Bishop bans Communion in the hand in his diocese

Friday, August 28th, 2015

A Bolivian bishop has reportedly banned Communion being received in the hand at Masses in his diocese.

The Rorate Caeli blog reported that Bishop Krzysztof (Cristobal) Białasik of Oruro made this declaration.

This came after it was noticed that some people received the host, but did not consume it.

These people apparently wished to carry the host away for unknown reasons.

Bishop Bialasik, a Polish Verbite missionary priest, was appointed as bishop by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.

The blog cited two other examples of bishops banning Communion in the hand in a whole diocese during the last ten years.

These were Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani of Lima, Peru, in 2008 (reiterated in 2011) and Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2011 (reiterated in 2012).

In one of his last acts as bishop in Ciudad del Este, the late Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano strongly condemned taking Communion in the hand, the blog added.

Last year, Bishop Livieres Plano resigned in the wake of a Vatican-ordered apostolic visitation of his diocese.

A handful of diocesan bishops have required Communion to be given on the tongue under certain circumstances.

Bishop Antonio Carlos Rossi Keller of Frederico Westphalen, Brazil, announced in 2011 that those receiving Communion from him at his cathedral should do so on the tongue, and while kneeling.

Bishop Eduardo Maria Taussig of San Rafael, Argentina, required the same of all communicants at his cathedral the same year.

Cardinal Carlo Caffarra of Bologna mandated in 2009 that in three major churches in his archdiocese, Communion be distributed to the faithful on the tongue only.

Starting from the Solemnity of Corpus Christi in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI began to distribute Communion by placing it directly on the tongue of the faithful as they remained kneeling.

Sources