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CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP
AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS
Prot. N. 320/17
Circular letter to Bishops
on the bread and wine for the Eucharist
1. At the request of the Holy Father, Pope
Francis, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the
Sacraments is writing to Diocesan Bishops (and to those who are their
equivalents in law) to remind them that it falls to them above all to duly
provide for all that is required for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (cf.
Lk 22: 8,13). It is for the Bishop as principal dispenser of the mysteries of
God, moderator, promoter and guardian of the liturgical life in the Church
entrusted to his care (Cf. CIC can. 835 § 1), to watch over the quality of the
bread and wine to be used at the Eucharist and also those who prepare these
materials. In order to be of assistance we recall the existing regulations and
offer some practical suggestions.
2. Until recently it was certain religious
communities who took care of baking the bread and making the wine for the
celebration of the Eucharist. Today, however, these materials are also sold in
supermarkets and other stores and even over the internet. In order to remove
any doubt about the validity of the matter for the Eucharist, this Dicastery
suggests that Ordinaries should give guidance in this regard by, for example,
guaranteeing the Eucharistic matter through special certification.
The Ordinary is bound to remind priests, especially parish priests and rectors
of churches, of their responsibility to verify those who provide the bread and
wine for the celebration and the worthiness of the material.
It is also for the Ordinary to provide information to the producers of the bread
and wine for the Eucharist and to remind them of the absolute respect that is
due to the norms.
3. The norms about the Eucharistic matter are
given in can. 924 of the CIC and in numbers 319 – 323 of the Institutio
generalis Missalis Romani and have already been explained in the
Instruction
Redemptionis Sacramentum issued by this Congregation (25
March 2004):
a) “The bread used in the celebration of the Most
Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently
made so that there is no danger of decomposition. It follows therefore that
bread made from another substance, even if it is grain, or if it is mixed with
another substance different from wheat to such an extent that it would not
commonly be considered wheat bread, does not constitute valid matter for
confecting the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament. It is a grave abuse to
introduce other substances, such as fruit or sugar or honey, into the bread for
confecting the Eucharist. Hosts should obviously be made by those who are not
only distinguished by their integrity, but also skilled in making them and
furnished with suitable tools” (n. 48).
b) “The wine that is used in the most sacred
celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice must be natural, from the fruit of the
grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances. […] Great care
should be taken so that the wine intended for the celebration of the Eucharist
is well conserved and has not soured. It is altogether forbidden to use wine of
doubtful authenticity or provenance, for the Church requires certainty
regarding the conditions necessary for the validity of the sacraments. Nor are
other drinks of any kind to be admitted for any reason, as they do not
constitute valid matter” (n. 50).
4. In its
Circular Letter to the Presidents of
the Episcopal Conferences regarding legitimate variations in the use of bread
with a small quantity of gluten and the use of mustum as Eucharistic matter
(24 July 2003, Prot. N. 89/78 – 17498), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith published the norms for the celebration of the Eucharist by persons who,
for varying and grave reasons, cannot consume bread made in the usual manner nor
wine fermented in the normal manner:
a) “Hosts that are completely gluten-free are
invalid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist. Low-gluten hosts
(partially gluten-free) are valid matter, provided they contain a sufficient
amount of gluten to obtain the confection of bread without the addition of
foreign materials and without the use of procedures that would alter the nature
of bread” (A. 1-2).
b) “Mustum, which is grape juice that is
either fresh or preserved by methods that suspend its fermentation without
altering its nature (for example, freezing), is valid matter for the celebration
of the Eucharist” (A. 3).
c) “The Ordinary is competent to give permission
for an individual priest or layperson to use low-gluten hosts or mustum for the
celebration of the Eucharist. Permission can be granted habitually, for as long
as the situation continues which occasioned the granting of permission” (C. 1).
5. The
same Congregation also decided that Eucharistic matter made with genetically
modified organisms can be considered valid matter (cf. Letter to the Prefect of
the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 9
December 2013, Prot. N. 89/78 – 44897).
6. Those
who make bread and produce wine for use in the Mass must be aware that their
work is directed towards the Eucharistic Sacrifice and that this demands their
honesty, responsibility and competence.
7. In
order to facilitate the observance of the general norms Ordinaries can usefully
reach agreement at the level of the Episcopal Conference by establishing
concrete regulations. Given the complexity of situations and
circumstances, such as a decrease in respect for the sacred, it may be useful to
mandate a competent authority to have oversight in actually guaranteeing the
genuineness of the Eucharistic matter by producers as well as those responsible
for its distribution and sale.
It is suggested, for example, that an Episcopal Conference could mandate one or
more Religious Congregations or another body capable of carrying out the
necessary checks on production, conservation and sale of the Eucharistic bread
and wine in a given country and for other countries to which they are exported.
It is recommended that the bread and wine to be used in the Eucharist be treated
accordingly in the places where they are sold.
From the offices of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of
the Sacraments, 15 June 2017, Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of
Christ.
Robert Card. Sarah
Prefect
+ Arthur Roche
Archbishop Secretary |
