The Pope said : no gluten in the communion wafers for the Eucharist

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Published the 10.07.2017 to 16.50

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Eglisemaladie coeliaquegluten

People suffering from celiac disease will they be excommunicated ? Without going that far, they will probably still feel a bit put aside. At the request of Pope Francis, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments sent a note to the Bishops of the catholic church, establishing a few rules for the Eucharist.

And, in particular, rules of manufacture of the host have been fixed. They must be made of ” matzos (unleavened bread], from pure wheat and made recently so that there is no risk of corruption “. As a result, ” The hosts that were totally deprived of gluten is a material that is invalid for the celebration of the Eucharist “.

A small tolerance for the intolerant

Hard blow for the catholics who are also real intolerant to gluten. The Congregation adds, however, that the hosts which are partially private – in the limit where the level of gluten is not low enough to require the addition of foreign material to the making of bread, are valid, where, ” for various serious reasons “, the faithful are not able to absorb bread normally cooked.

The recommendations also relate to the wine of the mass. For those who do not wish to drink alcohol, it may be replaced by a wort, ” that is to say, of the juice of the grape, fresh or preserved, which are suspended from the fermentation through processes that do not alter the nature “.

Natural and with GMOS

Bread, as wine should be as natural and simple as possible. Any addition to the product is prohibited. The introduction of fruit, sugar or honey in the bread for the Eucharist is thus ” a serious abuse “.

On the other hand, the Congregation notes that the presence of GMOS is not prohibited. The approach is therefore purely religious, and not the footprint of environmental activism.