Do bishops have authority to prohibit Communion on the tongue?

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Rome has not spoken. The laws by Rome that were put in place did not consider this situation. There is not rule in place on how a Bishop can respond to a pandemic. I would bet that there are no canons in place that allow a a bishop to suspend all masses (beyond disciplinary interdicts) either. Rome likely will speak at some point, but not yet.
 
tafan2 said:
Rome has not spoken. The laws by Rome that were put in place did not consider this situation. There is not rule in place on how a Bishop can respond to a pandemic. I would bet that there are no canons in place that allow a a bishop to suspend all masses (beyond disciplinary interdicts) either. Rome likely will speak at some point, but not yet.
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So, in all charity, unless they change laws already in place, we need to follow what they have already said.

God bless.
 
The Vatican has put no laws in place to handle this situation. So we must obey our local Bishop and Pastor.

Again, show me a law that says a bishop can suspend all masses in his diocese for health reasons. Yet you guys are not complaining about that extraordinary policy adopted in certain parts if the world, but are complaining about this.

In all charity, you must admit that reasonable people can come to different conclusions about the relative safety of COTT vs CITH with regards to cironavirus transmission. Why would you even consider receiving on the tongue from a Eucharistic minister who feels it is dangerous? That is beyond rude, it us uncharitable. If your bishop or pastor says to receive in the hand for the time being, and you do not want to, make a spiritual communion, but do not have such utter disregard for others.
 
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This is not an unprecedented situation. In fact quite the opposite. The church has endured and served as a light of strength and faith through many plagues, diseases and natural disasters through her history.
 
tafan2 said:
Why would you even consider receiving on the tongue from a Eucharistic minister who feels it is dangerous? That is beyond rude, it us uncharitable. If your bishop or pastor says to receive in the hand for the time being, and you do not want to, make a spiritual communion, but do not have such utter disregard for others.
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I am pretty sure, except for the rude and utter disregard part, that this in agreement with most all of what has been said in the posts here in this thread, which is:

if you are asked by the bishop to only receive in the hand either do that or make a spiritual communion.

I am pretty sure, unless I missed it, no one has said to go up to receive communion on the tongue despite being asked not to.
 
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you might want to just copy your post so you can paste it again in 5 minutes. save you a lot of typing.
 
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I had the same thought on Sunday as the person next to me, who was wearing a face mask, handed me the basket. No holy water… but we’re all supposed to grab on to the same basket… person to person to person. Many parishes have the ushers baskets on the long poles so no one has to touch them…
 
ConcernedConvert said:
This is not an unprecedented situation. In fact quite the opposite. The church has endured and served as a light of strength and faith through many plagues, diseases and natural disasters through her history.
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And in the days of the plague, how many contracted the illness because of ignorance of how it was transmitted, even at a Mass? Science now knows better, and the Church should give full consideration to preventing the spread of the virus. Up to cancelling all public Masses if required.
tafan2 said:
Why would you even consider receiving on the tongue from a Eucharistic minister who feels it is dangerous?
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Finally, some consideration for the ministers who distribute communion to dozens of communicants at each Mass. Indeed why increase their stress levels by stubbornly sticking to one’s guns? Hardly charitable. If one cannot receive any other way, then abstain.

FWIW I work in a Benedictine abbey’s library and one of the other librarians is also the priest who is the main minister for communion. I noticed at Mass a few of the faithful receiving on the tongue today.

So I asked him his thoughts. He said that normally it’s not an issue but there are frequently communicants who are awkward or move away or turn their head before he has removed his hand, and he often comes into contact with saliva, which he does not find appealing at all. At this time it’s worse than simply unappealing.

One thing lacking on this thread is plain common sense.

Again, the Law serves mankind and not mankind the law. If one cannot break the law to prevent the spread of a deadly virus, then something is wrong.
 
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You cannot be serious. Would you care to look at the death tolls during some of those times? Would you care to look at the frequency of the faithful receiving communion?

It is completely unprecedented. It is the first major threat of a global pandemic, with a very high mortality rate, when people understand how disease is spread, AND people receive communion frequently.
 
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tafan2 said:
is the first major threat of a global pandemic, with a very high mortality rate, when people understand how disease is spread,
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1918 Spanish flu was a horrible worldwide pandemic
 
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On the other hand how many lives were saved due to the care that was provided by Christians taking care of one another. I understand people’s concerns I really do. But mass is a place of healing. A place where our spiritual illnesses are tended to. In my opinion those illnesses are far scarier and take precedence.
 
When I took communion prior to Vatican II, I took it on the tongue and knelt at the communion railing. That’s how everyone did it back then.

Since Vatican II, it’s being allowed in the hand. As long as it’s allowed, I have no problem with it. If the Pope and bishop says it’s all right, fine. They are our shepherds. And I believe the Holy Spirit was present at the second Vatican council, and guided it.

I think Christ would not only approve of our using common sense, he would expect it of us.
 
And the death toll was very high. Even so, But most people did not receive frequent communion in 1920. And when they did, it was kneeling and on an altar rail, only from a priest, and did not have to say “amen”. A combination of factors that,you must admit, would make receiving communion much more safe.

Again, thus is unprecedented. Lots more people receive communion in a weekly basis (at least), so there us a much bigger chance the disease can spread via communion.
 
ConcernedConvert said:
On the other hand how many lives were saved due to the care that was provided by Christians taking care of one another. I understand people’s concerns I really do. But mass is a place of healing. A place where our spiritual illnesses are tended to. In my opinion those illnesses are far scarier and take precedence.
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I’m a Benedictine. We are above all practical people as was our father St Benedict.

No Benedictine would ever place people in the way of physical harm. We would consider the overall integrity of everyone.

After all, when dead the chance for healing spiritual or otherwise ceases. At that point we are at the Lord’s mercy and our opportunity to repent and reconvert ceases.
 
tafan2 said:
And when they did, it was kneeling and on an altar rail, only from a priest, and did not have to say “amen”. A combination of factors that,you must admit, would make receiving communion much more safe.
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Yes, completely agree
 
I’m sorry I was just agreeing with you. I mentioned the Spanish flu because it was pretty horrible also.

God bless 🙂
 
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