Does Catholicism allow a menstruating woman to enter the church and "do" everything they normally do at other times?

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sorrowful1

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Okay, so this question, I know, has been debated (over) for thousands of times (irrespective of religion and or faith).

I won’t make it an essay by going through yet another monotonous details.

So, to put it straight - is it perfectly okay to “touch” “pray” and get involved in prayers like we do when not in our period? I’m like really really confused because people come up with an answer quoting the Bible that women are forbidden to do so while menstruating while others say the opposite (again with reference to the Bible. I’ve yet to read that very part of Bible that talks about this confounding thing).
 
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sorrowful1 said:
is it perfectly okay to “touch” “pray” and get involved in prayers like we do when not in our period?
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Yes.

Periods - and blood flow in general - are a factor of impurity in Mosaic law.

The thing is, we’re not bound by Mosaic purity laws. Or we would do things like having to undergo purification rites after having been impure for seven days if we have touched a corpse.
 
Yes it is OK. The reference is actual Church teaching rather than the interpretation of Bible passages by particular individuals.
 
Yes sure, they are based on scripture, along with tradition etc. But you were referring to people coming to you with conflicting interpretations and your own Bible reading. However, as Catholics we can rely on the authority of the Church in interpreting the Bible. If anybody comes to you and tells you that the Bible forbids such and such a thing and it surprises or confuses you then should ask them to evidence how their Biblical interpretation matches up with what the Church actually teaches - the Church has the authority and not them.
 
FiveLinden said:
Are there not restrictions in eastern rite Churches?
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I’m not sure if Eastern Catholics practice it, but in Eastern Orthodoxy it was certainly taught (and still is practised to varying degrees) that women are not to receive communion while menstruating. A few additional ritual purity laws from the Pentateuch were adapted and carried over.
 
It’s my understanding that Eastern Catholicism no longer puts any prohibitions on menstruating women, and also that while the Eastern Orthodox still do, the prohibitions in their churches vary from church to church.

It wouldn’t make much sense for ECs to have a prohibition on a menstruating woman receiving Eucharist when the same menstruating woman could receive the same Eucharist on the same day with no problem at the Roman Catholic church.
 
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OddBird said:
Periods - and blood flow in general - are a factor of impurity in Mosaic law.

The thing is, we’re not bound by Mosaic purity laws.
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Such Mosaic laws from the Old Testament are part of the Old Covenant which Jesus superseded with the New Covenant.
Otherwise we wouldn’t only have prohibitions on menstruating women, but we wouldn’t be able to eat pork or shellfish, or wear clothes made of two fibers mixed together, etc.

OP, you say that “People” come up with an “answer quoting the Bible”. Are these “People” Catholic? Catholics do not usually go around quoting the Old Testament laws. I can also tell you that I have never heard of anyone in the Roman Catholic Church in my lifetime or in the extended Roman Catholic family of my mom (that goes back to the late 1800s from a family verbal history story point of view) being the least bit concerned with a woman’s menstrual periods or saying that they prohibited her from any religious practice whatsoever.
 
In order to honour God, all Catholics are required to attend Mass every Sabbath and while there are exceptions for illness meaning if a woman has severe dysmenorrhea and say was unable to go to the shops, she can validly stay home and miss Mass without sin. However if she is well during the period and able to go shopping, she would be expected to participate in Mass.

There is a fabulous booklet in the UK called " A Simple Prayer Book" (CTS) which has all the rules in its appendices
 
@Tis_Bearself Not sure what particular denomination they belonged to but they were Christians. At that time (before I converted to Roman Catholic), I wasn’t very clear or aware of the different denomination that exists within Christianity; post conversion, I’d just ask whatever came in mind to just about any “Christians” that I met. In doing so, I think I got myself muddled up.
 
If they are “Christians” as in Evangelical Protestants who rely on their own interpretation of the Bible for everything (As opposed to “Mainline Protestants”) then they’re likely to come up with all kinds of weird ideas that do not agree with Catholic teaching, and claim their weird ideas are supported by the Bible.

Catholics use a slightly different Bible (Our Bible has more books in it, for one thing) and we follow the guidance of the Church regarding interpreting it. We don’t just read parts of it and start interpreting it ourselves.
 
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sorrowful1 said:
Okay, so this question, I know, has been debated (over) for thousands of times (irrespective of religion and or faith).
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I’ve never heard this question debated among Catholics or any mainline Protestant denomination. The answer is yes.
 
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Uriel1 said:
In order to honour God, all Catholics are required to attend Mass every Sabbath and while there are exceptions for illness meaning if a woman has severe dysmenorrhea and say was unable to go to the shops, she can validly stay home and miss Mass without sin. However if she is well during the period and able to go shopping, she would be expected to participate in Mass.
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It’s important to note that this rule falls in the general category of excusing a sick person from their Mass obligation. If the woman was similarly very ill with a stomach upset, the flu, a sprained back or any other ailment, to the point where she was unable to be up and about and going out shopping etc, then the same rule would apply. Similarly, a man who was ill with any ailment that caused him to be unable to be up and about and going out would be excused from his Mass obligation. It is not specific to menstruation or to women, nor does it forbid a menstruating woman from coming to Mass if she wishes to attend.
 
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sorrowful1 said:
I’m like really really confused because people
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What people? Catholic people?
sorrowful1 said:
Okay, so this question, I know, has been debated (over) for thousands of times (irrespective of religion and or faith).
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There isn’t any debate at all about it so I don’t know what you are talking about?
sorrowful1 said:
So, to put it straight - is it perfectly okay to “touch” “pray” and get involved in prayers like we do when not in our period?
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Yes.

Have you ever seen any Catholic teaching that says otherwise?
 
I know that this is an issue for some Hindus. There has been a lot of interest in the media concerning a temple in India that has been ordered to lift a ban on menstruating women (which I think in effect meant most females due to the difficulty in verifying who was and was not menstruating on any particular occasion). I have even read about another temple which employed dogs trained to smell menstrual blood.

However, we are Catholics. I am not sure what gave you the idea that this is an issue for Catholics. I have literally never heard of this being an issue for Catholics, let alone heard it debated 1,000s of times. Perhaps it could conceivably be an issue for some schismatic or heretical sect?
 
I’m another who has NEVER heard anyone bring this up in Catholicism or Christianity in general. And I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be a Catholic if it was so discriminatory towards women and girls for something they cannot help. I can’t imagine a loving God forbidding menstruating women from praying or attending church etc.
 
Then, I’m amazed at how I came across such people who thought different otherwise. But I agree like someone pointed out above, an individual’s dictation and interpretation of the Bible doesn’t matter or value.

Also, please note that, I forgot to remind it that those “people” (who were Christians) were generally open to all kinds of faith and religion. Now, I think, their opinions on this might have been partially influenced by perhaps , Hinduism and the likes of it.

Anyway, thank you everyone for sharing your invaluable insight. God bless!!!
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
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Uriel1:
In order to honour God, all Catholics are required to attend Mass every Sabbath and while there are exceptions for illness meaning if a woman has severe dysmenorrhea and say was unable to go to the shops, she can validly stay home and miss Mass without sin. However if she is well during the period and able to go shopping, she would be expected to participate in Mass.
Click to expand...
It’s important to note that this rule falls in the general category of excusing a sick person from their Mass obligation. If the woman was similarly very ill with a stomach upset, the flu, a sprained back or any other ailment, to the point where she was unable to be up and about and going out shopping etc, then the same rule would apply. Similarly, a man who was ill with any ailment that caused him to be unable to be up and about and going out would be excused from his Mass obligation. It is not specific to menstruation or to women, nor does it forbid a menstruating woman from coming to Mass if she wishes to attend.
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I wonder if you could illuminate me of what exactly your “clarification” added to my answer?
 
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