What are a priest or deacon's moral obligations when giving Communion?

[PaulinVA]

No one could know these things abt other people.

We know them about Catholics in general because they answer polls. For confession, Priests on here talk about how few hours they need to spend in the confessional compared to their parish population.

If the parish priest doesn´t have them for confession, then that might as well mean that they confess to someone else.

It’s pretty equal across the board at parishes.

And no one would know what birth regulations couples use or if they truly believe in Catholic doctrine, if not they´ve discussed this with their pastor.

Once again, Catholics answer polls.

I’m not saying that one can make a judgement about any individual person. You are right in that. But, taken as a whole, one can suppose there are a whole lot of people going to Communion that shouldn’t, because, in general, they’ve told us.

 

[Kima]

I’m not saying that one can make a judgement about any individual person. You are right in that. But, taken as a whole, one can suppose there are a whole lot of people going to Communion that shouldn’t, because, in general, they’ve told us.

Yes, that was my point one could say these things in general, but you can´t apply it practically.

 

[PaulinVA]

Yes, that was my point one could say these things in general, but you can´t apply it practically.

True, the only way to apply it practically is to decide not to participate in the distribution of Communion at all. Which is what my wife did.

 

[Montrose]

She was uncomfortable, knowing the people in the parish, and being an EMHC. That’s it. Not being judgmental, just not comfortable being an EMHC.

You mean she didn’t know before becoming an EMHC that they have no authority.

 

[Anesti33]

The problem here is that Canon 916 is not in play for an EMHC, but Canon 915 is, albeit only through the authority of the priest.

If someone is disqualified from Holy Communion per c. 916, then that person is not to present herself to the minister. Canon 916 binds the would-be communicant only.

Canon 915, on the other hand, binding the minister, sets a very high bar, higher than the standard of c. 916. In order to be disqualified via c. 915, the communicant must have been in contact with a priest outside the confessional, regarding some particular grave sin, the priest must have counseled her on reconciliation, and she must be obstinately persisting despite the priest’s good counsel.

The priest celebrating the Mass would necessarily be aware of the communicant’s status, and seeing her in the assembly, might notify EMHCs that they are to withhold Holy Communion per his authority in c. 915.

As for @PaulinVA’s wife, I can safely speculate that there may have been nobody who qualified for a c. 915 refusal at the time she was commissioned, and therefore a legitimate order to refuse no-one. In fact, some bishops do not believe in enforcing c. 915, and a perpetual order to refuse no-one could well be the norm in that diocese.

In a nutshell, the EMHC is not qualified to determine who meets the standards of either c. 915 or 916, and only c. 915 binds the ministers.

 

[PaulinVA]

You mean she didn’t know before becoming an EMHC that they have no authority.

No, once she was acting as an EMHC the enormity of the responsibility to protect Jesus weighed heavily upon her, and she decided that she couldn’t continue.

As for @PaulinVA’s wife, I can safely speculate that there may have been nobody who qualified for a c. 915 refusal at the time she was commissioned, and therefore a legitimate order to refuse no-one. In fact, some bishops do not believe in enforcing c. 915, and a perpetual order to refuse no-one could well be the norm in that diocese.

And she felt uncomfortable with that. She also didn’t want to be put in a position of refusing someone in the first place. So, she decided the resign. It was a no win situation for her.

 

[Gorgias]

We know them about Catholics in general because they answer polls.

True. But we don’t distribute Eucharist to “Catholics in general”; we distribute it to particular persons. And, we can’t presume anything about any particular person without specific knowledge.

I’m not saying that one can make a judgement about any individual person. You are right in that.

Right. So, we give communion to those who present themselves, knowing that they’re “eating and drinking judgment on themselves” if they do not discern the Body and Blood of the Lord.

No, once she was acting as an EMHC the enormity of the responsibility to protect Jesus weighed heavily upon her

It’s not a matter of “protecting Jesus”. Jesus isn’t harmed when a person receives unworthily; that person is the one harmed.

And she felt uncomfortable with that. She also didn’t want to be put in a position of refusing someone in the first place.

The way I understand that (and, maybe it’s just the local rule here in my diocese) is that the rule is “EMHCs distribute to everyone who presents themselves, without prejudice.” (Now, if a drunk person staggers up the aisle, it would be fair game for the EMHC to turn to the priest and ask “umm… Father? Help?!?” and let him deal with it.)

 

[PaulinVA]

Right. So, we give communion to those who present themselves, knowing that they’re “eating and drinking judgment on themselves” if they do not discern the Body and Blood of the Lord.

And, she decided that she didn’t want to participate in that.

You make good points, but each potential EMHC makes their own choice whether to accept the invitation.

 

[BartholomewB]

We know that most Catholics don’t go to confession.
We know only a small fraction of Catholic couples use a licit means to regulate births.
We know that many Catholics do not hold beliefs the Church considers essential, ie the Real Presence.

I could go on, but I hope you get the point. Many people that present themselves for Communion should not.

In a parish where I used to attend Mass regularly, from time to time the pastor made an announcement, telling people — specifically addressing unmarried couples living together — that they ought not to come forward to receive Communion. I asked him once whether he would actually refuse Communion to a parishioner whom he knew to be in a non-marriage of that kind. He said no, he wouldn’t, because it would cause scandal, in the Catholic sense of the term: “An action which, though good, appears evil to the onlookers, should not be performed unless grave inconvenience would result from its omission.”