I believe the pastor would be wrong, and in so instructing, would be going against the norms established in the proper liturgical books.
From " Pastoral Care of the Sick," Catholic Book Publishing 1983: Page 77, describing the giving of Communion to the sick person: “The minister goes to the sick person and, showing the Blessed Sacrament, says: ‘The Body of Christ.’ . . . .Others present who wish to receive Communion then do so in the usual way.”
Based on this it seems clear to me that the norms for the distribution of Communion to the sick and home bound clearly contemplate that others present may receive the Eucharist."
I believe you are correct. In an ideal world the ordinary minister of Holy Communion would distribute Holy Communion during and outside of Mass to only canonically qualified and properly disposed Catholics.
But in the real world three disordered events may occur: 1) the ordinary minister might give Communion to a disordered (canonically unqualified or improperly disposed) communicant, or 2) the ordinary minister might unjustly withhold Communion from a communicant who is properly ordered, or 3) properly ordered Catholics may be denied the Bread of Life because an insufficient number of ordinary ministers are available.
A basic tenet of our Catholic ethic, I think, is that all human needs translate into human rights. All human rights must be respected by others. Those who have the power to provide to others what is needed are obligated to do so. We need the Bread of Life. The power to provide is vested in priest who confects and the ordinary minister who distributes.
In her wisdom, the Church – in her theology of the Eucharist which is both personal and ecclesial, in her canons, and in her liturgical guidelines – clearly thinks events 2 and 3 are the greater evils.
Pray for more vocations.
The Church teaches that the patently and objectively disordered may and, if obstinate and persistent in public, must be refused communion.
vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P39.HTM
Can. 912 Any baptized person not prohibited by law can and **must be admitted **[emphasis mine] to holy communion.
Can. 917 A person who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist can receive it a second time on the same day only within the eucharistic celebration in which the person participates, without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 921, §2.
Can. 918 It is highly recommended that the faithful receive holy communion during the eucharistic celebration itself. It [Communion] **is to be administered outside the Mass, however, to those who request it for a just cause **[emphasis mine], with the liturgical rites being observed.
The Liturgical Instructions also cohere to the canonical rules:
“The Catholic Handbook for Visiting the Sick and Homebound 2012”
Who May Receive Holy Communion
“Catholic shut-ins, caregivers, or **others who assemble with them **[emphasis mine] may receive Holy Communion … “.(pg. 15).
“Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside Mass (1976)”
“The faithful should be encouraged to receive communion during the Eucharistic celebration itself. **Priests, however, are not to refuse to give communion **[emphasis mine] to the faithful who ask for it even outside Mass.” (No. 14)
Unlike the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, Communion to the Sick has not been restricted to only the sick or homebound.
