9 Misconceptions About Catholic Communion
Addressing the common misconceptions circulating about the Catholic Sacrament of Communion in response to recent controversy
Recently, it has been announced that Archbishop Cordileone has barred Nancy Pelosi from receiving communion. That announcement has been accompanied by widespread debate, from Catholics and non-Catholics, and an increase in criticisms of the Catholic Church and the Archbishop. Along with the debate, a large number of misconceptions are being spread which is making this conversation more difficult. The constant spread of misinformation regarding how the Catholic Church administers its own sacrament does nothing except lead to pointless soundbites and derail the actual discussion we should be having. Let’s review and resolve some of the misconceptions and misinformation that has spread in the wake of the archbishop’s decision.
Misconception 1: Nancy Pelosi has been officially excommunicated
As stated in the Archbishop’s letter to priests of the diocese, Nancy Pelosi has been found to be “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin” She is being denied communion based on this in accordance with Canon Law 915. Currently, she has not been officially excommunicated. Excommunication, while also prohibiting someone from receiving communion, is its own process. (Source: Archbishop Cordileone’s explanation). Whether or not she has incurred a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication based on her actions is up for debate, but the Church has not officially stated that she is excommunicated.
Misconception 2: It is rare for a Catholic to not receive communion
While it may be rare for someone to be publicly barred from or denied communion, it is not rare that a catholic not receive communion. The official teaching of the catholic church is “A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible” (Canon Law 916). Every Catholic should be evaluating themselves to determine if they are in a state to receive communion. It is a regular occurrence that a practicing catholic does not present themselves for communion if they believe they are in a state of mortal sin.
Misconception 3. The Catholic Church does not regularly bar laypeople for any other sin
While all laypeople should not receive communion when in a state of mortal sin, priests generally give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they have recently gone to communion. There are a few specific situations one may find themselves in where they are unable to receive for longer periods of time. Perhaps the most well-known example of these situations is non-Catholic marriages. As explained in this resource from St. Vincent De Paul Parish Laypeople who have divorced and remarried without an annulment are not to present themselves for communion. Another large group of lay Catholics who do not receive communion are children. According to Cannon Law 914, “It is for the pastor to exercise vigilance so that children who have not attained the use of reason or whom he judges are not sufficiently disposed do not approach holy communion.”
Misconception 4: The Catholic Church would not deny Donald Trump or another republican communion
The Catholic Church would deny Donald Trump and 70% of Congress access to communion. Only Catholics can receive Communion in a Catholic Church. The comparison between Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump or any other non-Catholic politician is useless because Pelosi is Catholic and they are not. It does not fall under the authority of the Catholic Church to attempt to rectify the sins of non-Catholic politicians, beyond denying them access to Catholic sacraments. The church can and does comment on policies which they find moral or immoral regardless of which political party supports them and they already deny all non-Catholic politicians communion. (Source: religious composition of congress)
Misconception 5: Joe Biden has also been barred from Communion
While Joe Biden has been denied communion by individual priests, most notably in 2019 (source), he has not been barred from receiving communion by Archbishop Gregory, the current Archbishop for the Archdiocese of Washington (which includes Washington D.C.). As far as the general public is aware, Biden continues to receive communion in his home parish. It is also important to note that Archbishop Gregory has no new comment on whether or not politicians should be denied communion and is expected to continue to allow pro-choice politicians to receive communion.
Misconception 6: The Catholic Church has never barred any other political figure from communion
Barring political leaders from communion is not new in the Catholic Church. Some of the most famous people to be excommunicated and barred from communion are King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth, and Napoleon. More recently, Joe Biden has been denied communion by an individual priest (see above). In 2004, the then Archbishop of St. Louise, Raymond L. Burke, stated that he would deny then Senator John F. Kerry communion due to his stance on abortion (source). Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel, a previous archbishop of New Orleans, excommunicated 3 prominent political figures and threatened many other parishioners while the archbishop pushed for the integration of Catholic schools in New Orleans (source).
Misconception 7: The Catholic church should loose its tax exempt status due to recent events
The Catholic Church should not be under threat of losing Tax-Exempt status. The Church has full authority to administer its own Sacraments as it sees fit. The church is also allowed to have stances on specific political issues as long as they do not endorse or campaign for specific candidates. The IRS has stated that there are a few ways a church can lose 501(c)(3) status (source). The church does not provide substantial monetary benefits to individuals, participate in any illegal acts, participate in a candidate’s political campaign, or lobby heavily. There is not substantial reason to deny the Church Tax-Exempt Status.
The best argument to be made is that denying a member of congress communion is an attempt to sway their vote, but this is a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to deny communion. Denying communion indicates that someone is not in communion with the Catholic church. While Pelosi has been barred due to her continued support for expanding abortion, 70% of congress is currently unable to receive due to not professing the Catholic faith. If it is not an issue to deny 70% of congress, then it is not an issue to deny Pelosi. The Church has every right to determine who is in communion with the church and who is not. It would be a severe breach of the separation of Church and State for the US Government to demand that the Church administer the Sacrament to someone not currently in communion with the church or lose their Tax Exempt status. The government of the United States has no authority over the Sacraments of the Catholic Church.
Misconception 8: The Archbishop is acting in outright defiance of the Pope
While Pope Francis has recently stated “Be a pastor, don’t go condemning. Be a pastor, because he is a pastor also for the excommunicated.”, he has not restricted archbishops from barring laypeople from communion. Pope Francis has never denied communion, but he has also never claimed that the Church and the archbishops should never deny someone communion. As far as we know, no efforts have been made to remove this ability from Bishops and Archbishop Cordileone is not currently breaking any cannon laws. We are then left with only the Pope’s comments and general directions to the Church. Pope Francis has asked bishops to act as Pastors, not Politicians. Based on Archbishop’s comments, he is acting in his role as Pastor.
It is the Archbishop’s responsibility to ensure the continuing faith of his Archdiocese. According to his statement, Archbishop Cordileone has made multiple attempts to communicate and meet with Speaker Pelosi to discuss this issue. He has not jumped to denying communion without taking any other pastoral steps, but has instead exhausted his options of handling this pastoral issue privately. Cannon Law 915 is clear on what the correct pastoral decision is: “Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.”(Source)
Along with noting how he has made attempts to handle this through other means, we must also remember that the archbishop is responsible for his entire diocese, not just Nancy Pelosi. While we can debate whether or not we believe that continued political support is a sin, the Archbishop believes that it is. The decision to bar Nancy Pelosi from communion is a pastoral decision made for the benefit of his entire Archdiocese. Archbishop Cordileone has made it clear to his parishioners that you cannot stand stubbornly in direct opposition to church teaching, refuse to meet with church leadership, and proudly claim that you are in full communion with the Church. While some may disagree with defining political support of abortion as a sin, the Archbishop has made it clear that Nancy Pelosi has been barred from communion because he believes that she is in a state of mortal sin, that she is publicly spreading support for that sin, and that she refuses to do anything to be absolved of that sin. This is a pastoral decision made not only for Nancy Pelosi, but for the entire Archdiocese of San Francisco.
Misconception 9: Denying someone communion is meant to shame them into compliance
Denying someone communion is not meant to shame them into compliance, but to protect them from further sin. Canon law clearly states that those who are in a state of mortal sin should not receive communion (see canon law listed above). To knowingly allow someone who is persevering in manifest grave sin to receive communion puts the soul of both the recipients and the provider in danger. To help prevent others from sinning and to refuse to sin yourself is not an act of shaming, but an act of love.
There is going to be continuing debate on this topic. People will continue to discuss whether or not political support of abortion or other policies is sinful. They will continue to criticize Nancy Pelosi for her stances, Archbishop Cordileone for denying her the eucharist, and Archbishop Gregory for not denying pro-choice politicians the eucharist. It is important that we do not allow the continued spread of misinformation to muddy the waters. The question at hand is whether or not Speaker Pelosi is “ obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin” and to be denied communion in alignment with Canon Law 915.
To learn more about the Archbishop’s decision, please read his public letter found on the San Francisco Archdiocese website (link)
