If the host has the chance to decay, is it still the true presence?

[ChiefCounsellor]

I was wondering, if the Sacred Host ever by chance started to decay and mold, would it still be the true presence? What would be done to dipose of this host?

An instance where this might happen, if someone stole the host, brought it home, and put it away for a few years, forgetting about it. I realize priests are very careful about not allowing the host to ever decay, but it is possible that it has happened before.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Dear Chief,

Once the accidents (appearances) of the Host have changed into something else, as in the process of digestion in the stomach or in an instance of decay, the real presence is not longer there.

To dispose of a Host that has been made unsanitary in some way, one can dissolve it in water and then pour the water out on the ground.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.