On October 1, 2020 the Piotr Skarga Association of Christian Culture started the information campaign “STOP Holy Communion in the Hand!” The campaign represents an expression of the concern of Catholic laity about the proper reverence due to the Most Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Our Lord.
We speak up motivated by our profound concern over the experiment which, on the pretext of “health care,” leads to the distribution of Holy Communion to the faithful of the Catholic Church in the hand. Although Holy Communion was distributed in the hand in the first centuries of Christianity, whenever the Body of Christ was given, the principle of protecting the particles of the Host against loss and desecration was followed. The faithful receiving the Holy Communion, before and after going to this Sacrament, washed their hands in a way priests do now while celebrating Holy Mass. The purification of the hands and fingers which touched the Host is supposed to guarantee that every particle will be received by the faithful and that the desecration of the Body of Christ will not happen.
Wesprzyj nas już teraz!
The development of the holy liturgy as well as the deepening reverence for the Most Holy Sacrament throughout the centuries led to the adoption of the practice in the Catholic Church which combines both the highest reverence for the Most Holy Sacrament expressed by the kneeling position (adopted during the adoration) and the concern for each, even the smallest, particle of the Body of Christ received on the tongue and assisted by an altar server holding a paten.
It should be obvious for each Catholic that after the transubstantiation at Holy Mass Christ is present in each, even the smallest, particle of the consecrated Host; therefore, it is both the ministers’ and the faithful’s responsibility to take care of giving the due reverence for each particle of the Eucharistic Bread which is truly the Body of Christ.
In our opinion, abandoning the distribution of Holy Communion on the tongue and giving it instead on the hand is not justified by sanitary regulations. The Host given directly to the mouth by the priest has no contact with the hand of the faithful which touches different surfaces. The distribution of Holy Communion to the mouth is also recognized as safer because of sanitary reasons by a group of 21 doctors from Austria and the Association of Catholic Doctors of Italy.
For the faithful of the Catholic Church, the tradition of receiving the Most Holy Sacrament by mouth is essential for another reason. It deters the situations when those who receive the Host in the hand do not eat it but use it for sacrilegious purposes or hand it to other people who may desecrate the Body of Christ as documented in media accounts.
The Piotr Skarga Association of Christian Culture, motivated by the concern over giving the due reverence to the Most Holy Sacrament, encourages the faithful to join the action “STOP Holy Communion in the Hand!” More information about the action can be found on the website “Ciało Chrystusa” (The Body of Christ) created especially for that purpose (https://CialoChrystusa.com).
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Starting the information campaign “STOP Holy Communion in the Hand!” on October 1, 2020
The action is addressed to the faithful of the Catholic Church to show the concern of the Catholic laity regarding the practice of distributing Holy Communion to the faithful in the hand. The action of the Piotr Skarga Association of Christian Culture, directed to the consciences and minds of the faithful, was launched by lay Catholics and was motivated by the concern about the proper reverence due to Our Lord Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament.
The opinions expressed by many supporters and friends of the Piotr Skarga Association of Christian Culture induced our Association to place a banner “STOP Holy Communion in the Hand!” in select big cities of our country and to prepare the brochure “W tej Hostyi jest Bóg żywy” (In This Host Is the Living God) which provides the exact reasons why distributing Holy Communion in the hand is dangerous and unjustified both for religious and health reasons.
Although Holy Communion was distributed in the hand in the first centuries of Christianity, whenever the Body of Christ was given, the principle of protecting the particles of the Host against loss and desecration was followed. During that time both the faithful and priests purified their hands before and after touching Holy Communion. The objective of that procedure was to protect each particle, being the Body of Christ, against the unintentional or intentional desecration.
The development of the holy liturgy as well as the deepening reverence for the Most Holy Sacrament throughout the centuries led to the adoption of the practice in the Catholic Church which combines both the highest reverence for the Most Holy Sacrament expressed by the kneeling position (adopted during the adoration) and the concern for each, even the smallest, particle of the Body of Christ received on the tongue and assisted by an altar server holding a paten.
Contrary to that practice, the new practice of distributing Holy Communion in the hand developed, particularly in the West, which gradually from the form admitted conditionally in some places has recently become obligatory in many places. This form, as the long experience of Western countries has shown, is leading to the loss of the faith in the real presence of Our Lord Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament as well as many abuses and desecrations.
The brochure “In This Host Is the Living God” gives examples of undignified treatment of the Host and desecration of the Body of Christ. It also describes well-known Eucharistic miracles proving that Our Lord Jesus himself is present in each particle of the Most Holy Sacrament.
As regards the practice of distributing Holy Communion in the hand for sanitary reasons, the Association believes that the Host given directly on the tongue by the priest is less exposed to possible contamination because it doesn’t come into contact with the hand of the faithful receiving the Most Holy Sacrament.
The distribution of Holy Communion to the mouth is also recognized as safer because of sanitary reasons by a group of 21 doctors from Austria and the Association of Catholic Doctors of Italy. 27 German medical specialists also point out that the distribution of Holy Communion in the hand isn’t any safer alternative to Holy Communion on the tongue.
The Piotr Skarga Association of Christian Culture, motivated by the concern over giving the due reverence to the Most Holy Sacrament, encourages the faithful to join the action “STOP Holy Communion in the Hand!” and visit the website “Ciało Chrystusa” (Body of Christ) for more information. The Association has prepared a special brochure entitled „W tej Hostyi jest Bóg żywy” and placed banners in the selected Polish cities.
The Piotr Skarga Association of Christian Culture
Email address: informacja[at]piotrskarga.pl
