- Feb 5, 2002
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Q: We know that Our Lord loves everyone and thus would want to be as close to each person as possible. Can non-Catholics receive Holy Communion since this would help achieve the Lord’s ultimate desire to be within the heart and soul of every human being? My spouse is an Episcopalian and refuses to receive Holy Communion with me at Mass because she feels the church prohibits it. I have been unable to convince her otherwise. Is her position the prevailing one within the Catholic church? (Florida)
A: Your wife is correct here. Under ordinary circumstances, the Church does not allow non-Catholics to receive Holy Communion. But this discipline is not meant to “keep people away from Jesus.” Rather, it is intended to safeguard the integrity of the church’s teaching on the Eucharist and to respect the conscience of everyone involved.
Starting with the root of the issue, the Catholic Church believes in the doctrine of the “Real Presence,” meaning that we believe that the bread and wine offered at Mass are changed into the body and blood of Christ in a literal sense. In technical theological terms, this process is called “transubstantiation.”
Most non-Catholic Christians do not understand Holy Communion in these terms. Many Protestant denominations believe that the bread and wine used in their Communion services undergo no change and all, but remain simply bread and wine in every sense, so that Communion is merely a reminder of Jesus’ last supper. Other denominations do have some concept of a real presence, but in a less full sense or in a less defined way than the Catholic teaching.
Continued below.
A: Your wife is correct here. Under ordinary circumstances, the Church does not allow non-Catholics to receive Holy Communion. But this discipline is not meant to “keep people away from Jesus.” Rather, it is intended to safeguard the integrity of the church’s teaching on the Eucharist and to respect the conscience of everyone involved.
Starting with the root of the issue, the Catholic Church believes in the doctrine of the “Real Presence,” meaning that we believe that the bread and wine offered at Mass are changed into the body and blood of Christ in a literal sense. In technical theological terms, this process is called “transubstantiation.”
Most non-Catholic Christians do not understand Holy Communion in these terms. Many Protestant denominations believe that the bread and wine used in their Communion services undergo no change and all, but remain simply bread and wine in every sense, so that Communion is merely a reminder of Jesus’ last supper. Other denominations do have some concept of a real presence, but in a less full sense or in a less defined way than the Catholic teaching.
Continued below.
Why can't non-Catholics receive Communion?
The Catholic Church generally restricts Communion to Catholics, with exceptions in cases of grave need or danger of death.