Communion on the tongue and hygiene

[123Strontium]

Sorry if I have posted in the wrong category.

Can you get HIV or other viral + bacterial diseases if you receive communion on the tongue?
I’ve read some stuff online where there are many detractors for the practice on practical grounds.

I personally have never received communion on the tongue, could I ask anyone who has taken it by mouth whether the priest’s fingers touch your tongue therefore transferring saliva to other communicants?

 

[JonNC]

Sorry if I have posted in the wrong category.

Can you get HIV or other viral + bacterial diseases if you receive communion on the tongue?
I’ve read some stuff online where there are many detractors for the practice on practical grounds.

I personally have never received communion on the tongue, could I ask anyone who has taken it by mouth whether the priest’s fingers touch your tongue therefore transferring saliva to other communicants?

Not in my experience. When I was confirmed and for a number of years, I received on the tongue, though the practice isn’t the norm in Lutheranism in America today. Pastors/priests are normally pretty good at not touching the tongue or lips, but placing the host directly onto the tongue.

Jon

 

[Roisin123]

No, do not worry about receiving the host on your tongue, you cannot possibly contract HIV in this way.

Bodily fluids such as saliva do not contain enough HIV to infect you.

It isn’t passed on as easily as you would think. You would have to be kissing them for a while, and they would have to have some of their blood in the saliva…which doesn’t happen in my church hehe
My boyfriend works in a HIV lab so I know a little bit about it! But, this information was on a government education site about aids, which I thought was quite interesting!

aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/how-you-get-hiv-aids/

 

[Ignatius]

Sorry if I have posted in the wrong category.

Can you get HIV or other viral + bacterial diseases if you receive communion on the tongue?
I’ve read some stuff online where there are many detractors for the practice on practical grounds.

I personally have never received communion on the tongue, could I ask anyone who has taken it by mouth whether the priest’s fingers touch your tongue therefore transferring saliva to other communicants?

You can get anything receiving on the hand that you can on the tongue. The priests fingers never touch the tongue or lips. The priest drops the precious body of Our Lord on the tongue without touching you at all. If there were any risk, it would be to the priest, not the recipient.

I have had extraordinary mhc’s touch my tongue which is why I never receive from EMHC’s any more. Either they are not properly trained or they don’t pay enough attention.

 

[englishredrose]

I have just about always received on the tongue and just very occaisionally do I feel the priest finger as he deposits the host on my tongue. Not often though and never worry about anything like that. I think you find the chances of you getting killed when you cross the road are far greater than HIV or any infection by receiving communion on the tongue. Oops, though i have no desire in scaring you into not crossing the road but I think that is the real truth of the matter:thumbsup:

 

[SweetLambs]

I have always received Communion on the tongue from the priest and never had a problem with it. His fingers never come in contact with your mouth. Even if they did, it would be far riskier for him, and of almost no risk to you.

No need to be worried.

 

[anruari]

Can you get HIV

Your chances of being struck by a meteor are greater. and there’s no known case of that ever happening to a person. (There’s one reported case of a domestic animal being hit in Egypt)

or other viral + bacterial diseases if you receive communion on the tongue?

Yes some very infectious/contageous illnesses such as the Common Cold, the Flu, Norovirus etc can be transmitted by receiving on the tongue… but it’s the person with the illness who should not receive on the tongue (or chalice). other healthy people can be exposed to these viri / bacteria from the priests fingers whether they receive on the tongue or in the hand. - as if these pathogens get onto the priests fingers, they could contaminate every host he then touches and whether a subsequent communicant recieves on the tongue or in the hand they could still be exposed.

However remember the risks are very low, and these pathogens can similarly be transmitted by touching the pew in front after an infected person has been in the same seat, and then not washing your hands before touching your mouth / eyes.

Most priests are practised and experienced in distributing Holy Communion. they have learned how to avoid touching your toungue / lips. Some priests are in parishes where receiving on the tongue is a rarity, and they are therefore less practised. In that situation feel free to ask the priest his opinion on the matter. I know one priest who dislikes people receiving on the tongue for precisely that reason (he’s not very practised a distributing that way) and another who refuses to place a host into a communicants hand (he’s likely to press it between your barely open lips if you offer him your hands… there’s a big sign on the church door saying “No Communion in the Hand”.

 

[Neildown]

Can you get HIV or other viral + bacterial diseases if you receive communion on the tongue?
I’ve read some stuff online where there are many detractors for the practice on practical grounds.

As far as I’m aware, HIV is only transferable through blood and sperm, so there’s no reason to be concerned about that one. As far as viruses, it is possible, though not particularly likely in my experience. Most people would/should have the courtesy not to receive if they are sick - in my parish the sick/infirm are given communion separately from the rest of the congregation.

I personally have never received communion on the tongue, could I ask anyone who has taken it by mouth whether the priest’s fingers touch your tongue therefore transferring saliva to other communicants?

Depends on how wide you open your mouth, how far you stick out your tongue, and on the priest himself. Though they all try not to, and succeed 95% of the time, they have every once in a blue moon. You should be fine.

 

[superamazingman]

Sorry if I have posted in the wrong category.

Can you get HIV or other viral + bacterial diseases if you receive communion on the tongue?
I’ve read some stuff online where there are many detractors for the practice on practical grounds.

I personally have never received communion on the tongue, could I ask anyone who has taken it by mouth whether the priest’s fingers touch your tongue therefore transferring saliva to other communicants?

Out of the 10 years I have been receiving on the tongue, I have felt a finger on my tongue for sure less than 10 times, probably less than 5, and most of them were EMHCs. In short, the priest should know what to do.

Anyways, anything that’s on his finger will get on the host anyways.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

As someone honored to distribute the Eucharist, an equal issue is that people have forgotten how to stick out their tongues. Back in the day (the 50’s), as an altar boy backing down the altar rail with the paten, everyone seemed to “get it” in terms of having their tongues out. Now, when the occasional person comes up who chooses to receive on the tongue, most of the time they present me with an open mouth and force me to get the Host in there somehow, hopefully with a minimum of contact, but it’s really difficult.

 

[Neildown]

As someone honored to distribute the Eucharist, an equal issue is that people have forgotten how to stick out their tongues. Back in the day (the 50’s), as an altar boy backing down the altar rail with the paten, everyone seemed to “get it” in terms of having their tongues out. Now, when the occasional person comes up who chooses to receive on the tongue, most of the time they present me with an open mouth and force me to get the Host in there somehow, hopefully with a minimum of contact, but it’s really difficult.

And that’s probably the only reason I’ve ever had my tongue touched, the few times that it has been.

 

[ExGratia]

As someone who can no longer remember receiving in the hand (I haven’t since childhood), I imagine a hand could be touched as easily as a tongue. And after the Sign of Peace, our hands are likely covered in germs (I always use hand sanitizer right after Mass). I would think placing the Host in my own mouth, with my hands dirty from shaking hands, would be more likely to lead to illness. Not that germs have any bearing on why I choose to receive on the tongue!

Good time to remind ourselves: small children and the elderly attend Mass. If you are sick, do not go and expose the vulnerable to your germs! There is no sin in staying home if you are sick, but there could be sin in knowingly going to Mass ill.