Vatican warns of ‘extremism’ in faithful who ‘raise issue of’ Communion in hand
Receiving Communion on the tongue is important in part because the priest’s hands alone are consecrated to touch the Eucharist.
A priest administers
Holy Communion Win McNamee/Getty Images
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Wed Oct 28, 2026 - 11:36 am EDT
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(LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican has warned of “extremism” by those who “raise the issue” of receiving Communion in the hand and standing or kneeling.
In a summary of an ad limina visit of the Episcopal Conference of Panama at the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the dicastery, led by Cardinal Arthur Roche, listed topics discussed during the meeting.
On the subject of the liturgy, the “danger of extremism in the liturgical sphere and of the instrumentalization of the Eucharistic celebration by certain groups of the faithful” was reportedly brought up.
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“These groups tend to provoke division and confusion by raising issues such as receiving Communion kneeling and in the hand, or the use of the veil by women. It was reaffirmed that the Eucharist is the sacrament of unity and cannot become an object of contention,” the dicastery wrote on its web page about the visit.
Far from being divisive or confusing, raising the issue of Communion in the hand and standing is a very important matter of treating the Blessed Sacrament in a reverent, proper manner.
The tradition of the Catholic Church for well over 1,300 years, unbroken until after the Second Vatican Council, is that the lay faithful receive the Blessed Sacrament, administered by a priest, on the tongue while kneeling. This has been the traditional practice in part because priests’ hands are specially consecrated during ordination so that they may handle the Holy Eucharist, which is God Himself.
St. Thomas Aquinas has explained that this is one of three reasons why only priests are permitted to touch the Sacred Host:
… out of reverence for this Sacrament, nothing touches It but what is consecrated; hence the corporal and the chalice are consecrated, and likewise the priest’s hands for touching this Sacrament. Hence, it is not lawful for anyone else to touch It, except from necessity, for instance, if It were to fall upon the ground or else in some other case of urgency. (S.T., III, Q. 82, Art. 13)
In fact, receiving Communion in the hand began as an abuse and act of disobedience. As the late scholar Michael Davies has explained:
Communion in the hand was re-introduced into the Catholic Church as an act of rebellion soon after Vatican II. It began in Holland as an arbitrary act of defiance of legitimate authority; the practice spread to Germany, Belgium, and France.
The consequences of this rebellion became so serious that the Pope consulted the Bishops of the world, and, after obtaining their opinions, promulgated the Instruction Memoriale Domini, in 1969. This Instruction is included and will be referred to from time to time. The principal points contained in it are:
1. The Bishops of the world were overwhelmingly against the innovation.
2. The traditional manner of distributing Holy Communion must be retained.
3. It is a sign of reverence which does not detract from the dignity of the communicant.
4. The innovation could lead to irreverence, profanation, and the adulteration of correct doctrine.
Therefore: The Apostolic See strongly urges bishops, priests, people to observe this law, valid and again confirmed, according to the judgment of the majority of the Catholic episcopate, in the form which the present rite of the sacred liturgy employs, and out of concern for the common good of the Church.
Indeed, receiving the Eucharist in the hand significantly increases the risk of profanation of the Blessed Sacrament and inevitably leads to losing particles of the Eucharist, which may fall on the floor or elsewhere.
Receiving Holy Communion while kneeling is also an important act of reverence towards the Blessed Sacrament. Scripture itself highlights bending of the knee as a gesture of reverence proper to Our Lord Jesus Christ: “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth,” St. Paul wrote in a letter to the Philippians (2:10).
As God Himself, the Eucharist deserves nothing less than a posture of profound reverence. Whereas the posture of kneeling is proper to worship of God Himself, standing is a posture one uses when interacting with an equal.
In addition, a recent study confirmed that traditional liturgical practices surrounding the Eucharist, including the manner in which He is received, increase belief in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist.
In fact, Dr. Natalie Lindemann, the author of the study, suggested reinstalling altar rails and offering kneelers during Holy Communion at churches to increase belief in the Real Presence.
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