Communion on the Tongue and Swine Flu

Father Finegan has drawn attention to a letter from the Vatican which says that it is not lawful to refuse Holy Communion on the tongue. The context of this is the way an English diocese has responded to the Swine Flu. The Vatican replied to someone who wrote to ask if, in this case, Communion on the tongue could be refused. The answer is a clear "No".

When I saw that some bishops were arguing that Communion in the hand was safer, or that the tongue was less safe, I wondered where they had got their information. A few years ago I did a basic hygiene course, and it was clear from that, that the most dangerous part of the body - as regards passing on contamination (short of spitting at people or coughing in their face!) is the hand.

A week or so ago I was in Chicago and a friend there who has been doing some research on these things told me about a survey done in the United States regarding infection etc. He said the researchers had discovered that the most dangerous objects with regard to passing on infection are supermarket trolleys. He told me that in some supermarkets antiseptic wipes are provided. He agreed with me that it is the hand - above all - that is the danger. I couldn't help noticing that when I give Communion on the tongue I can do it, quite easily, without touching the mouth or the tongue of the communicant. On the other hand (no pun intended), when I give Communion in the hand it is almost impossible not to touch someone's hand now and then.

Swine Flu aside, this is an issue (Reception of Holy Communion) that will not go away. I found this article which discusses the question of Communion on the hand. I thought it interesting. It was written before the Swine Flu scare but gives some insight into how the change in the distribution of Holy Communion came about.

Broken Windows - Broken Lives

This is not my window. It is the window of Sir Fred Goodwin the ex bank chief. I have got a broken window. I discovered it yesterday morning when I came down for breakfast. There was glass everywhere in the kitchen and a very heavy stone on the floor, which had apparently bounced in three places making holes in the worktop and the floor. I have had windows attacked before, and I know there is a group of lads in the neighbourhood who occasionally like smashing other people's windows, but there was something unsettling about this event.

After calling the police and a glazier, I cleaned up and later, during the Mass, the thought came to me that it may have something to do with the report of clergy child abuse in Ireland (on the TV News the night before). My housekeeper had the same thought. It was a very heavy stone and not easy to pick up. Someone had thrown it with great force.

I must admit I was angry when I read the Archbishop of Dublin's apology following the publication of that report, and probably overreacted. Nevetheless, this has to be said, and I know I am not the only one saying it:

We need a clear, unequivocal recognition of guilt from the Archbishops, Bishops and their administrators. It cannot be just a case of ignorance. The report says that it is difficult to believe that. These were highly intelligent people. If I was an abuse victim or a relative of an abuse victim I would not be satisfied with the Archbishop's apology. By attempting to keep the offences committed by priests secret, and (is this even worse?) by treating alleged victims and their parents as liars, trouble makers, nuisances - call it what you will, those same authority figures became partly responsible for the occassions of abuse that followed. They betrayed the victims, their families, the loyal, Mass-going Catholics - and Christ Himself.

In future, I hope that we not only have reference to the sins of the priests and brothers (and religious sisters) but that those in authority simply and humbly, without verbosity, accept their share of the blame - for which there is no excuse!

If you want to heal something, you have to diagnose it correctly, and if you want to clear out the whole of an infection, you have to go into all the places where it hides.

I don't know if that stone through my window has anything to do with the abuse report, but if it has I am more concerned for the person who threw it than for myself or my window. Even if it has nothing to do with all this, it reminds me that broken windows are nothing compared to the terribly broken lives around us, some of which are the result of sexual abuse by trusted people.

The Desperate Archbishop

Archbishop Rowan Williams is a deeply spiritual man and no mean theologian, yet his understanding of what it means to be united in One Church is naive and simplistic to the point of being shocking. As someone else has said, "what planet is he on?" I have great respect for him, but, as I have found with other excellent Anglican writers and thinkers, there are a few gaping holes in his theological garments. Ultimately this is because he cannot think with The Church. I'm afraid it has to be said that where there is a break with the Petrine Office there is a lack of perception as to the truths of the Faith. His appeal to the Roman Catholic Church and to the Pope to think again about women priests and homosexuality has a ring of desperation about it, but it also shows how restoration of unity is impossible with those Anglicans who agree with him.

These things are not incidentals. His poor grasp of the importance of the Sacrament of Holy Orders and his inability to see how the moral teaching of the Church, based on Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition is part of that "seamless garment" which is the Catholic Faith makes me ask how long this (Anglican) situation can continue. This is a sad spectacle. Let's hope that good will come out of his meeting with the Pope - the successor of Peter, and that the light will begin to dawn in those areas of his mind and heart where there are shadows and poor understanding.

This may seem patronising, and I don't mean it to be. I am simply trying to understand how such a wise and holy man is "unable to see the wood for the trees".

Retreating

I shall be in Chicago over the coming week-end helping to give a retreat on the theme of The Sacred Heart. Whilst there, I shall also be praying for those Anglicans and Episcopalians who are asking themselves (and the good Lord) how they can move forward in relation to the Roman Catholic Church. I know that the retreatants, who are ALL committed to the cause of Christian Unity, will also be praying for our brothers and sisters in the Anglican communities and parishes. Whatever happens and however individuals and groups begin to plan ahead, I know that all of us on the retreat will be asking God's blessings on everyone.

To those who are looking for some kind of vision of unity, I recommend the writings known as "True Life in God". I met a Welsh Anglican some years ago (a priest) who was reading them. He was struggling with some of the things he found there, but told me that he could not deny that the one who was speaking through these writings is the same one who is preseent when he celebrates the Eucharist. Many others, Anglicans, Lutherans, Catholics and others have found great inspiration and comfort in these messages. See the links on the right for more information.