Protestant relatives received communion at Mass (they know they shouldnt), should I have said something to them before or after Mass ?

[GaudentAngeli]

My relatives are Anglican but insist they are Catholiv. Im visiting them and today they tooke to Mass at the Catholic Cathedral. They know Cathplivism teaches that they are not to receive communion, but they reject papal authority so they disregard thsi teaching. today they received communion. I didnt say anything knowing that they do know the rules but are just being disobedient. But my conscience is gnawig at me. Should I say somethig now? Should i do nothing? I feel hurt and im not sure what to do.

 

[pensmama87]

I’m not sure there’s much you can do, if they’re aware of the teaching but received anyway.

If they invite you to attend Mass with them in the future, you might suggest that while Mass attendance is very important to you, it is very difficult for you to attend with them and watch them engage in what you believe is sacrilegious, and putting their souls in not a little danger. If they are taking you to Mass as a “favor” to you, instead of attending their Anglican services, you might say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I basically agree with the above.

I don’t think it would do much good at this point to tell them they shouldn’t have received communion. They already know and they don’t care.

So it comes down to a matter of respect. When you are a guest in someone’s home, someone’s church, someone’s place of work, etc., you show respect by obeying the rules of the place. If you’re not willing to do that, then you don’t go. So I would say that if you’re visiting these relatives again, don’t invite them to Mass or don’t attend with them if they want to go. If they ask why, you can explain politely, that you are uncomfortable when they disregard Catholic rules/teachings about the Eucharist. You can’t control their behavior, but you can control your own.

 

[sailor28]

Should I say something now? Should i do nothing?

No, you should not say something. It is their business with God.

As it stands now less than 25% of Catholics go to Mass weekly, less go on Holy Days and 80% of the church dissents on major teachings. There are really not too many people that should be receiving communion according to the rules. Should we police all of them?

It feels like policing to me and I don’t think God wants you to worry about that. They are individuals that can make up their own mind/conscience. It is the Holy Spirit’s business to deal with. You have already made known to them your point of view. I would leave it at that.

 

[Edmundus1581]

My relatives are Anglican but insist they are Catholiv. Im visiting them and today they tooke to Mass at the Catholic Cathedral. They know Cathplivism teaches that they are not to receive communion, but they reject papal authority so they disregard thsi teaching. today they received communion. I didnt say anything knowing that they do know the rules but are just being disobedient. But my conscience is gnawig at me. Should I say somethig now? Should i do nothing? I feel hurt and im not sure what to do.

I agree with the above responses. You were not obliged to do anything to prevent them at the time, or to correct them now. They already know the rules and decided to disobey them. You saying anything would only have added fuel to the fire.

Let your consience be at peace about that.

As the others have said, it would be best to avoid this situation in the future, as your conscience quite rightly is affronted by their actions. It will be difficult to explain to them why you are not taking them to Mass, but it must be done.

I have seen this so many times over my thirty years as a Catholic convert. Protestants insist that they can receive communion because “we are all one”, and yet, at the same time, think that the Catholic church is somehow inferior or erroneous.

As it stands now less than 25% of Catholics go to Mass weekly, less go on Holy Days and 80% of the church dissents on major teachings. There are really not too many people that should be receiving communion according to the rules. Should we police all of them?

This is a very good point!

It depends very much on our relation with the person.

For instance, I know a woman who attends Mass exactly twice a year - Easter and Christmas, and is quite proud of this effort and proud to call herself a Catholic. When she attends she calmly receives communion. I would never mention to her that she shouldn’t receive communion - but she is just a friend and her attendance at Mass is entirely out of my influence.

On the other hand my children are also lapsed Catholics. From time to time they do attend Mass with me, which I greatly appreciate. For several years I procrastinated over the “communion” issue, and, eventually told each one of them privately that they shouldn’t receive communion - unless they went to confession first. If one of them were to still receive communion in these circumstances I would have to be more forthright, and not assist them in attending Mass.

 

[Tomdstone]

I thought I read somewhere that a recent Pope gave Holy Communion to a man he knew was a Protestant? If the Pope does so, what then would this example imply to an Anglo-Catholic Protestant?

 

[Dorothy]

When Catholics receive the Eucharist with the right disposition, they are saying with their body and spirit that they believe in everything the Church teaches.

Non-Catholics can politely be told that we do not believe we are better than them, but ask that they not receive because they do not believe in everything the Catholic Church teaches.

 

[Carmelite1]

A poster said that “he read somewhere” that the Pope gave Holy Communion to a person the Pope knew to be a non-Catholic. I do not believe this is a true or factual statement - possibly a mis-reading of some article.

I think more information is needed before such a blatant statement is made - too many people might believe it to be true. Where did you read this article - and who was the author of the article?

 

[Edmundus1581]

I thought I read somewhere that a recent Pope gave Holy Communion to a man he knew was a Protestant? If the Pope does so, what then would this example imply to an Anglo-Catholic Protestant?

If this were true then it is just the same principle which we have already used here - that one does not, in general, prevent a person receiving at the time of communion. The exceptions are for known, public ex-communicants or others who have been warned not to receive communion.

Sometimes a priest (or Bishop, or Pope) may give communion to someone who requests it, and is not publicly prohibited, but afterwards privately remind them to not request in future, until they have rectified their position.

So, as we have already said - one shouldn’t, in general, prevent someone receiving communion, but they ***may ***be obliged to take action with respect to the future.

 

[Carmelite1]

I find it hard to believe that the Pope would give Holy Communion to a person he knows to be non-Catholic.

If he did - and reserved his warning for a later time in private - there is the danger of giving public scandal (which it has according to the person who said he read it). I find the excuse of giving warning at a later time in private a very sketchy argument.

 

[LongingSoul]

A poster said that “he read somewhere” that the Pope gave Holy Communion to a person the Pope knew to be a non-Catholic. I do not believe this is a true or factual statement - possibly a mis-reading of some article.

I think more information is needed before such a blatant statement is made - too many people might believe it to be true. Where did you read this article - and who was the author of the article?

I’m not sure about this particular report on Pope Francis, but there are circumstances under which a Protestant can request Holy Communion in the Catholic Church, as explained in DIRECTORY FOR THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES AND NORMS ON ECUMENISM…

b) Sharing Sacramental Life with Christians of Other Churches and Ecclesial Communities

…129. A sacrament is an act of Christ and of the Church through the Spirit.130 Its celebration in a concrete community is the sign of the reality of its unity in faith, worship and community life. As well as being signs, sacraments—most specially the Eucharist—are sources of the unity of the Christian community and of spiritual life, and are means for building them up. Thus Eucharistic communion is inseparably linked to full ecclesial communion and its visible expression.

At the same time, the Catholic Church teaches that by baptism members of other Churches and ecclesial Communities are brought into a real, even if imperfect communion, with the Catholic Church 131 and that “baptism, which constitutes the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn… is wholly directed toward the acquiring of fullness of life in Christ”.132 The Eucharist is, for the baptized, a spiritual food which enables them to overcome sin and to live the very life of Christ, to be incorporated more profoundly in Him and share more intensely in the whole economy of the Mystery of Christ.

It is in the light of these two basic principles, which must always be taken into account together, that in general the Catholic Church permits access to its Eucharistic communion and to the sacraments of penance and anointing of the sick, only to those who share its oneness in faith, worship and ecclesial life.133 **For the same reasons, it also recognizes that in certain circumstances, by way of exception, and under certain conditions, access to these sacraments may be permitted, or even commended, for Christians of other Churches and ecclesial Communities.**134

1. In case of danger of death, Catholic ministers may administer these sacraments when the conditions given below (n. 131) are present. In other cases, it is strongly recommended that the diocesan Bishop, taking into account any norms which may have been established for this matter by the Episcopal Conference or by the Synods of Eastern Catholic Churches, establish general norms for judging situations of grave and pressing need and for verifying the conditions mentioned below (n. 131).135 In accord with Canon Law,136 these general norms are to be established only after consultation with at least the local competent authority of the other interested Church or ecclesial Community. Catholic ministers will judge individual cases and administer these sacraments only in accord with these established norms, where they exist. Otherwise they will judge according to the norms of this Directory.

1. The conditions under which a Catholic minister may administer the sacraments of the Eucharist, of penance and of the anointing of the sick to a baptized person who may be found in the circumstances given above (n. 130) are that the person be unable to have recourse for the sacrament desired to a minister of his or her own Church or ecclesial Community, ask for the sacrament of his or her own initiative, manifest Catholic faith in this sacrament and be properly disposed.137

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_25031993_principles-and-norms-on-ecumenism_en.html

 

[Tomdstone]

A poster said that “he read somewhere” that the Pope gave Holy Communion to a person the Pope knew to be a non-Catholic. I do not believe this is a true or factual statement - possibly a mis-reading of some article.

I think more information is needed before such a blatant statement is made - too many people might believe it to be true. Where did you read this article - and who was the author of the article?

I find it hard to believe that the Pope would give Holy Communion to a person he knows to be non-Catholic.

"On his visit to Rome, on 22nd February, in the context of his feverish manoeuvre in favor of the war in Iraq, Tony Blair assisted at the Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II and received Holy Communion from his hand. "
fsspx.org/en/a_pope-gives-communion-to-anglican-tony-blair
Cardinal Ratzinger gives Communion in the hand to Protestant brother Roger at John Paul II’s funeral Mass
traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/b011ht_BrotherRogerProt_Vennari.htm

If a Catholic Pope gives Holy Communion to a Protestant, then what message does that send ?

 

[TheDoors]

Are you sure that they’re out of communion? Several Anglican parishes ( I do believe) have in the last few years come home.

 

[Edmundus1581]

"On his visit to Rome, on 22nd February, in the context of his feverish manoeuvre in favor of the war in Iraq, Tony Blair assisted at the Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II and received Holy Communion from his hand. "

If a Catholic Pope gives Holy Communion to a Protestant, then what message does that send ?

Both of those links are to schismatic traditionalist sites, which we are not allowed to link to in CAF. A quick google search by me found no reliable news source confirming this events.

I have removed the links from my own post, so that is it won’t (hopefully) be removed.

If you use such sites for your information about the Catholic Church, then you do so at your own peril. If in doubt, ask here whether a site is legitimate or not. Every “Catholic” group claims to be legitimate, but not all are.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

If a Catholic Pope gives Holy Communion to a Protestant, then what message does that send ?

Assuming it’s true, it send the message to me that the Pope can give permission for a non-Catholic to receive communion.

As LongingSoul quoted above, exceptions can be made. But they’re made on request, not based on people deciding for themselves what the Church should and shouldn’t do.

 

[tryphon]

"On his visit to Rome, on 22nd February, in the context of his feverish manoeuvre in favor of the war in Iraq, Tony Blair assisted at the Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II and received Holy Communion from his hand. "
fsspx.org/en/a_pope-gives-communion-to-anglican-tony-blair
Cardinal Ratzinger gives Communion in the hand to Protestant brother Roger at John Paul II’s funeral Mass
traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/b011ht_BrotherRogerProt_Vennari.htm

If a Catholic Pope gives Holy Communion to a Protestant, then what message does that send ?

Tony Blair is a Catholic.

 

[Tomdstone]

Both of those links are to schismatic traditionalist sites, which we are not allowed to link to in CAF. A quick google search by me found no reliable news source confirming this events.

I have removed the links from my own post, so that is it won’t (hopefully) be removed.

If you use such sites for your information about the Catholic Church, then you do so at your own peril. If in doubt, ask here whether a site is legitimate or not. Every “Catholic” group claims to be legitimate, but not all are.

Are those schismatic people excommunicated from the Catholic Church or are they Catholic? It is difficult to deny the photo. Do you claim that the photos were forged and it never happened?

 

[Tomdstone]

Tony Blair is a Catholic.

Was he Catholic at the time of the report? And Brother Roger?

 

[GaudentAngeli]

Are you sure that they’re out of communion? Several Anglican parishes ( I do believe) have in the last few years come home.

Yes, I’m 100% sure they’re out of communion.

I feel very stupid. Before going to Mass with them I thought they might receive communion but I wasn’t sure and I didn’t feel like it was my place to inquire about this. Then they did, and afterwards I was thinking… duh…I should have known. They went up to receive before I did and watching them receive was like a punch in the stomach, I immediately offered my own communion in reparation for their and I still can’t help feeling so sad.

 

[Edmundus1581]

Are those schismatic people excommunicated from the Catholic Church or are they Catholic? It is difficult to deny the photo. Do you claim that the photos were forged and it never happened?

Like I said, if you take your Catholic information from schismatic and/or extreme sites then you do so at your own peril.

If you link to such sites, then your posts may be removed. There is no point discussing particular stories from them.

If you have a reliable source for your stories, then we can have a discussion.