Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion
"Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion"
General Principles
Instruction by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,
Prefect
Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith
(Emphasis: Holy Hill Cross Web Site)
1. Presenting oneself to receive
Holy Communion should be a conscious decision, based on a reasoned judgment
regarding one's worthiness to do so, according to the Church's objective
criteria, asking such questions as: "Am I in full communion with the Catholic
Church? Am I guilty of grave
sin? Have I incurred a penalty (e.g.
excommunication, interdict)
that forbids me to receive Holy Communion? Have I prepared myself by
fasting for at least an
hour?" The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive
Holy Communion, merely as a
consequence of being present at Mass, is an abuse that must
be
corrected
(cf.
Instruction "Redemptionis Sacramentum" nos. 81, 83).
2. The Church teaches that abortion
or euthanasia is a grave sin. The Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae, with
reference to judicial decisions or civil laws that authorize or promote
abortion or euthanasia, states that there is a "grave and clear obligation
to oppose them by conscientious objection.
In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting
abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to 'take
part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law or vote for it'" (no.
73). Christians have a
"grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices
which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God's law. Indeed,
from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. This cooperation can never be justified
either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil
law permits it or requires it." (no.74).
3. Not all moral issues have the
same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were
to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or
on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered
unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts
civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy
in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up
arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may
be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and
applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and
euthanasia.
4. Apart from an individual's
judgment about his worthiness to present himself to receive the Holy Eucharist,
the minister of Holy Communion may find himself in the situation where he must
refuse to distribute Holy Communion to someone, such as in cases of a declared
excommunication, a declared interdict, or an obstinate persistence in manifest
grave sin. (cf. can. 915).
5. Regarding the grave sin of
abortion or euthanasia,
when
a person's formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a
Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive
abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him
about the Church's teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself
for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin,
and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.
6. When "these precautionary measures have not had
their effect or in which they were not possible," and the person in
question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the
Holy Eucharist, "the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute
it." (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
Declaration "Holy Communion and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics" [2002],
nos. 3-4). This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing
judgment on the person's
subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person's public unworthiness to
receive Holy
Communion due to an objective situation of sin.
[N.B. A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in of
evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to
deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because
of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia.
When a Catholic does not
share a candidate's stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that
candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be
permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.
(The Wanderer
Press, Vol. 137, No. 29,