Should Non-Catholics Receive Communion?

By Fr. William Saunders
^{HERALD Columnist}

Should non-Catholics who are not practicing their faith receive Holy Communion? -- A reader from Arlington

One of the great fruits of holy Communion, according to the Catechism (No.1396), is that the holy Eucharist makes the Church: ''Those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it, Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body — the Church. Communion renews, strengthens and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by baptism." Therefore, the reception of holy Communion truly unites in communion the Catholic faithful who share the same faith, doctrinal teachings, traditions, sacraments and leadership.

A Catholic must be in a state of grace to receive holy Communion, and anyone aware of being in a state of mortal sin must first receive absolution in the sacrament of penance (Catechism, No.1415). Therefore, a non-practicing Catholic who has negligently not attended Mass or who has abandoned the teachings of the Church is not in a state of grace and cannot receive holy Communion. A non-practicing Catholic who receives holy Communion commits the sin of sacrilege — the abuse of a sacrament — and causes scandal among the faithful. St. Paul reminded the Corinthians: "Every time, then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes. This means that whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the body and blood of the Lord. A man should examine himself first; only then should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup'' (I Cor 11: 26-28).

What then about non-Catholics? Sadly, since the time Our Lord founded the Church upon the apostles, we have witnessed divisions, the first major one being with the Orthodox Churches in 1054, followed by the Protestant Churches beginning in 1517. While all Christians share many beliefs — for instance in Jesus Christ, in baptism, and in the Bible as the Word of God — and can work and pray together in serving the mission of Our Lord, major differences in beliefs still do exist, including the primacy of the pope, the sacrificial priesthood and the nature of sacraments, including what the holy Eucharist is. Indeed, much progress has been made since the Second Vatican Council to discuss these differences with various Christian groups. Nevertheless, these differences still "break the common participation in the table of the Lord" (Catechism, #1398).

Here we find some distinction. Concerning the Orthodox Churches, who primarily disagree with Catholics over the authority of the pope, Vatican II's "Decree on Ecumenism" ("Unitatis Redintegratio," 1964) stated, "These Churches, although separated from us, yet possess true sacraments, above all — by apostolic succession — the priesthood and the Eucharist, whereby they are still joined to us in closest intimacy." A certain communion "in sacris," including the holy Eucharist, "given suitable circumstances and the approval of Church authority, is not merely possible but is encouraged" (No.15). Along these lines, the Code of Canon Law stipulates that the sacraments of penance, Eucharist and anointing of the sick may be administered to members of the Orthodox Churches if they ask on their own for these sacraments and are properly disposed (Canon 844, No.3).

Besides rejecting papal authority, Vatican II recognized that the Protestant Churches "have not preserved the proper reality of the eucharistic mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of holy orders" ("Decree on Ecumenism," No.22). For this very reason, the sharing of holy Communion between Protestants and Catholics is not possible (Catechism, No.1400). This statement does not suggest that Protestant churches do not commemorate the Lord's death and resurrection in their communion service or believe that it signifies a communion with Christ. However, Protestant theology differs with Catholic theology concerning the holy Eucharist over the real presence of Christ, transubstantiation, the sacrifice of the Mass and the nature of the priesthood. Nevertheless, the Code of Canon Law makes an exception in emergency cases: "If the danger of death is present or other grave necessity, in the judgment of the diocesan bishop or the conference of bishops, Catholic administers may licitly administer these sacraments (penance, eucharist, and anointing of the sick) to other Christians ... who cannot approach a minister of their own community and on their own ask for it, provided they manifest the Catholic faith in these sacraments and are properly disposed" (Canon 844, No.4).

In regard to those who are not baptized, e.g. a member of the Jewish or Moslem faith, Catholics welcome them to share in prayer but cannot extend to them an invitation to receive the sacraments. This restriction is obvious since the sacraments are intrinsically linked to the fundamental belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

We must continue to pray that the divisions which separate Christians will be healed. Until those differences are healed and out of respect for each other's beliefs, a real "intercommunion" cannot take place. I remember once I participated at the funeral of a friend at a Protestant Church, which included a Communion service. The minister did indeed invite everyone to receive Communion. However, I refrained out of respect for their beliefs and my own: I did not fully accept all the beliefs or practices of their particular denomination, nor did those members accept all that the Roman Catholic Church believed. Therefore, to receive Communion would be to state "I am in Communion with them," when I was not. Worse yet, had I partaken, I would have received something sacred which should bind me as part of their communion — at least from a Catholic perspective — when in fact I have never participated in one of their services since then. We must remember that to receive communion does not depend simply on what a person individually believes; to receive communion aligns a person to a church and binds him to what that church teaches.

We must be careful not to let our hearts simply get the best of us and make blanket statements like, "Jesus loves everyone. Everyone is welcome to receive Communion." Yes, Our Lord indeed loves everyone; however, we in turn must appreciate and respect the gift of the holy Eucharist in order to receive Our Lord with genuine love and devotion. I think those individuals who disregard the Church's regulations, if they are Catholic especially, have a lack of appreciation not only for Catholic theology but also for Church history. They forget the great examples of St. Edmund Campion or St. Margaret Clitherow and many others who were tortured and put to death under the reign of Elizabeth I because they celebrated or attended Mass, believed in transubstantiation and were loyal to the Holy Father. They forget the examples of great saints, like St. John Neumann or St. John Vianney, who implored their congregations to use regularly the sacrament of penance so as to be in a state of grace when receiving the Lord. By observing these regulations concerning the reception of Holy Communion, we will better appreciate the gift of the blessed sacrament, respect each other's beliefs, end work towards unity. Ignoring these regulations will only build a false sense of communion and a shallow expression of love.

Fr. Saunders is dean of the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College and pastor of Queen of Apostles Parish, both in Alexandria.

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