Gluten-free Communion Wafers Not Holy, Says Catholic Diocese in Ohio

Jesus ate unadulterated historical wheat in the bread that he shared. Since the 1960s, we are eating chemically modified wheat in our breads. Nowadays the gliadin concentration in wheat is 7-fold higher than in Christ's time.

In my medical opinion, gluten-free wafers, once sanctified should be an allowable substitute for regular wavers. In Southern California, both options of wafers (regular and gluten-free) are available in many Catholic churches.

It is time that the Catholic Church adjusts to modern times and incorporates scientific findings.

Super bummed... just found out that the body of Christ gives me explosive diarrhea.

Jesus ate unadulterated historical wheat in the bread that he shared. Since the 1960s, we are eating chemically modified wheat in our breads. Nowadays the gliadin concentration in wheat is 7-fold higher than in Christ's time.

In my medical opinion, gluten-free wafers, once sanctified should be an allowable substitute for regular wavers. In Southern California, both options of wafers (regular and gluten-free) are available in many Catholic churches.

It is time that the Catholic Church adjusts to modern times and incorporates scientific findings.

I was thinking the same thing about the "wheat" we eat today. If the Vatican were going to eat what Jesus shared they would have to grow their own.

Is it really surprising anyone that the Catholic church is being uncompassionate, discriminatory, and alienating towards ANOTHER group of people? Because it isn't to me.

After recently finding out that those of us who can't take the host, and can't drink from the cross contaminated chalice aren't even welcome to come up for a blessing, well... we are not going to mass anymore. I am appalled that the church we CHOSE in 2003, believing that it was the one, true church is focusing on man made rules, and materialism, legalism and pharasaical hypocrisy over those of us 'lepers' who are not welcome at the table. It's actually a deep, deep feeling of rejection and humiliation now that I have no passion for the church like I used to, but I also can't attend mass with these awful feelings, knowing that THE purpose and culmination of the mass is the Eucharist. The Catholic Church is losing members in droves--99% of kids from our local parish quit the church as soon as they graduate, they had best start looking at the human population making up the church and perhaps think like Jesus and have mercy on those of us living with an affliction that I KNOW Jesus would understand. In fact, I'm pretty darn sure Jesus would never turn my family away from his last supper, telling us were basically out of luck because we can't eat wheat! Wheat in the host is a man-made rule---not divine!!

No, the Church is not "showing extreme lack of compassion…" The purpose of Holy Communion is to receive the grace of Jesus Christ through the reception of His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, which brings one into greater union with Him. To receive this grace, it's not about quantity. One only need receive even the tiniest piece of a Consecrated Host, OR (here's the important part for this) the smallest drop - or sip - from the chalice. The Church has made it clear people with this affliction can receive from the chalice, just as one without celiac could receive all the grace needed from just the Sacred Host. Alcoholics regularly receive only the Consecrated Host, and they receive the full grace intended.

Uh.....Jesus himself made an anology of eating his actual body and drinking his blood to wine and bread. I am pretty sure that the analogy would work just as well with gluten free wafers! As long as they are prepared and presented in a traditional Catholic mass! I guess the real hard-core Christians should be eating real human flesh and drinking real blood eh? The rest of us are just pretending right?!

Unfortunately, the author of this article either didn't understand the whole story or chose to sensationalize it. If you go back to the original newspaper article you will see that parish had allowed the child to receive non-wheat communion wafers (there are lots of companies out there making them) and when the pastor was reminded that they needed to use the wheat-starch wafers, the child rejected them because she didn't like the way they tasted. The headline and opening of this story suggests that 1) the position of the Catholic Church is that vlg wafers are no longer allowed and 2) that the child was being denied Communion under the species of bread. Neither is true. There is enough pain associated with celiac disease already, we don't need to add to it with inaccurate information.

Uh.....Jesus himself made an anology of eating his actual body and drinking his blood to wine and bread. I am pretty sure that the analogy would work just as well with gluten free wafers! As long as they are prepared and presented in a traditional Catholic mass! I guess the real hard-core Christians should be eating real human flesh and drinking real blood eh? The rest of us are just pretending right?!

Well said.

Uh.....Jesus himself made an anology of eating his actual body and drinking his blood to wine and bread. I am pretty sure that the analogy would work just as well with gluten free wafers! As long as they are prepared and presented in a traditional Catholic mass! I guess the real hard-core Christians should be eating real human flesh and drinking real blood eh? The rest of us are just pretending right?!

So now you are a theologian? Jesus made no such "analogy". John 6 is a clear indication that Jesus was talking about His actual flesh. It becomes more clear in the Greek original than it does in the English translation. The use of wheat bread doesn't originate in the New Testament, either. The Old Testament has "Temple Bread" that was to be consumed by the priests. Jesus, as both victim and priest of the sacrifice, offers Himself. Since He made wheat bread into His body, we are not permitted to use anything else.

The Bible never says that the bread was wheat. That's assumed.

Incorrect. There are plenty of archaeological artifacts, contemporaneous writings and traditional accounts of how all food was prepared. Rice was not used for bread. Wheat was. In fact, wheat *IS* mentioned in the New Testament, many times. No mention exists, however, for any other grain used in making bread.

Geoffrey, are you celiac? Because you seem to know theory but not fact, and the fact is very few priests know the Vatican rules and even fewer understand cross contamination. If the priest practices intinction, then the wine isn't safe, either. Also, very few parishes offer the cup to the congregation and when they do, I don't want to drink from a cup that someone with a mouth full of wheat has drunk from.

Intinction is not the practice and not permitted in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, although it does persist in some of the Easter Rite Churches. That said, most parishes have low-gluten hosts that are stored separately from the wheat hosts. If you approach the priest before Mass, he will always set one aside, consecrate it with the rest, and then give it to you from a separate pyx to avoid contamination with the others.

Come on now! It's about what is in your heart...your faith in God and in His son......to say that the gluten free hosts don't "meet Vatican standards" is hog wash! I receive gluten-free bread every time it's offered at my church and feel good about it...

First of all, relax. Catholics have a much different understanding of the Eucharist than Protestant churches do. It is not meant to make us "feel good". It is a sacrament that requires both proper matter and form to be valid. The gluten-free hosts truly do NOT meet Vatican standards because they must be made of wheat. There is a very profound theological reason for this, and it has nothing to do with a lack of compassion. In fact, it is the greatest act of COMPASSION the world has ever known. We believe that Christ died for the redemption of our sins, and the Eucharist (Greek for "Thanksgiving") is the way to distribute that grace to mankind. Jesus Himself said "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will have eternal life" (Jn 6:54). The Eucharist is His flesh and Blood. Christ followed the Old Testament practice of using wheat bread for temple use. The Catholic Church has approved low gluten hosts, but it cannot allow hosts to be made of grains other than wheat.