Are lutherans allowed to take communion in a catholic church?

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Elliot_Seidel

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Recently i was told by a catholic friend of mine that due to some doctrine of some sort…approved by pope john paul… allowed lutherans to recieve holy communion in a catholic church. My girlfriend is lutheran and believes the same thing…but i don’t, because lutherans don’t believe in the transubstantiation of the host…please help me on this, thanks.
-Elliot
 
Elliot_Seidel said:
Recently i was told by a catholic friend of mine that due to some doctrine of some sort…approved by pope john paul… allowed lutherans to recieve holy communion in a catholic church. My girlfriend is lutheran and believes the same thing…but i don’t, because lutherans don’t believe in the transubstantiation of the host…please help me on this, thanks.
-Elliot
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Lutherans **cannot take Holy Communion ** at a Catholic Church period.

Pope John Paul II** didn’t approve a document that allow lutherans to take communion**. There was a Vatican document made by the Joint Commission of Catholic and Lutheran theologians concerning justification issues. I don’t recall the document, but I think someone in here probably remembers.
 
In order to receive Holy Communion, one must believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, be free of mortal sin, and be in communion with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, because Protestants are not in union with Peter, and because their clergy do not have apostolic succession nor do they believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, they cannot receive Holy Communion. This would include Lutherans.
 
Elliot_Seidel said:
Recently i was told by a catholic friend of mine that due to some doctrine of some sort…approved by pope john paul… allowed lutherans to recieve holy communion in a catholic church. My girlfriend is lutheran and believes the same thing…but i don’t, because lutherans don’t believe in the transubstantiation of the host…please help me on this, thanks.
-Elliot
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NO, Non-Catholics, with the exception of the Orthodox are not except under very unusual and restrictive conditions permitted to receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church.
 
Elliot_Seidel said:
Recently i was told by a catholic friend of mine that due to some doctrine of some sort…approved by pope john paul… allowed lutherans to recieve holy communion in a catholic church. My girlfriend is lutheran and believes the same thing…but i don’t, because lutherans don’t believe in the transubstantiation of the host…please help me on this, thanks.
-Elliot
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Ask your girlfriend to produce this document.

John Paul II’s encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia says the opposite.
 
ANY Christian may receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church, but only under extraordinary circumstances such as imminent death as follows:

Can. 844 §4: If the danger of death is present or if, in the judgment of the diocesan bishop or conference of bishops, some other grave necessity urges it, Catholic ministers administer these same sacraments licitly also to other Christians not having full communion with the Catholic Church [in context, this is other than Eastern non-Catholic Christians and thus means Protestants], who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who seek such on their own accord, provided that they manifest Catholic faith in respect to these sacraments and are properly disposed.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
NO, Non-Catholics, with the exception of the Orthodox are not except under very unusual and restrictive conditions permitted to receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church.
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Members of the Polish National Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East are also permitted to receive Communion under the same special conditions as the Orthodox.
 
Martini said:
Can. 844 §4: … provided that they manifest Catholic faith in respect to these sacraments and are properly disposed.
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Ecclesia de Eucharistia discusses in more detail what this means and that it is very difficult to meet this criteria.

It entails actually approaching the proper authority *outside *the Mass and having them determine whether these criteria are met *prior *to presenting oneself during the Mass.
 
1ke said:
Ecclesia de Eucharistia discusses in more detail what this means and that it is very difficult to meet this criteria…
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The fact is, non-Catholic/Orthodox may receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church depending on the individual situation. The first two responses to this thread were clearly incorrect, hence my own (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
wow, thanks alot…i have been frustrated with this for the longest time, because my girlfriend is convinced that she can take communion…and i am suprised that someone from my own church said something about some dcotrine or thing that pope john paul said pertaining to lutherans who could take communion in a catholic church if they were confirmed in the lutheran faith…it is weird stuff…well thanks a lot everyone!
-Elliot
 
Martini said:
The fact is, non-Catholic/Orthodox may receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church depending on the individual situation. The first two responses to this thread were clearly incorrect, hence my own (name removed by moderator)ut.
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Martini, if you were to have carefully read my post, you will notice that I did not include the Orthodox in my answer because of the same conditions you outlined. Since the OP was only referring to Lutherans, who are, in fact, Protestant, I didn’t think that there was a need to confuse things even more by bringing in the Orthodox. In fact, in another post regarding non-Catholics going ot Confession, I made that very same point concerning the Orthodox and the reception of Holy Communion in our Church and vice versa.
 
benedictgal said:
Martini, if you were to have carefully read my post,

(In order to receive Holy Communion, one must believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, be free of mortal sin, and be in communion with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, because Protestants are not in union with Peter, and because their clergy do not have apostolic succession nor do they believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, they cannot receive Holy Communion. This would include Lutherans.)

you will notice that I did not include the Orthodox in my answer because of the same conditions you outlined. Since the OP was only referring to Lutherans, who are, in fact, Protestant, I didn’t think that there was a need to confuse things even more by bringing in the Orthodox. In fact, in another post regarding non-Catholics going ot Confession, I made that very same point concerning the Orthodox and the reception of Holy Communion in our Church and vice versa.
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1.) Your latest comments are really nothing more than spin. They add absolutely no new information. Your original post was incorrect.

2.) This has nothing to do with the Orthodox. Read it all again.

3.) Protestants (even Lutheran Protestants) CAN receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church under specific and dire conditions. Your original response did not note this fact.
 
Elliot_Seidel said:
wow, thanks alot…i have been frustrated with this for the longest time, because my girlfriend is convinced that she can take communion…and i am suprised that someone from my own church said something about some dcotrine or thing that pope john paul said pertaining to lutherans who could take communion in a catholic church if they were confirmed in the lutheran faith…it is weird stuff…well thanks a lot everyone!
-Elliot
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You may want to prepare yourself for a bacllash from your girlfriend over this.

For me, sharing in the Eucharist with a loved one is very gratifying and brings me alot of happiness. I’m sure you feel the same way to. That will no longer be possible for you though, and it might just put a strain on your relationship. Your girlfriend may now feel unwelcome in our Church, and you need to be able to explain why our Church won’t let her recieve. She may react negatively towards your explanation.

So I guess I’m just telling you to be prepared and tread softly on the matter. Break the news as gently as possible to her. She could some day convert to Catholicism, and we don’t want to jeapordize that.

Good luck and God Bless…
 
Martini said:
1.) Your latest comments are really nothing more than spin. They add absolutely no new information. Your original post was incorrect.

2.) This has nothing to do with the Orthodox. Read it all again.

3.) Protestants (even Lutheran Protestants) CAN receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church under specific and dire conditions. Your original response did not note this fact.
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But, the OP did not mention that there were grave circumstances. It was more of a blanket statement.
 
The real issue is the fact that you need to get started on your girlfriends conversion.
 
THurifer2 said:
The real issue is the fact that you need to get started on your girlfriends conversion.
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Yeah, I agree and thats why I stated to go easy when you break the news to her.

Some of the posts here seem alittle harsh and absolutist, and while we know she cannot recieve in the Church, this matter has to be approached with a light touch, not an “our way or the highway” mentality.

Conversion is a huge step in a persons life, and if you are to help in that conversion, our words need to be picked carefully, slowly, and with charity and respect for the other persons feelings. Nothing could be worse than telling someone, “I’m right, your wrong, lets just get on with it” as some of the posts here seem to sound like…
 
jimcav said:
Yeah, I agree and thats why I stated to go easy when you break the news to her.

Some of the posts here seem alittle harsh and absolutist, and while we know she cannot recieve in the Church, this matter has to be approached with a light touch, not an “our way or the highway” mentality.

Conversion is a huge step in a persons life, and if you are to help in that conversion, our words need to be picked carefully, slowly, and with charity and respect for the other persons feelings. Nothing could be worse than telling someone, “I’m right, your wrong, lets just get on with it” as some of the posts here seem to sound like…
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Well said my friend:thumbsup:
 
Elliot Seidel:
.and i am surprised that someone from my own church said something about some doctrine or thing that Pope John Paul II said pertaining to Lutherans who could take communion in a Catholic church
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I’m not.

a) In 1989, several Lutheran Bishops asked John Paul II for a blessing at Communion time when he was visiting the Scandinavian countries.

b) “Ut unum sint” issued by John Paul II on 25 May 1995 did address Anglican and Lutheran unity with the Roman Catholic Church. For people who don’t understand the intricacies involved with the process towards Full Communion, it could be misunderstood as saying that those groups were in full communion with each other.

c) There are parishes in the US where Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and Lutherans do do things jointly. This **does **include the Celebration of the Mass.

d) The Porvoo Common Statement put The Anglican Communion and The Lutheran Churches of Scandinavia into Full Communion with each other. The Lutheran Churches of Scandinavia and The Old Catholic Church are still “discussing the issues” regarding being in full communion with each other. (I thought that they had completed those discussions, but the Archbishop of Utrecht issued a proclamation indicating otherwise.);

e) The Lutheran Churches of Scandinavia are in discussions with The Holy See so that they are in Full Communion with each other;

f) Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is in discussions with The Holy See so that those two bodies are in full communion with each other.

These things can be extremely complicated, even for those who follow them. (One of the Oriental Christian Churches spent almost a millennium in discussions, before the others concluded that it probably should have been considered to be in full communion with them for their entire history. )

It is very easy for an organization to split. It is very difficult to patch up those splits.

xan

jonathon
 
Pong said:
I thought that was the job of the Holy Spirit…
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Well, we are all human, and discussion about every imaginable subject is a very natural thing for us to do. So conversion is something that can be discussed between two people with no problem. It would be a problem if one pushed to hard for conversion. It must be discussed, but not pushed.

There is no harm in planting the seed, and then let the Holy Spirit do the rest…🙂
 
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