Communion Posture - [Not] Denying Communion

EWTN.com ^ | 12-02 | Colin B. Donovan

[Salvation]

 Communion Posture - Denying Communion

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The egregious practice of denying Holy Communion to Catholics for the manner in which they receive it (kneeling, genuflecting, tongue etc.) continues in some places despite letters such as the following from the Holy See, prohibiting such denials and threatening canonical sanctions against priests who do so. 

The following was published in the November/December 2002 issue of Notitiae, the journal of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The bishop to whom it was addressed was not identified.

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Prot. n. 1322/02/L 

Rome, 1 July 2002 

Your Excellency,

This Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has recently received reports of members of the faithful in your Diocese being refused Holy Communion unless while standing to receive, as opposed to kneeling. The reports state that such a policy has been announced to parishioners. There were possible indications that such a phenomenon might be somewhat more widespread in the Diocese, but the Congregation is unable to verify whether such is the case. This Dicastery is confident that Your Excellency will be in a position to make a more reliable determination of the matter, and these complaints in any event provide an occasion for the Congregation to communicate the manner in which it habitually addresses this matter, with a request that you make this position known to any priests who may be in need of being thus informed.

The Congregation in fact is concerned at the number of simi­lar complaints that it has received in recent months from various places, and considers any refusal of Holy Communion to a member of the faithful on the basis of his or her kneeling posture to be a grave violation of one of the most basic rights of the Christian faithful, namely that of being assisted by their Pastors by means of the Sacraments (Codex Iuris Canonici, canon 213). In view of the law that "sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who opportunely ask for them, are properly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them" (canon 843 § 1), there should be no such refusal to any Catholic who presents himself for Holy Communion at Mass, except in cases presenting a danger of grave scandal to other believers arising out of the person's unrepented public sin or obstinate heresy or schism, publicly professed or declared. Even where the Congregation has approved of legislation denoting standing as the posture for Holy Communion, in accordance with the adaptations permitted to the Conferences of Bishops by the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani n.160, paragraph 2, it has done so with the stipulation that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds.

In fact, as His Eminence, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has recently emphasized, the practice of kneeling for Holy Communion has in its favor a centuries-old tradition, and it is a particularly expressive sign of adoration, completely appropriate in light of the true, real and substantial presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ under the consecrated species.

Given the importance of this matter, the Congregation would request that Your Excellency inquire specifically whether this priest in fact has a regular practice of refusing Holy Communion to any member of the faithful in the circumstances described above and—if the complaint is verified—that you also firmly instruct him and any other priests who may have such a practice to refrain from acting thus in the future. Priests should understand that the Congregation will regard future complaints of this nature with great seriousness, and if they are verified, it intends to seek disciplinary action consonant with the gravity of the pastoral abuse.

Thanking Your Excellency for your attention to this matter and relying on your kind collaboration in its regard, 

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Jorge A. Card. MEDINA ESTÉVEZ
Prefect

Francesco Pio TAMBURRINO
Archbishop Secretary

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Answered by Colin B. Donovan, STL

[Salvation]

For your information and discussion.

[Salvation]

**The Congregation in fact is concerned at the number of simi­lar complaints that it has received in recent months from various places, and considers any refusal of Holy Communion to a member of the faithful on the basis of his or her kneeling posture to be a grave violation of one of the most basic rights of the Christian faithful, namely that of being assisted by their Pastors by means of the Sacraments (Codex Iuris Canonici, canon 213). In view of the law that "sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who opportunely ask for them, are properly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them" (canon 843 § 1), there should be no such refusal to any Catholic who presents himself for Holy Communion at Mass, except in cases presenting a danger of grave scandal to other believers arising out of the person's unrepented public sin or obstinate heresy or schism, publicly professed or declared.**

Bump FROM the top!

[sinkspur]

Even where the Congregation has approved of legislation denoting standing as the posture for Holy Communion, in accordance with the adaptations permitted to the Conferences of Bishops by the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani n.160, paragraph 2, it has done so with the stipulation that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds.

The prudent thing to do is to make clear that the guidelines in the United States dictate that standing is the appropriate posture.

If someone insists on kneeling, then they should not be refused the Eucharist.

Liturgical guidelines are not absolutes.

[ultima ratio]

The problem is not in the kneeling. It is in the refusal of the Novus Ordo Mass itself to acknowledge the Real Presence. Priests who refuse Holy Communion to those who kneel are acting in a way consistent with the liturgy itself. Bishops and priests who think this way are unCatholic--which should be the real worry for the Vatican which has yet to come out clearly against the new rule itself which is an affront to Catholic worship and belief. The silence of the Pope on this whole issue speaks volumes.

[sinkspur]

It is in the refusal of the Novus Ordo Mass itself to acknowledge the Real Presence.

No "bells-and-smells" does not equal lack of acknowledgement of the Real Presence.

Besides, how would you know? Don't you attend your "real" Mass, or does your congregation go on apostolic missions, peeping in on Novus Ordo Masses and then going back to your converted funeral home (with the same atmosphere) and patting yourselves on the back at how "enlightened" you are?

I pray the Pope gives you your separate Rite, after that nutbag Williamson passes on, and you weirdos leave the rest of us the hell alone.

[Salvation]

**refusal of the Novus Ordo Mass itself to acknowledge the Real Presence**

What do you mean here? Every Mass I have been to and every priest I have talked with always emphasize the 'Real Presence' of Jesus, Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist.

[ultima ratio]

What do I mean? Look at the words "Mystery of faith." In the old Mass they were spoken DURING the Consecration to refer to the changing of the bread and wine into Our Lord's Body and Blood, Transubstantiation to Catholics--a doctrine Protestants do not hold. To make the Mass more palatable to Protestants, therefore, the words "Mystery of faith" were shifted to AFTER the Consecration and now refer NOT to Transubstantiation but to Christ's life and death and the fact that he will come again. Why mention the fact that he will come again--when He's right there, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, on the altar. This is trickery, not prayer. The fact that Christ died and will come again IS NOT the central mystery of the Catholic faith. What IS the central mystery is that He would remain with us by changing ordinary bread and wine into Himself. But not only is this doctrinal truth suppressed in the New Mass, but every means has been taken to exclude any show of reverence by the faithful to His Divine Presence. Genuflections have been eliminated and even kneeling for Communion is now prohibited. This is intentionally designed to repress the instinct to show adoration and to DESACRALIZE Communion--which is why, by the way, Communion is now taken in the hands. In addition, every reference to Christ's ACTUAL PRESENCE is subordinated to his VIRTUAL PRESENCE in Scripture and in the assembly itself. This is sheer Protestantism, pure and simple. It is not traditional Catholicism, no matter how much baloney bishops throw your way about nothing having substantially changed since Vatican II. The truth is, everything is changed. Look around you. This is not the same Church and not the same religion. The New Mass is a complete break with our Catholic past. I've given you only one small phrase in the New Mass. Multiply this example by a thousand similar changes and you see the problem. We have a New Mass that is no longer Catholic.

[ultima ratio]

How would I know? I once attended Novus Ordo Masses like most of you--until I got wise to what was happening. I was tired of leaving Mass angry with the foolery and the shallow sermons and the spiritual banality of the whole process. And I was tired of being turned into a Protestant. The traditional Latin Mass put me back in touch with true Catholicism, going back to apostolic times. I now worship as our ancesters always did. It is worship of God the Father, through the sacrifice of the Son. It is not about us and how wonderful we are.

[Catholicguy]

The Chair of Peter and the positions of authority in Rome are occupied by anti-Christs." --- Dossier sur les Consécrations Episcopales, August 28th, 1987, Archbishop Lefebvre

On June 15, 1988, the same Archbishop declared in a conference that John Paul II "is not Catholic.

"I pray the Pope gives you your separate Rite, after that nutbag Williamson passes on, and you weirdos leave the rest of us the hell alone

<> Gee, Sink, what makes you think they are weirdoes?<>

[eastsider]

I pray the Pope gives you your separate Rite

Amen!!!