Pope Francis: if you are in a state of mortal

sin, you cannot receive Communion

Any Catholic who has committed a mortal sin cannot receive Holy
Communion unless they have been to confession, the Pope has
said.

Continuing a series of talks on the Mass during his General

Audience on March 14, Pope Francis reminded Catholics of the
need to obtain absolution for grave sins before receiving the
Eucharist.

In remarks to Polish pilgrims after his catechesis on the Our

Father, the Pope said: “We know that one who has committed a
serious sin should not approach Holy Communion without having
first obtained absolution in the sacrament of Reconciliation. ”
“Lent is an opportunity to approach the latter, to confess well and
to encounter Christ in Holy Communion,” he added. “The
encounter with Him gives meaning to our life.”

During his talk, he also said the words “our daily bread” refer “not
only to food for our body but also Eucharistic bread, food for the
soul.”

The prayer also opens a person’s heart to forgiving others as God

has forgiven him or her, the Pope said.

“Forgiving people who have offended us is not easy,” he added, so

people must pray to the Lord “to teach me to forgive as you have
forgiven me.” Human strength or will is not enough to be able to
forgive, he said; it requires grace from the Holy Spirit.

The prayer prepares people for the rite of peace in which the
celebrant prays that the peace of Christ will fill people’s hearts
and, as a sign of hope, the assembly exchanges a concrete sign of
peace, he said.

This expression of ecclesial communion and being reconciled in

mutual, fraternal love is key before receiving the sacrament of
Communion, the pope said.

“Christ’s peace cannot take root in a heart incapable of living in

fraternity (with others) and of piecing it back together after it has
been wounded,” he said.

Pope Francis prayed that by celebrating the rites with greater

understanding people would experience the Eucharist more fully
as the sacrament of their communion with God and with their
brothers and sisters, Pope Francis said.

Should I receive if I have an unconfessed mortal sin on

my conscience?
Three requirements must be met for sin to be mortal: grave matter, full knowledge,
and deliberate consent. Since you say that you are “actively trying to eliminate this
sin” from your life, your priest may believe that your action lacks deliberate consent
and, therefore, does not qualify as mortal sin. If this is the case, the Eucharist may
benefit you greatly. On the other hand, if your sin is indeed mortal sin, then you
should not receive the Eucharist without first going to confession.

The Code of Canon Law is clear that a person conscious of mortal sin may only
receive the Eucharist under grave circumstances:

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. (CIC 916)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains,

The Lord addresses an invitation to us, urging us to receive him in the sacrament of
the Eucharist: “Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and
drink his blood, you have no life in you.” To respond to this invitation we must
prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our
conscience: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a
man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who
eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.”
Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of reconciliation before
coming to Communion. (CCC 1384-1385)
I recommend that, after engaging in grave matter, you go to confession as soon as
possible and then receive the Eucharist as often as possible. “By the same charity that
it enkindles in us, the Eucharist preserves us from future mortal sins. The more we
share the life of Christ and progress in his friendship, the more difficult it is to break
away from him by mortal sin” (CCC 1395).

https://www.catholic.com/qa/should-i-receive-if-i-have-an-
unconfessed-mortal-sin-on-my-conscience

What should I do about someone who refuses to go to confession

before receiving the Eucharist?
Your father may not receive the Eucharist before receiving absolution from a priest in
the sacrament of penance. This doesn’t mean he can’t attend Mass; he can and should
attend Mass, even if he isn’t disposed to receive Communion.

The Church sets out specific guidelines regarding how we should prepare ourselves to
receive the Lord’s body and blood in Communion. To receive Communion worthily,
one must be in a state of grace, have made a good confession since one’s last mortal
sin, believe in transubstantiation, observe the eucharistic fast, and, finally, not be
under an ecclesiastical censure such as excommunication. For someone to receive the
Eucharist without sanctifying grace in his soul profanes the Eucharist in a most
grievous manner.

The 1983 Code of Canon Law stipulates:

A person who is conscious of a grave sin is not to . . . receive the body of the Lord
without prior sacramental confession unless a grave reason is present and there is no
opportunity of confessing; in this case the person is to be mindful of the obligation to
make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as
possible. (CIC 916)

What should your dad do? Here are the possibilities, starting with the best and most
desirable:

1. He should go to confession, attend Mass, and receive the Eucharist worthily. In this
case, your father would have returned to full communion with the Church and would
be free to participate in the sacraments, having the benefit of sanctifying grace once
again in his soul.

2. If he refuses to go to confession, he should still go to Mass, but not receive the

Eucharist. While he would not be in the state of grace, he would avoid committing
further grave offenses either by ignoring his Sunday obligation or by unworthy
reception of Communion. Additionally, he would be opening himself up at least to
hearing God’s word and would be fulfilling his Sunday obligation.

3. If he is unwilling to use option one or two, he should not go to Mass. In this case,
he would continue not to fulfill his Sunday obligation, but at least he would avoid the
graver offense of profaning the body and blood of the Lord, which would be the worst
outcome.

https://www.catholic.com/qa/what-should-i-do-about-someone-who-
refuses-to-go-to-confession-before-receiving-the-eucharist

Non-Catholics in the Communion Line

There are usually a few Masses per year at which there can be expected to be a large
number of non-Catholics present. Christmas and Easter Masses are popular with non-
Catholics, mainly because they are visiting Catholic family and friends. Nuptial
Masses, especially when one of the parties to be married is a non-Catholic Christian,
will have large turnouts of non-Catholics (sometimes up to half the congregation).
Non-Catholics can also be expected at Masses offered for other sacramental firsts and
life-cycle events, such as confirmations and funerals.

This reality raises a common question for the apologists here at Catholic Answers:
What should happen at Communion time? Here’s a recent question I received on the
issue.

At my granddaughter’s First Communion, the priest announced that if there were any
Episcopalians present they could receive Communion because they believe in the Real
Presence. Other Protestants could come forward for a blessing. When did the teaching
change on receiving Communion? I thought you had to be in full union with Rome.
My son-in-law is Protestant and this caused real confusion for us.

In this case, both the priest and the inquirer were mistaken, to some extent, in their
respective understandings of the Church’s sacramental discipline.

The priest was incorrect that Episcopalians ordinarily may receive Communion at a
Catholic Mass. Since Episcopalians do not have valid holy orders, they do not have a
valid Communion. The fact that they believe that Jesus is in some way present in the
Eucharist does not necessarily mean that they fully share Catholic faith in the nature
of the Real Presence (although some do).

The inquirer also was not entirely correct that those who receive Communion must be
“in full union with Rome.” Orthodox Christians, and members of a few other
Christian churches with valid holy orders and a valid Eucharist, are allowed to receive
Communion when attending Catholic Masses. The Guidelines for the Reception of
Communion state:

Members of the Orthodox churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish
National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own churches.
According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to
the reception of Communion by Christians of these churches (canon 844 §3).

Occasionally, under special circumstances, a baptized non-Catholic Christian may

receive the Eucharist if there is grave need, the Christian “spontaneously asks” for the
sacraments, and if he cannot approach his own minister:

Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality
of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we
are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to holy Communion. Eucharistic
sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission
according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law
(canon 844 §4) [Guidelines].

These guidelines, which are based on canon law, are rather complex and shot through
with exceptions to the general principles. That can make it difficult for clergy and
laity alike to offer blanket guidelines for reception of Communion when non-
Catholics are present at a Catholic Mass.

And, all too often, off-the-cuff announcements made by the presider at Mass, usually
right before Communion is distributed, do not accurately reflect the Church’s
discipline on reception of the Eucharist. It may be more common these days to hear a
variant of the announcement quoted earlier, inviting “all who believe in the Real
Presence of Christ in the Eucharist” to receive Communion, but the less-common
announcement that “Communion is reserved to practicing Catholics in a state of
grace” also is problematic.

What can be done? Here are a few suggestions for clergy and laity alike.

Learn the guidelines. I trust that clergy are fully instructed in the guidelines for
reception of the sacraments while in seminary. But because the guidelines are not
easily boiled down to either “Come one, come all” or “Practicing Catholics only!”
then I can only suggest regular reading of the USCCB’s Guidelines and the relevant
section from canon law (canon 844). We have looked at the USCCB’s summary; here
is canon 844:

§1 Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments only to Catholic

members of Christ’s faithful, who equally may lawfully receive them only from
Catholic ministers, except as provided in §2, 3, and 4 of this canon and in canon 861
§2.

§2 Whenever necessity requires or a genuine spiritual advantage commends it, and

provided the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, Christ’s faithful for whom it
is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister, may lawfully
receive the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist, and anointing of the sick from non-
Catholic ministers in whose churches these sacraments are valid [emphasis added].

§3 Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments of penance, the

Eucharist, and anointing of the sick to members of the Eastern churches not in full
communion with the Catholic Church, if they spontaneously ask for them and are
properly disposed. The same applies to members of other churches which the
Apostolic See judges to be in the same position as the aforesaid Eastern churches so
far as the sacraments are concerned.

§4 If there is a danger of death or if, in the judgement of the diocesan bishop or of the
episcopal conference, there is some other grave and pressing need, Catholic ministers
may lawfully administer these same sacraments to other Christians not in full
communion with the Catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own
community and who spontaneously ask for them, provided that they demonstrate the
Catholic faith in respect of these sacraments and are properly disposed[emphasis
added].

§5 In respect of the cases dealt with in §2, 3, and 4, the diocesan bishop or the
episcopal conference is not to issue general norms except after consultation with the
competent authority, at least at the local level, of the non-Catholic church or
community concerned.

Given the importance of access to the sacraments by all those duly permitted and
properly disposed to receive them, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, I do not think it is
unreasonable to recommend that priests and deacons memorize this canon and the
USCCB’s Guidelines. Or, if memorization is impossible, clergy can print out both the
canon and the Guidelines on the front and back of a laminated card and keep it on
their person at all times, as police officers do with The Miranda Warning.

Publish the guidelines. The missalettes used in many American Catholic parishes
often print the USCCB’s Guidelines, usually on the inside front cover. If a parish uses
a missalette that has the USCCB’s Guidelines available, great. If not, then contact the
USCCB and request permission to reprint the Guidelines onto card stock to create a
sturdy insert that can be placed inside all of the parish’s missalettes. Extras can be
placed in the parish’s literature racks.

Promote the guidelines. Once a parish has determined where its copies of
the Guidelines are—whether they are already printed in the parish missalettes or are
printed by the parish on card stock and placed in the missalettes—the parish can
create a plan of action for promoting the Guidelines at liturgies where non-Catholics
are expected to be present. For example, a regular announcement before Masses
offered at Christmas, Easter, and for weddings and funerals can be to direct the
congregation’s attention to the Guidelines and ask the congregation to read
the Guidelines before the liturgy begins. For example:

Before we begin, we would like to direct your attention to the Guidelines for
Reception of Communion, which can be found on the inside front-cover of the
missalettes placed in the pew pockets in front of you. Please take a moment to read
the Guidelines so that you may properly discern whether or not you are able to receive
Communion during this liturgy. We welcome all who are unable to receive
Communion to offer silent prayer or personal reflection during the Rite of
Communion.

Nota bene: The announcement suggested here (my own wording, which may be
revised appropriately at the discretion of clergy) is not an open call to receive
Communion, nor does it make assumptions about who is properly disposed to receive.
It simply directs all present to read the Church’s guidelines for receiving Communion
and to discern their own preparedness for reception. No assumptions are made about
the personal religious convictions of those visiting, some of whom may either not be
comfortable praying in common with Christians or may not even be theists (which is
why the invitation to “personal reflection” is extended).
When the Church’s guidelines are not heeded

Despite all of these precautions, there may be times when someone who in not
properly disposed to receive Communion receives Communion anyway. It is more
likely that a layperson will notice this than will a member of the clergy.

Clergy have the authority to counsel people not to receive Communion; laypersons
have the authority to make the guidelines for receiving Communion known. In a
previous blog post, I offered these suggestions to laity concerned about the proper
reception of Communion by non-practicing Catholics or non-Catholics:

 A non-Catholic friend is coming to Mass with me. What do I do to prepare

her for Communion? This is the easiest to answer, and the one form of the
question in which [a layperson] needs to take action. Suggestion: Before
Mass, not right before Communion when the people are standing to enter the
line, show the non-Catholic friend the Communion guidelines that are printed
on the inside front cover of most parish missalettes and allow her to read the
guidelines for herself.
 My Catholic relative has not been to confession in decades. How do I tell
him he can’t receive Communion? There is no way you can know that this
person has not gone to confession in decades. For all you know, he could have
gone to confession just last week and never told you about it. People do not
always choose to announce that they have returned to the sacraments. Recent
case in point: Famed movie director, Alfred Hitchcock, who we only
recently learned returned to the sacraments not long before his
death. Suggestion: After Mass, say, “I didn’t know you returned to the
sacraments! How wonderful! When did this happen?” If this prompts
discussion that reveals that the relative actually has not been to confession in 30
years, you can gently explain that Catholics are expected to confess their mortal
sins at least once per year. If not, you may have given him something to think
about. Or, best-case scenario, your relative might smile shyly and say he
returned to confession just last week.
 I know this Catholic is leading an immoral life and should not be receiving
Communion. How do I stop him from doing so?Again, be careful about
deciding what you do and do not know. You may be wrong. Or, it may be that
the person is going to confession on a regular basis and is struggling with the
sin. Suggestion: If the sin is particularly scandalous, this is the time to talk
privately with the pastor. Give him the information. Then trust him to handle it
in an appropriate manner. It is unlikely that the pastor will be able to tell you
anything about how he handles the matter. Give it over to him and then do your
best to put the whole thing out of your mind.
Bottom line: We must accept that human persons have free will, and may freely
choose to use it either positively or negatively. We can offer information. When we
have the authority to do so, we can counsel accordingly. In a few individual cases, it
may be that ecclesial authorities can take more drastic steps to protect the Blessed
Sacrament from unworthy reception.

But there is only so much we can do to inform, counsel, and instruct. In the end,
ultimate responsibility for worthy reception of Communion belongs to the individual
communicant. We can trust that God knows that communicant’s mind and heart, and
that he will respond to that person accordingly.

In order that this judgment [by the Lord] be favorable or rather that I be not judged at
all, I want to be charitable in my thoughts toward others at all times, for Jesus has
said, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged” (St. Therese of Lisieux).

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/non-catholics-in-
the-communion-line