Can Bishops Prohibit Communion on the Tongue

Do the faithful have a right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue? Here, we need to distinguish between divine and ecclesiastical rights. Although baptized Catholics have a divine right to the Eucharist, the method of reception falls under the category of ecclesiastical discipline. Currently, the liturgical rubrics of the Roman Rite grant the faithful the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue. Hence, local ordinaries and national episcopal conferences don’t have the authority to change this practice on their own, even in times of viral pandemics. According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, “The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant” (Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, n. 160). The Congregation of Divine Worship also issued a directive regarding the method of reception of Holy Communion. In its instruction called the “Sacrament of Redemption,” the Congregation stated,

In distributing Holy Communion it is to be remembered that “sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them”.¹⁷⁷ Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ’s faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing (Redemptionis sacramentum § 91).

            In 2009, the under-secretary of the Congregation of Divine Worship, Fr. Anthony Ward, responded to a question regarding whether bishops have the authority to suspend communion on the tongue during the swine flu epidemic. He wrote,

This Dicastery observes that its Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum (25 March 2004) clearly stipulates that "each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion of the tongue" (n. 92) nor is it licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ's faithful who are not impeded by law from receiving the Holy Eucharist.

            This is distinct from the issue of whether bishops have the authority to suspend the sacrament, which canon law makes the provision for. Current ecclesiastical law, however, clearly prohibits bishops from denying the faithful communion on the tongue when Holy Communion is offered.