The Holy Communion of Lay Faithful under Both Kinds from the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium to the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum

Abstract

On the basis of the documents of the Church from the Constitution on Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium to the Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum the author presents the Church’s legal norms concerning the possibility of receiving the Holy Communion under both kinds by lay faithful. He shows the process of gradually broadening the circle of people entitled to do it, principally in the course of celebrating the liturgy of the Holy Mass, when the holy sacraments are administered. He remarks that receiving the Holy Communion under both kinds is still not a usual form of sacramental participation of the faithful in the Holy Mass. The third edition of “General Introduction to the Roman Missal” (2002) and the explanations supplied by The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments grant the diocesan bishop the right to authorize priests to make the decisions about to whom and when they may administer the Holy Communion under both kinds, if they are properly prepared for that.