Can I receive Eastern Catholic communion?

[onesaintsfan]

Hey Father,

On one of my podcasts I was listening to ( Catholic Answers Live ) a guest priest was on. He was asked about the different “rites” within the Catholic Church. Of course I know about ours and he also talked about the eastern rite such as in Russia etc. I know all the rites are in communion with Rome and the Pope and they have the sacraments just as we do. But I guess what got me is that he said that if we went to some of their churches we would not be able to accept communion. Now, not that I am going to travel overseas anytime soon, but I guess I just thought the differences were cultural but all the elements of the mass would be the same and that all Catholics in a state of grace could take communion in any valid Catholic Church. He went on to say that he was hopeful that when Pope Francis met with the head of the eastern churches that a new friendship would be found and we would all be as one.

I harkened back to the speaker this week and how the Catholic Church was the one true church and all the protestant churches branched off from that. I guess what bothered me is I was ok with understanding that due to being in different parts of the world there would be some small differences, but how can they deny the Eucharist to us, but yet confession and all the other sacraments we could participate in?

As a Catholic I would hope that we were all as one. Kind of like I got a little disappointed when I caught flak about going across state lines to get my 4th degree. We are all brother Knights regardless of state lines or national borders. I was just sad to hear that to some extent or mother Catholic Church has some divisions in it as well, but all sacraments should be available to all Catholics.

Have I gotten off track or did I not understand something? .

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

I think there is some confusion going on here.

For starters, the Eastern Catholics are not “rites” but Churches with their own rites. They are Churches because they have their own bishops and structure, they are Catholic because they are in union with the Pope.

Rites are the liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary heritage, distinguished according to peoples’ culture and historical circumstances, that finds expression in each autonomous church’s way of living the faith.

Catholics are free to receive communion in any Catholic Church (whether Western or any of the Eastern). The only issue would be perhaps some confusion since there are differences in the Rites among the various Catholic Churches.

Catholics should not receive communion in the Eastern Orthodox Churches since they are not in union with the Bishop of Rome.

My guess is that there was perhaps some confusion as to what was being referred to when they mentioned “Eastern Churches.” Depending on the context “Eastern Churches” could refer to either the Eastern Catholics or Eastern Orthodox.