucharistic communion and ecclesial communion are so linked as to make it generally impossible for non-Catholic Christians to receive the former without enjoying the latter.

"Only in exceptional situations, for the sake of their eternal salvation, can individual non-Catholic Christians be admitted to the Eucharist, the sacrament of reconciliation and the anointing of the sick," said the 79-year-old pontiff.

Quoting from "Sacramentum Caritatis", the Pope confirmed "the Church's practice, based on sacred scripture, of not admitting the divorced and remarried to the sacraments, since their state and their condition of life objectively contradict the loving union of Christ and the Church, signified and made present in the Eucharist."

The Pope also reaffirmed, "the beauty and the importance of a priestly life in celibacy as a sign expressing total and exclusive devotion to Christ and to the Church. Therefore I confirm that it remains obligatory in the Latin tradition." He added, "'I ask that future priests ... be trained to understand and celebrate Holy Mass in Latin, use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chants."

Church rules adopted after the Second Vatican Council of 1965 said that congregations wishing to celebrate Mass in Latin had to seek permission from Rome or their local bishops.

The Second Vatican Council and the abandonment of the traditional Latin rite led to a schism within the church led by Marcel Lefebvre, a French archbishop who was later excommunicated by the late Pope John Paul II for consecrating four bishops in violation of canon law.

[B-Chan]

Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves. [John 6:53]

[Mr. Lucky]

You're asking why God did or didn't do something. That's a power He hasn't given any of us.

The fact is Christ predicates his statement with the words "verily, verily" (or "amen, amen" or "truly, truly", depending upon the translation). Most Christians believe these words of Christ; you don't. That's why you can't take communion at Catholic Mass.

[ELS]

The proper procedure (yes, the Pope is incorrect) is to allow the priests to exercise discretion in distributing Eucharistic elements to non-Catholic Christians.

That is not the proper procedure according to the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI is correct. Among other criteria, in order for one to receive Holy Communion during a Catholic Mass, one must be in communion with the Catholic Church. One who is not a Catholic is by definition not in communion with the Catholic Church.

[bobjam]

So therefore, Holy Communion is about Communion with the Roman Catholic Church and not about Communion with the Lord?

Eastern Orthodox Christians, by the way, are allowed by Rome to receive Communion in Roman Catholic Churches (they are, however, not allowed by their own churches to receive in Roman Catholic Churches).

[ELS]

So therefore, Holy Communion is about Communion with the Roman Catholic Church and not about Communion with the Lord?

No, that is not what I said. I said that communion with the Catholic Church is one of several criteria in order for one to receive Holy Communion at a Catholic Mass. Another criterion is that a Catholic must be in a state of grace (or as you put it "in communion with the Lord") in order to receive Holy Communion. This means that if one has committed a mortal sin (committed a grave act with knowledge - that it is a grave matter - and full consent) and not gone to confession, then one cannot receive Holy Communion. If one's soul is in a state of mortal sin and one receives Holy Communion, then one has committed a sacrilege which is another mortal sin. Catholics who are not in a state of grace cannot receive Holy Communion at a Catholic Mass.

It is out of charity that the Catholic Church does not allow non-Catholics from non-Apostolic faiths to receive Holy Communion. They would be condemning themselves since many of them do not believe that the Eucharist is truly the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ which is what the Catholic Church believes and teaches.

Why would one who doesn't believe what the Church believes want to receive Holy Communion at a Catholic Mass?

[William Terrell]

The Jews were scandalized by His words because they didn't understand He was talking of things of the spirit, that eating His body and drinking His blood simply meant taking Him into them like what you eat and what you drink becomes part of you.

Or maybe they realized that, and didn't want Him to become part of them, possibly with the realization they would have to give up some of their Jewishness and the ego trip it evidently was for them.

There are a plethora of quite probable and reasonable explanations for the issue without resorting to weirdness.

And the fact remains. If He didn't mean a symbolic taking in His Gospel and making it a part of a man, but meant it literally, He would have carved out a chunk of thigh, drained some blood and fed it to them. He was right there.

Anybody, anywhere, believing in Christ, His Gospel, and faith in God and Christ can reach Him in their hearts through the symbolic communion of their belief. And so can you, Catholic or not.

[William Terrell]

Symbolic for the spiritual equivilant of eating food and its nourishment becoming part of you.

[William Terrell]

That's a power He hasn't given any of us.

Presumably including the Catholic church?

I believe every word of Christ. I just see them from the viewpoint of an individual, the only entity with a soul that needs saving, not as a corporate entity. Men make corporations, not God. Corporate entities have no soul.

[Mr. Lucky]

Fine, I guess.

I'm Lutheran. The belief that Christ is truly present in the communion hosts is not a belief peculiar to the Roman Catholic Church.

[pbear8]

You could try - " All things are present to God at all times. With God it is always 'now'." Then introduce the word omnipresent.

[Tax-chick]

Good suggestion! I will remember "omnipresent."

I use an explanation rather like that, but kids, especially boys 10-11 years old, really like discussion that sounds "scientific." They pay close attention when I bring up atomic physics, Richard Feynmann, and that sort of thing.

Also, in school they're generally taught a very primitive "scientific" materialism, and bringing in the complexities of advanced physics helps to expose them to a bigger picture.

[B-Chan]

With all due respect: Says you. On questions of faith, I'll stick with the answers found in two millennia of Christian teaching.

[William Terrell]

I think Christ is truly present in your heart when you take communion, but may not be in the person next to you who is also. It's totally an individual thing having nothing to do with a group, organization or church. The group, organization or church is merely the venue.

[William Terrell]

Have at it.

[bobjam]

Those who belong to the Lord belong at His Table. Those who do not belong to the Lord do not belong at His Table. There really isn't any more to it. Whose Table is at the focal point of a Roman Catholic church?

I'm not suggesting that the Vatican announce a blanket welcome of all baptized believers to the altar (as you say, there is no such blanket welcome for Catholics). I am suggesting that priests be allowed extreme discretion when it comes to dealing with Christians of other denominations.

We're all on the same team, are we not?