Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] US archbishop forbids priests banning Communion on tongue as response to Coronavirus Archdiocese of Portland: 'Communion on the tongue or in the hand pose a more or less equal risk' March 5, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A U.S. Archdiocese has issued guidelines affirming the right of Catholics to continue to receive Holy Communion on the tongue in response to local priests who were banning the practice due to the Coronavirus.  The Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, headed by Archbishop Alexander Sample, stated in the guidelines that it had received calls from concerned parishioners who stated that they had...

[Catholic Caucus] Porneia and Communion in the Hand There are many instances of Eucharistic typology in Scripture that can give us insight into the question of whether God favors receiving Communion in the hand or on the tongue. This question is profoundly connected with questions of modesty, chastity, and humility, giving us a new perspective on the connection between liturgical reform and the abuse crisis.The Last Supper The first thing to look at is JesusÂ’s own actions. Defenders of the practice of Communion in the hand cite JesusÂ’s words at the Last Supper, when, after blessing the bread, he says...

[Catholic Caucus] Priests, bishop reveal rashness in banning Communion on tongue in response to coronavirus As a number of dioceses around the world begin to implement bans on Communion on the tongue, several clergymen and one lay group counter that Communion in the hand is the less hygienic option. St. Peter’s Basilica on November 3, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI distributes Holy Communion on the tongue to the kneeling faithful. March 4, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A number of Catholic priests, a bishop, and a lay group are challenging the argument that banning Holy Communion on the tongue in favor of...

[Catholic Caucus] Op-Ed - Bishop Schneider: The Rite of Holy Communion in times of a pandemic 'The ban on Communion in the mouth is unfounded compared to the great health risks of Communion in the hand in the time of a pandemic. Such a ban constitutes an abuse of authority.' By Bishop Athanasius Schneider Nobody can force us to receive the Body of Christ in a way that constitutes a risk of the loss of the fragments, and a decrease in reverence, as is the way of receiving Communion in the hand. Although it is true that one could receive...

If House speaker Nancy Pelosi is a "practicing Catholic," then Sen. Elizabeth Warren is an American Indian. If she is a practicing Catholic, then one hopes that one day, she gets it right. You cannot be in fundamental disagreement with a fundamental doctrine of the Catholic Church and then wrap yourself in its vestments to proclaim you don't hate anybody. Funny: Cafeteria Catholic Pelosi doesn't invoke her Christian conscience when she supports her caucus's abortion-until-birth infanticide policy, the ultimate separation of mother from child.

Bishop Laise: Pope and Bishops Do Not Care About What Is Sacred Retired Argentinian Bishop Juan Rodolfo Laise, a true confessor of the Faith and fighter against Communion in the hand, noticed in an interview with LaFedeQuotidiana.it that in the present Church there is little care for the sacred. He points out that the hierarchy is partly responsible for this. Quote, "I do not intend to launch accusations, but in this light the Pope should insist more and he does not." There Is Only One Way to Receive Communion 92-year-old Bishop Laise further stated that there is only one way...

Cardinal Brandmüller Criticises Communion on the Hand, Mercy Ideology “It is evident that receiving Holy Communion on the tongue while kneeling expresses the faith in Christ's real presence better than Communion in the hand while standing”, according to Cardinal Walter Brandmüller. Talking to LaFedeQuotidiana.it (July 22), Brandmüller, one of the two living Dubia cardinals, further criticises Pope Francis' mercy ideology, “Mercy is only true if it does not contradict but is in harmony with the other Christian virtues: prudence, temperance, fortitude.”

At an astonishing pace, one third of the 27 German dioceses have already now come out with statements concerning the recently published controversial intercommunion guide of the German Bishops’ Conference. Only one diocese has, so far, declared that it will hold back on implementing the new guide allowing, in individual cases, Protestant spouses of Catholics to receive Holy Communion on a regular basis, and without converting to the Catholic Faith, and even without a prior sacramental confession. The most troubling message came out just last week from the bishop of Würzburg, Franz Jung, who invited, for the weekend of 5...

As was to be reasonably expected, the progressive wing of the German episcopacy now tries to interpret favorably the recent 3 May message sent by Pope Francis to the German bishops through Archbishop Luis Ladaria, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The pope had told the German bishops in Rome that he wishes for a unanimous solution among them and thus effectively declined to give any further doctrinal clarity in the matter of the new German pastoral handout that allows certain Protestant spouses of Catholics to receive Holy Communion on a regular basis. After the...

Don Federico Bortoli is presently the pastor of the parish of Sant’Andrea Apostolo in Acquaviva in the Diocese of San Marino Montefeltro. He is also diocesan chancellor, judicial vicar, and ecclesiastical counselor for the Unione Cristiana Imprenditori Dirigenti (Christian Union of Entrepreneurs and Executives). He is the defender of the bond at the Flaminio Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Bologna. His book, published last February 22, La distribuzione della Comunione sulla mano (The Distribution of Communion In the Hand), is his doctoral dissertation in Canon Law. We interviewed him on this important topic. The key document relative to the distribution of Holy...

A few weeks ago we were told—by usually reliable sources—that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had rejected the German bishops’ proposal for administering Communion to the non-Catholic spouses of Catholics. We were further informed that Pope Francis had approved the CDF decision. Evidently that report was inaccurate. Or if was accurate at the time, the decision has been rescinded. Now the Pope has instructed the German bishops to seek consensus—ideally, unanimity—on the hotly disputed question, for the sake of “ecclesial communion.” Three observations here: 1) The role of the Roman Pontiff is to resolve disputes among the...

On the Worthy Reception of Holy Communion, Part One Msgr. Charles Pope • April 22, 2018 • credit: J. Lippelmann, Catholic StandardLast week in the Office of Readings of the Liturgy of the Hours we read from St. Justin Martyr who said:No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes what we teach is true; Unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ (Apologia Cap 66: 6, 427-431)St Justin may also have in mind a text...

In the March 22 letter, published in full below, the seven bishops say they “do not consider” the German bishops’ decision on Feb. 20 to allow Protestant spouses to receive Holy Communion in some cases to be “right” because they do not believe the issue to be a pastoral one but rather a “question of the faith and unity of the Church which is not subject to a vote.”  The letter is signed by Cardinal Rainer Woelki of Cologne, Archbishop Ludwig Schick of Bamberg, Bishop Gregor Hanke of Eichstätt, Bishop Konrad Zdarsa of Augsburg, Bishop Wolfgang Ipolt of Görlitz, Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer...

Sources confirm that, with the Holy Father’s approval, the Vatican’s head of doctrine has thrown out the bishops’ pastoral guide allowing Holy Communion for some Protestant spouses, but the Pope wishes the rejection letter to remain secret. Edward Pentin The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope Francis, has written a letter to German bishops rejecting their proposal to allow some Protestant spouses to receive Holy Communion, but the Pope does not wish the letter to be made public, the Register has learned. Sources in the Vatican and Germany say that Archbishop Luis Ladaria, the...

Guest Op-Ed: Remaining faithful to Christ By Veronica A. Arntz Highlights from Cardinal Sarah and Fr. Thomas Weinandy This past week, there were two announcements about pieces of literature that left the liberals quaking (and complaining loudly). The first is a preface, written by Cardinal Robert Sarah, for a new book on Communion, who called for a return to receiving Communion on the tongue while kneeling, rather than in the hands while standing. While many readers of this blog already follow this request, we should rejoice at this call for greater reverence. The second is an address, which was given by...

[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] The head of the Vatican department overseeing liturgy is summoning the Catholic faithful to return to receiving Holy Communion on the tongue and kneeling. In the preface to a new book on the subject, Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, writes: “The most insidious diabolical attack consists in trying to extinguish faith in the Eucharist, by sowing errors and fostering an unsuitable way of receiving it. Truly the war between Michael and his Angels on one side, and Lucifer on the other, continues in the hearts of the faithful.” “Satan’s target is the Sacrifice...

In a new interview with Rorate Caeli, Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan, one of the signatories of a Dec 30 statement calling any sacramental discipline that allows Communion for the divorced and remarried “Alien to the entire tradition of the Catholic and Apostolic Faith,” explains why he is one of the signatories of this latest broadside against the popular pastoral implementation of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. His interview comes amidst rumors that Pope Francis is planning a campaign of “denigration” of the signatories through his various media surrogates in retaliation for their opposition — in a way similar to what...

The patriarch Jeremiah Al Amchiti was born in Amsheet, Lebanon, where he grew up and received education until God called him for his service in the religious life. In fact, he became a monk, and with the help of his brothers David and Joseph, he lived for a while as a hermit in Amsheet’s hermitages. Those hermitages included vast and high cellars and three churches: Our Lady of the Sea, Saint Zakhia, and Saint John. They are all known as Saint Zakhia’s churches, and are considered today among the most important ancient ruins in Amsheet.In 1199, Jeremiah Al Amchiti was...

It was the footnote heard around the world. Footnote 351, to be precise. The dynamite – or so it seemed to some – quietly buried deep in Pope Francis’ recent apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia. To journalists poring over the exhortation hoping to learn how the pope intended to resolve the debate that had pitted cardinal against cardinal and bishop against bishop at the two recent synods at the family, it seemed to provide the key. “In certain cases, this can include the help of the sacraments,” the footnote reads, before making reference to the Eucharist and confession. Were these the...

TOKYO (ChurchMilitant.com) - Parishioners have been warned by two priests at a parish in Tokyo not to kneel for Holy Communion. In so doing, they're knowingly opposing the directives from Rome and from their own bishops' conference. The parishioners informed ChurchMilitant.com that they're too scared to kneel. One parishioner, Neil Day, said: The situation is extremely volatile. If anyone kneels in front of either Fr. Grimm or Fr. Russell, they will be refused. The reactions of these two priests tends to be extremely rude where Fr. Grimm actually physically grabbed a woman by the arm to try and force her...