Communion

[Jabberwocky]

At my parish, a mother of a student recieving first communion asked Father if she could recieve communion along with her son. She is not Catholic (Methodist, I believe) but Father told her that she could recieve at Mass, and she did. This boggles my mind...I don't know the entire story exactly, but I think he asked her if she believed in the sacrament, and she said that she did. I don't think this situation was a "grave necessity"; should a non-Catholic be able to recieve communion under any circumstances?

Also, would it be right for a Catholic to partake in another Christian denomination's communion? At a wedding I may be attending in the future, the mother-of-the-bride mentioned that she would like for the Catholics present to take part in their communion as well. I was very hesitant about this, and she became offended, asking whether I thought my communion was [i]better[/i] than hers...

[cappie]

Canon Law: Can. 844 §1 Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments only to catholic members of Christ's faithful, [b]who equally may lawfully receive them only from catholic ministers, except as provided in §§2, 3 and 4 of this canon and in can. 861 §2.[/b]

§2 Whenever necessity requires or a genuine spiritual advantage commends it, and provided the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, Christ's faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a catholic minister, may lawfully receive the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick from non-catholic ministers in whose Churches these sacraments are valid.

§3 Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick to members of the eastern Churches not in full communion with the catholic Church, if they spontaneously ask for them and are properly disposed. The same applies to members of other Churches which the Apostolic See judges to be in the same position as the aforesaid eastern Churches so far as the sacraments are concerned.

§4 [b]If there is a danger of death or if, in the judgement of the diocesan Bishop or of the Episcopal Conference, there is some other grave and pressing need, catholic ministers may lawfully administer these same sacraments to other christians not in full communion with the catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who spontaneously ask for them, provided that they demonstrate the catholic faith in respect of these sacraments and are properly disposed.[/b]

§5 In respect of the cases dealt with in §§2, 3 and 4, the diocesan Bishop or the Episcopal Conference is not to issue general norms except after consultation with the competent authority, at least at the local level, of the non-catholic Church or community concerned.

The priest may have had the permission of the ishop although I doubt it...It comes from a misguided attempt at so-called ecumenism.

As for the other remark well can 844 answers that. Simply put we are not in communion with the Methodist Church and so there can be no inter-communion.