Is It Up To A Priest Whether...?

[BigJon16]

Is it up to a Priest to decide whether or not a person is can recieve communion?

Lets say said person has been devorced and is living with a woman who is still married. But goes to confession even though it would be invalid because he would still be living with the woman.

Some one had asked me if after confession, though it may be invalid, should he recieve communion; my answer was no.

Some ones elses answer was: Its up to the priest. Is that right? Is it up to the priest?


Thanks!

[cappie]

Regarding those who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, it is necessary to know that indeed the person does obstinately persist, that is, that his pastor has informed him about the grave and public sinfulness of what he is doing and has cautioned him about not approaching to receive Holy Communion. The commentary on the 1983 Code of Canon Law, prepared by the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland, summarizes the point:

[i]"Likewise excluded are those <<who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin>>. In this third case, unlike the first two, there has been no public imposition or declaration of the person's state and so, before a minister can lawfully refuse the Eucharist, he must be certain that the person obstinately persists in a sinful situation or in sinful behavior that is manifest (i.e. public) and objectively grave."[/i]

Clearly, the burden is on the minister of Holy Communion in this case the priest,(not an extraordinary minister of holy communion) who, by the nature of his responsibility, must prevent anything which profanes the Blessed Sacrament and endangers the salvation of the soul of the recipient and of those scandalized by his unworthy reception of Holy Communion.

Giving Holy Communion to one who is known to be a serious sinner leads people astray in two ways. Either they are led to think that it is not wrong for an unrepentant sinner to receive Holy Communion (and to be given the Holy Eucharist), or they are led to think that what the person is known to have done was not gravely sinful.

Obviously the person themselves should not approach the Eucharist, but if this fails the pastor should in the words of the canon:" have cautioned him about not approaching to receive Holy Communion."

If he would persist then it's the celebrants job to refuse.