Photo ~ Not Even Martin Luther Would Have Done It

Receiving Communion in the Hand
July 16, 2012

When considering the possibility of Communion received in the hand rather than on the tongue, the Holy See pointed out “certain dangers” of such a change.

These included: “the danger of a loss of reverence for the august sacrament of the altar, of profanation, of adulterating the true doctrine.”

But given that several bishops in Europe had already begun implementing this change illicitly, Pope Paul VI decided to take a vote on the matter rather than stomping it out altogether.

Two-thousand bishops across the globe were polled and the results were as follows:

59% of bishops said the laity of their diocese would not accept the new practice.
62% of bishops did not want to see the practice begin in their diocese.
66% of the bishops didn’t think the practice was worth addressing.


Pope Paul VI (pictured above) and
his successors never accepted
Communion in the hand. The pope's
compromise was to tolerate the
illicitly established practice via
indult in the places where it was
already in use while barring its
practice elsewhere.

Despite the vote, in 1969 Pope Paul VI decided to strike a compromise with his disobedient bishops on the continent.

Given “the gravity of the matter,” the pope would not authorize Communion in the hand.

He was, however, open to bestowing an indult – an exception to the law – under certain conditions: first, an indult could not be given to a country in which Communion in the hand was not an already established practice; second, the bishops in countries where it was established must approve of the practice “by a secret vote and with a two-thirds majority.”

Beyond this, the Holy See set down seven regulations concerning communion in the hand; failure to maintain these regulations could result in the loss of the indult.

The first three regulations concerned: respecting the laity who continue the traditional practice, maintaining the laity’s proper respect of the Eucharist, and strengthening the laity’s faith in the real presence.

So how did Communion in the hand come to America?

Click HERE to find out...