I have to say that this thread has been a real eye-opener for me. I have been frankly horrified by comments I have read in this thread.
I have read condemnations of those who approached the celebrant, as if their motives could not have been anything but bad when, in point of fact, they did not do anything wrong. They followed the procedure. They did not attempt to obtain Communion by stealth.
They went forward, seeking a blessing and used a gesture that indicated they wanted a blessing. I do not know which sign they used. In Europe, it is being reported that they used the gesture that means “I am not eligible for Communion”. I believe it more probable that this is the one that they used since they are Finnish.
The Americans are reporting that they used the gesture of crossed arms. If that is true, it is even more obscuring since there are Eastern Catholics who use that posture when receiving Communion, as I have had that happen to me. For that matter, I have had Catholics clutch both their hands over their heart as they extend their tongue for Communion. One has to try to discern, as best one can, what is intended.
As I have tried to indicate, this is something that happens in an instant. A person is presenting himself to the minister of Communion. This is not an occasion for a protracted interaction. When someone comes to me, I already have the Host in hand, as normally I am distributing one Host to each communicant. If they make a gesture to me that says, “I want a blessing,” I replace the host in the ciborium and give a blessing.
You see all sorts of things when you are distributing Communion in an international setting. People with folded hands, unfolded hands with their arms at their side, and all manner of postures and gestures. Bowing before receiving, genuflecting before receiving, kneeling to receive, nodding the head, a type of curtsy.
If the minister of Communion did not recognise the significance of the right hand resting on the left shoulder but saw it is a posture, he is going to be trying to give Communion to the person on the tongue in that circumstance. It is that simple. And so I cannot understand the mindset that the minister must have set out to do something wrong, which is what is repeatedly said here.
Their own ecclesial community’s sacraments could not be unavailable to them…this was a delegation of Lutheran bishops.
But I don’t presume it was the celebrant of the Mass that gave them Communion. I do assume it was one of the public Masses, during the day, in the basilica. Normally there are concelebrants but, if not, one of the priests on duty at the basilica will come out to help distribute Holy Communion.
Saint Peter’s does not work like any other church in the world. It is nothing to see bishops in line waiting to go to confession and clerics or Religious from all over the world stopping in to hear the Mass being said.
It is not logical that any cleric in the basilica, however they are dressed, are going to be presumed to be non-Catholics because it is simply a statistical anomaly. The default is that they are Catholic. The same is true for a cleric or Religious in a Communion line…one never presumes that they are there for only a blessing. It is certainly possible for it to happen, and obviously it does, but it is not remotely routine. In other words, one’s default position is that this is a Catholic cleric…not a non-Catholic cleric…and that a cleric is in a Communion line to receive Communion.
The norm in the Diocese of Rome is still communion on the tongue. If someone approached without their hands extended, the Host will be heading toward the mouth as the formula is pronounced. I can easily imagine the bishop’s mouth dropping open in surprise as the Host is headed for him…or opened his mouth to say something…and, voila, he has received Communion and the priest will, if anything, be surprised that the person is not moving quickly out of the way so he can give Communion to the next person in line.
Frankly, most times when people are trying to whisper to me at the distribution of Communion, it is to tell me there is someone who can’t come forward to receive Communion and asking me to go to them. At a Mass such as this, one is at the mercy of being able to understand the language being spoken to you. If you can’t, the only real option is to shake your head no, shrug your shoulders – indicating you can’t understand – and continue to distribute Communion.
The Lutherans of Scandinavia are warmly welcomed in Rome, and they know that they are; their ecclesiastics are cordially received. I am not surprised at all that they went into the basilica. The tomb of Queen Christina is in the crypt, right between the tombs of Pope John Paul I and Blessed Paul VI. I am not surprised that they chose to attend Mass there.
I would hope they feel at home in Saint Peter’s. Just as they make us feel at home when we visit them. Swedish Lutherans graciously receive Catholics at the Church at Vadstena, the pre-Reformation shrine of Saint Bridget of Sweden.
There is a very different sense in Europe than what seems to prevail in the United States, which is clearly perceivable in this thread.
As I said before…comments on this thread have said quite a lot to me.
this informative post would have given you the inside picture of the administration of the Holy Communion during a mass.