www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Giving communion to people of other faiths

Well, in other topics we've described some cases when some Orthodox agree to give communion to Catholics and non-chalcedoneans, even when it is not the official policy of the Church. Even when Orthodox are never officially allowed to receive sacraments in Roman parishes this indeed happens.

In the Roman Church, if I am not mistaken, Canon Law states that any person for whom is impossible to approach to a Roman priest can receive the sacraments from a Church that has valid sacraments (the Eastern Churches), and that Catholic ministers can provide sacraments to the members of Eastern Churches Churches who ask for them.

However there are some exceptions that priests do sometimes, even when it is not the policy of the Roman Church. For example, my mother's grandfather was married to a woman who was a member of one of these new American mystic churches called "Niscience", that religion is like a mixture of Catholicism (they believe in the saints, the virgin, that the eucharist is truly Chriist's body even if they dont have true priests, etc) and mystic oriental religions (Buddhism, meditation and re-incarnation :p ). When they visited Mexico they went to Mass in a Catholic Cathedral and took communion there.
The Anglican governour of Canada also takes comunion in a Roman parish, and I once read that a priest of African origin, was reprimanded becase he gave communion to President Clinton.

What is the practice of Byzantine Catholic Churches about this? Specially when they live in a place where Protestantism is majoritary.

The only thing that rings a bell is the African priest/President Clinton occurance. I heard he got in major trouble, but I heard all this about a year ago.

ChristTeen287

Tony Blair receives communion in his wife's Catholic parish without any incident.

Axios

Maybe the priest is "NEW" Labour?

From my understanding, it is acceptable for anyone who is a Catholic in good standing or Orthodox christian in good standing to approach the Holy Mysteries. The unfortunate reality that I have experienced is that many Catholic's NOT in good standing approach and in my parish, our priest never even asks people if they are Catholic or Orthodox before distributing the Holy Mysteries at communion. I once told him I was scandalized by this because two people who were living openly in an unblessed union approached and received. Our Catholic churches it seems, both east and west, have become rather laxed in preserving the "Holy things for holy people".

That is between those people and their Spiritual Father and God and not for others to instruct them. We don't have a "Communion Police" the last time I checked. It is up to their consciences informed by their Spiritual Father.

It is interesting that the Liturgy does not call for a quizzing of the communicant as he approches. (And it is supposed to be those bad liberal catholics who insert things in the Liturgy at will).

I often think I am unworthy when I approach to communion, almost every person who knows the meaning of the sacraments often feels that,a dn our human weakness also makes us think about the others (like "why are they receiving communion if they're living in sin?", "why does he receives communion if he has a soft morality?", etc) but I think we should fight against those thoughts.

St. Pio di Ptetrcina, a saint of the Latin Church said:

It is quite true, we are not worthy of such a gift. However, to approach the Blessed Sacrament having commited a very grave sin is one thing, and to be unworthy, quite another. All of us are unworthy, but it is He who invites us. It is He who desires it. Let us humble ourselves and receive Him with a heart contrite and full of love.

All the cases we've described before, like those of people with inmoral lifestyles who approach to communion without hesitation, or that of Protestants like Clinton of Blair taking communion in Roman parishes, are, in my opinion, the result of the lack of understanding of what the sacrament is (I wouldn't blame a Protestant for that because they are taught that way). The Eucharist has become a "sharing the bread of friendship", a community reunion, this is quite widespread among Roman Catholics, but among Orthodox this also happens. If we give this simplified and desacralized meaning to the Eucharist, it would be illogical (as Clinton and Blair might think) not to partake the bread of friendship with the rest of the community.

Even when priests who let them take communion there are wrong, I don't blame them, it would be hard to say NO to Blair or Clinton or anybody, because usually when one approaches to communion it's because he is in good standing and a member of that Church.

The extreme case occurs maily in Orthodox parishes, when it is sometimes disturbing when priests ask people if they are Orthodox and if they have confessed when one isn't blond like the rest of the parish faithful, or when someone comes from outside.

I read an article a long time ago about Blair's religious convictions. The article stated that Blair seemingly flirts with conversion to Catholicism, and that it was the author's personal opinion that the reason Blair has not yet converted is because of his position as Prime Minister of a Protestant Britain.

ChristTeen287

This may or may not be true ChristTeen - but should not the secular leader of a nation who expects us to abide by the Laws of the Land, also obey the Laws of the Church ?

Having said that, of course I do not expect a Priest who is administering the Body of Christ to the faithful to stop and say that such an action is not permitted - Tony Blair should know that - others may not

Anhelyna

Friends,

A blessed Lord's Day to all!

Since the RC Church allows certain non-Catholics to receive the sacraments under certain condition (when the discipline of the non-Catholic Church allows, if I am not mistaken) some here seem to think that should work the other way.

Of course the rationale behind the RCC's discipline is the RCC's ecclesiology.

The Orthodox Church does not hold the same ecclesiology. Therefore, the discipline is different.

There are disciplines, they have a purpose, to keep order. No matter how much another Church may posses "valid sacraments" and the theological differences are "semantic" or otherwise, obedience has a place.

We are approaching Cheese-fare Sunday when we remember that Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise through an act of disobedience.

"Adam was banished from Paradise through disobedience..." Excerpt of sticheron at "Lord, I have cried" - The Lenten Triodion by Mother Mary and Ware.

Tony

No offense, but I think you are being most unfair to us non-Catholics (Tony & myself) is suggested we should be expected to know Catholic canon law. It is not part of our religious instruction nor part of our civil schooling.

The Church authorities both when Clinton and Reagan before him received Communion were careful to point out that any violation of the law was by the priest, not the Presidents, as non-Catholics are not subject to canon law.

Axios

Remie,

"When one isn't blond like the rest of the parish faithful"? What one earth does that mean?

Tony

Sorry Axios and Tony,

But I as an RC know that I may not receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion in either a Protestant or Orthodox Church. My friends in the States tell me that in their RC Pew Books it is stated that non-catholics may not Receive the Sacrament.

Here when it is known that non-catholics may be present our priests will remind the congregation of this and say that should they wish they may go forward to receive a Blessing from the Priest.

I can't answer for Mr Clinton, but Mr Blair , married to an RC , and whose children are educated in RC Schools should know that.

I can however say that during my time in Geneva , when I was a Methodist , I was told that as a communicating member of my own Church [ Methodist] and as there was no other English speaking Church there I was permitted whilst in Switzerland to receive Communion in the Anglican Church.

However I, as an EEM, also know that I am not to stop and question any stranger who approaches me during the time of Administration of Communion.

When in Lourdes - since there I attend Divine Liturgy , I am careful to introduce myself beforehand and explain that I am Latin but do wish to Receive there -- and I am now greeted most kindly on my visits . OK they possibly think I am an oddball - but I am welcomed there and I feel at home.

Anhelyna

Well, I found some sources of Latin Canon Law, here it goes:

Canon 908 "Catholic priests are forbidden to concelebrate the Eucharist with priests or ministers of Churches or ecclesial communities which are not in full communion with the catholic Church."

Canon 844 �1 "Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments only to catholic members of Christ's faithful, who equally may lawfully receive them only from catholic ministers, except as provided in �2, 3 and 4 of this canon and in can. 861 �2."

�2 "Whenever necessity requires or a genuine spiritual advantage commends it, and provided the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, Christ's faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a catholic minister, may lawfully receive the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic ministers in whose Churches these sacraments are valid".

(If I am not mistaken the Roman Church acknowledges the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church, the Non-Chalcedonean Communities, and the Assyrian Church of the East as valid. But the Anglican Church or any Protestant body does not fit in this category)

�3 "Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick to members of the eastern Churches not in full communion with the catholic Church, if they spontaneously ask for them and are properly disposed. The same applies to members of other Churches which the Apostolic See judges to be in the same position as the aforesaid eastern Churches so far as the sacraments are concerned.

(Pope John Paul I provided the last rites to Metropolitan Nikodim of the Moscow Patriarchate, who died in Rome)

�4 "If there is a danger of death or if, in the judgment of the diocesan Bishop or of the Episcopal Conference, there is some other grave and pressing need, catholic ministers may lawfully administer these same sacraments to other Christians not in full communion with the catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who spontaneously ask for them, provided that they demonstrate the catholic faith in respect of these sacraments and are properly disposed.

�5 "In respect of the cases dealt with in �2, 3 and 4, the diocesan Bishop or the Episcopal Conference is not to issue general norms except after consultation with the competent authority, at least at the local level, of the non-Catholic Church or community concerned."

(Therefore, those Catholic priests who invite Orthodox to share the Eucharist are not respecting their Canon Law, since "regular" intercommunion applies only when both Bishops, the Roman Bishop and the Orthodox Bishop agree. As most Orthodox Bishops do not officially permit intercommunion with any religious body which is not in communion with his Church, even if it posesses Apostolic Succession and true sacraments, these cases are very scarce. At this time, only the Assyrian Church of the East has official intercommunion with the Catholic Church, and people from the RC can receive sacraments there, and viceversa)

About the Anglican religion, it is an indifferentist religion. Actually they don't see any difference between lutherans, methodists, baptists, presbyterians, etc. Some Anglicans believe communion is just a symbol of community friendship and Christ's love (as a kind of interdenominational), some think it's a symbol of Christ's spiritual presence (like the Baptists or the methodists), some think it represents Christ (like prebyterians), some think Christ is there but that the matter of bread and wine still remains (like Lutherans) and some groups that are an oddity try to believe the same way Catholicism or Orthodoxy do. Given this plurality, people from all sects can receive that eucharist.