These days the church was saying Mass and a question occurred to me at the time to commune. Can I eat the wafer????? Imagine that stood in the queue comungamento like crazy desperate trying to decide whether to go ahead and took the host or out of the queue and tried to tell me someone church. Finally I stood in line and got the host and thank God not got sick that day. However, I decided to tell me more about it and guess what??! I found that the host does have gluten as they are made from wheat flour, will, vegetable fat and water.
Searching deeper still read on some sites that churches even have “rules” for those who are gluten intolerant. For example: “if you are a priest unable to receive Communion under the species of bread, including bread partially devoid of gluten, You can not celebrate the Eucharist individually, nor preside over the concelebration.”
As, then, celiacs we can commune, since the wafers are made with wheat?
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, when I was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in July 2003, He signed a circular letter talking about the use of bread with a small amount of gluten and of must as Eucharistic matter. It states that:
“1. The hosts completely gluten-free are invalid matter for the eucharist.
2. They are valid matter the hosts partially devoid of gluten, so that therein is present a sufficient amount of gluten for the baking, without adding foreign substances and without resorting to such procedures that denature bread.”
Already exists in the special wafers market for celiacs. The product contains a reduced amount of gluten, since it is impossible prepares them and consecrate them totally the same.
Practically, the celiac with medium or low degree of intolerance, which can make use of a reduced amount of gluten, must acquire special hosts, repackage it in an exclusive teak and put it on the altar with the other containers.
If the person has an extreme intolerance to gluten, that even a tiny amount is capable of serious sequelae, The same document indicates that the faithful commune only the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ:
“1. The faithful suffering from celiac flow luck to be unable to receive Communion under the species of bread, including bread partially devoid of gluten, can commune only under the species of wine.”
How to proceed?
In this case, the celiac must acquire an exclusive cup. It can be found in specialty stores and put it on the altar for the wine to be consecrated at the right time.
It may seem an extreme measure, but that the sacrifice of the Mass is full the priest must take communion of bread and wine. If it does not, a missa está incompleta.
The Church welcomes all his children and provides solution for all to participate in the sacred banquet: the Eucharist.
Sources:
- https://padrepauloricardo.org/episodios/como-e-possivel-comungar-se-tenho-intolerancia-ao-gluten
- http://www.doencaceliaca.com.br/doencaceliaca.htm
- http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030724_pane-senza-glutine_po.html