Asking the important questions. Here’s an article by Joanne M. Pierce at The Conversation that explains why the Roman Catholic Church bans gluten-free Communion wafers. Kidding aside, it’s estimated that as much as 1% of the population is affected by celiac disease, genuine gluten intolerance. I understand the history behind it but by maintaining its position the Church is cutting some Catholics out of a vital part of being a Catholic.
Most Protestant denominations do not share this prohibition nor do Orthodox churches and their orders are just as valid as ours. To the best of my knowledge it isn’t an issue of dogma but of doctrine and discipline. It’s something that could change.
What’s the church’s position on Spam?
Have a good day.
It’s worth noting in this context that Holy Communion can be administered in more than one way. While the wafer is the most common, there’s also wine which is considered to be equally valid under the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. In most Catholic Parishes today, one can receive Communion under either form, or both, and there is no requirement that it be under one form or the other, or both for that matter, to be valid in the eyes of the Church. That’s actually a fairly new development in the U.S. I believe. For a long time while I was growing up and going to Church with my parents, Communion was only available via the wafer. The wine was something only the Priest and those at the altar took part in. It wasn’t until some time in the mid-to-late 70s I think that our Church started offering the wine option to parishioners.
Now, what I don’t know is if the wine used (which is watered down in any case) is gluten free.
Also, FWIW, it’s my understanding that Orthodox Christianity holds the same view on transubstantiation regarding the Eucharist as the Catholic Church does.
I do not know whether they have the same position on the gluten issue, though, or even if it has been addressed by the various Orthodox Churches.
Leavened bread is used for communion bread in most Orthodox churches. Wheat must be used so the Orthodox have the same position on gluten as Roman Catholics.
It seems to me that using wheat starch should be acceptable for both.
I don’t disagree, but as we’ve seen the Catholic Church is often slow to change on many issues, and this issue goes to something that Catholics consider to be central to their faith. So, change of any kind is often controversial.
For example, there are still Catholic traditionalists who don’t accept Communion being distributed by hand and prefer to receive it orally with only the Priest touching it. That’s also a change that I can remember coming about in the mid-70s, years after I had already had First Communion. In fact, if one is at a Mass being conducted by a Bishop, Cardinal, or the Pope it is generally accepted that Communion is only delivered orally, not in the parishioner’s hand. And I believe that’s still the only method used in Orthodox churches.
As I write this I’m sitting two blocks from a house where a group of such Catholics meet and celebrate the Tridentine Mass.
If the transubstantiation works, there won’t be gluten in the wafer by the time it hits the intestines. So, what’s the problem?
It was either under John Paul II or Benedict XVI that the post-Vatican 2 rule was changed to allow parishes to celebrate the Tridentine Mass if they chose to. My understanding, though, is that it requires a special dispensation from the Bishop to do so.
It’s an Opus Dei house. There’s actually one two blocks north of me and one two blocks south (and a block east).
Episcopalian here. Communion includes both wine and bread. We aren’t fussy about the bread. There was some commotion over whether the wine must be taken directly from the cup or if it was OK to dunk the bread in the wine. Now, at least at our church, we let people do whichever one they want. I have a hard time believing that God would really care which way we did it.
Steve