Participating in non-Catholic Communion Services

Is it OK to participate with other Christians in their “communion services”? In the spirit of unity, when attending an ecumenical event, is it possible to share “the breaking of bread” with our fellow brothers and sisters, knowing in full conscience that it is not the Real Presence? What is acceptable in such a circumstance?

We will answer these questions at two levels: 1. What is the law and teaching of the Catholic Church? 2. What should be our approach as Catholics in the developing ecumenical situation?

The law and teaching of the Church

This question is treated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1398 – 1401. A clear distinction is made between the Eastern churches not in communion with Rome (that is, the Orthodox and Oriental churches, par. 1399) and the Protestant communities (par. 1400). With the Orthodox, there are circumstances in which with the approval of church authority, a certain Eucharistic sharing “is not merely possible but is encouraged” (par. 1399). However, these conditions are rarely fulfilled, since the Orthodox requirements are stricter than the Catholic. These restrictions should be respected (Ecumenical Directory, 1993, par. 132).

Receiving communion in a Protestant church is never permitted for a Catholic, because these communities “have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy Orders” (par. 1400). This last clause refers to the Catholic Church not recognizing in the Protestant communions a ministry passed on through the apostolic succession of bishops from the beginning.

Our approach today

It is also important to recognize, however, that there have been big changes of attitude and in relationships between the Catholic Church and other Christians since the Church committed herself to the movement for unity at the Second Vatican Council. These changes are accelerating under Pope Francis, who is emphasizing the urgency of healing the wounds of division, and who manifests a great openness to Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. In this new situation, in which we are all being led further by the Holy Spirit, we must ask what attitude Catholics should have towards the worship and the liturgy of other churches and communions, particular towards the Eucharist or Lord’s supper.

First, we have to respect everything that other Christians do as those sincerely seeking to live and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ. This means that we have to respect their celebrations of the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist, even though we do not recognize them as identical to the Catholic Mass. This was commended even at Vatican II, recognizing that when Protestant communities “commemorate the Lord’s death and resurrection in the Holy Supper,… [they] profess that it signifies life in communion with Christ and await his coming in glory” (Decree on Ecumenism, par. 22, also cited in Catechism, par. 1400). This is all that the Catholic Church teaches about the communion services of Protestant churches.

Now that the Catholic Church recognizes the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Protestant communions, is it really credible any more for Catholics to speak and act as though Protestant communion services are empty, devoid of the presence of the Lord? We do not know in what ways the Lord Jesus is present in them. But they are not nothing, just as Protestant ministries are not nothing (a fact recognized by the Church’s openness to ordain as priests married Protestant pastors who have become Catholics). We cannot say “in full conscience that “it is not the Real Presence.” We can apply here the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matt 7:9). We can see that when other Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper they are in some way asking the Father for bread. We thank the Lord for what we know He has given to the Catholic Church, and we pray that He will give this same gift in its fullness to our Protestant sisters and brothers. The teaching of Vatican II in the Constitution on the Liturgy is that the Lord is present in various ways in the Eucharistic liturgy, “most of all in the Eucharistic species,” but also, for example, “in the word, since it is he himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in church. Lastly, he is present when the church prays and sings” (par. 7; the last phrase then cites Matt 18:20). These forms of presence are found among Protestants.

The very respectful approach to this question taken by Pope Francis is instructive and challenging for all Catholics. When the Holy Father visited a Waldensian temple in Turin, Italy, last year, he commented positively about a recent gesture concerning the Eucharist and the supper of the Lord. “I would like to recall the ecumenical exchange of gifts that took place on Easter, in Pinerolo, from the Waldensian Church of Pinerolo and from the [Catholic] Diocese. The Waldensian Church offered Catholics wine for the celebration of the Easter Vigil and the Catholic Diocese offered our Waldensian brothers bread for the Easter Sunday’s Holy Supper. It is a gesture between the two Churches that goes well beyond simple courtesy and which allows a foretaste, in a certain sense — a foretaste, in a certain sense — of that unity of the Eucharistic table for which we yearn” (Address to Waldensian Christians, June 22, 2015).