Vatican Bans Gluten-Free Bread for Holy Communion

Children do not consume wine! Here we go again with more man-made decisions based on non-substantiated facts.

We as a new Catholic I was excited to be able to take part in Holy Communion. That is the thing I watched my husband and his family do every Mass for the 25 years I attended before I converted. I am very sad that one of the most important parts of the Mass for me I will not be able to take part in. Let me explain further why...I am deaf and and do not sign. As a late life deaf person who reads lips, I might be able to get part of the Homily, if i am lucky but usually the priest moves around or I can not read his lips. Yes, the Mass is supposed the be the same format but it is not the different parishes we visit so it makes it hard when one is deaf. That makes taking Holy Communion the one thing that was consistent no matter where i went. Now I do not have that even. Yes, If i am lucky I might be the first to get the wine OH wait no the chalice is simply wiped out. No cross contamination. Pope Francis has the ability to change this like his has changed other things in the church. We the Celiacs in the world and Catholics should let him know how it affects our lives both spiritual and health wise. I plan too. I eat Grain, Dairy and Sugar Free Now but this is the ONLY exception I was making was the HOST. Because My Faith is so important to me.

I suppose this could be expected from such a bizarre organization that attempts to interpret the sayings of a man who lived 2000+ years ago but his words were written down a long, long time later. It is totally improvable that Jesus said ´if you are a celiac you must still eat wheat to ruin you small intestine´. If I am wrong then I need to see that written in the new testament. Anyway did not Jesus know about celiacs? What is omnipotence after all?

Well, assuming all I've been taught about my religion is true; that God created all of us with Celiac as his children, along with all those who don't have Celiac; and that the wafer is a symbol that has been blessed to become the body of Christ; and that God is almighty and quite capable of love, intelligence, mercy, and assorted creative powers; I believe that he/she would logically be agreeable to any sort of cracker, (gluten-free) oreo, etc. My understanding is that it is the intent of both the representative of God who speaks the blessing of the wine and wafer, and the intent of the one partaking of the sacrament that bring about the wonderful change into the body and blood of Christ. & when it comes right down to it, I'm not really into the idea of drinking other people´s crumbs and drool, either . . . God rules or people rules?

Well, this is understandable since the Catholic Church requires that the host *always* conform in absolutely *all* ways to *exactly* how it was made in the Middle East in the First Century: all the same ingredients that were available then, with the same local Palestinian preparation methods, and the same methods of baking the pita or whatever it was. That's why Catholics *never* perform the Eucharist with crackers or leavened European-style bread. Oh, wait? What! They just isolate and focus on this one thing, to the exclusion of literally every other aspect -- simply arbitrarily picking this one ingredient? Even though causes a painful exclusion of people who believe in the ritual? Even though God is supposed to transubstantiate it anway? (I guess they don't believe God is that powerful...) Sounds to me like the Catholic Church really does not want people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity to be a part of their church.

I wonder what would be done if all the priests and the Pope came down with very serious and life threatening celiac.

Roger, My thoughts exactly. I am sure God is more understanding to those who have celiac and need to have gluten-free bread. Following Jesus is not just about communion but about how we respond to his teachings. Anyway the church has bigger problems to deal with (like current pedophile) than banning gluten-free bread

That is discrimination. And to the CeliacCatholic 91: I read an article about an European nun with celiac disease that kept showing symptoms because she had to take the communion; her doctor did testing and gluten showed-up in her blood. In US the government did studies to come up with the exact amount of gluten that starts to damage the intestine, it is infinitesimal. I remember reading also that a very, very small amount of gluten reacts in the small intestine for 72 hours. Gluten is very teal to me, I would not put my life in jeopardy because of communion, oh, no. I would not do that to myself because my religion ask me to do it ( and I am a catholic); I had enough with my parents dying of cardiomyopathy and complications as a result of senile dementia, I do not want to be another statistic of celiac disease. I better write to Pope Francisco to voice my concerns.

Glad I´m a Lutheran. We still have gluten-free wafers.

Catholics who are tired of being excluded from the Table are welcome to the Table at the Lutheran church where many serve gluten-free bread or wafers. Our church uses gluten-free bread exclusively so everyone is welcomed to the same meal. It's about the only meal all week I don't have to worry what I'm eating. I love it!

I´m not Catholic but my Baptist church has not offered me gluten-free communion wafers in the 10 1/2 years since I was diagnosed, even though they know I have celiac. It would be great if they did but it has just been the juice for me since then.

The church has distributed low gluten hosts for many years. Many researchers have determined that these are completely safe. Therefore, this article many scare some people from receiving communion and the information should be clarified.

This article is completely without fact! I have been receiving the low-gluten host for many years and I don't see that coming to an end. It is completely acceptable in the church. Comment from Celiac catholic91 is right on.

It all comes down to faith. In the Catholic church, we believe that God is the only physician, the only healer. People who are Catholic and have celiac disease must have great faith to know that they will not be adversely affected by His body in the Holy Eucharist. Those with little faith and who do not truly believe that the Holy Eucharist is bread that was changed (transubstantiation) into the actual body of Christ, have a chance that they will be adversely affected. We must put all our trust and faith in Him. Faith equals: Father and I, Together there is always Hope.