On April 14, Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver published an article in America Magazine which dealt with the issue of Eucharistic coherence, the idea that “those who receive the risen body and blood of Jesus in Communion must be in full communion with the Church and her teaching.” He argued for stronger catechesis on the requirement that those currently in mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion. The article was published alongside a contrasting article by Fr. Louis Cameli of the Archdiocese of Chicago which argued against the practice of denying Holy Communion to Catholics in openly homosexual relationships.
Archbishop Aquila then published a follow-up article in The Catholic World Report on April 18 elaborating and clarifying some of his points from the April 14 article. The archbishop wrote: “The responses I have received to my article has been overwhelmingly positive. However, one bishop expressed a concern. He thought that my article gave the impression that the grace available in the sacraments, particularly in the Eucharist, is dependent on the worthiness of the minister or the worthiness of the recipient.” The Pillar reported on April 22 that the bishop in question was Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago.
The original article by Archbishop Aquila began with a reflection on the verse: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself” (1 Cor. 11:27-30). He interprets this verse: “We who profess the faith of the Church must live as the Church commands us because through his Church Jesus Christ calls us to repentance, forgiveness and holiness. To approach the Eucharist otherwise is to condemn ourselves at the altar of the Lord.”
Archbishop Aquila critiqued that “near-exclusive pedagogy of acceptance,” and notes: “Love is indeed merciful, but authentic love is also truthful.” In addition, he also called for a greater focus on “the end for which the church exists—which is to share in the mission of Christ the redeemer, to bring souls to salvation and to eternal life,” as opposed to a “focus on politics, economics and global health.” While these things are good, he argued that they must be kept in proportion.
In his article, the archbishop is clear that “The question of eucharistic coherence is not primarily about Church law or appropriate discipline, although those questions should not be ignored; rather, it is a question of love, a question of charity toward our neighbor. […] When the church minimizes the danger of an unworthy reception of the Eucharist, she fails to properly love those who continue to jeopardize their souls.”
He corrects those who misinterpret the primacy of conscience to mean “any baptized Catholic can receive Communion if he or she simply desires to do so.” Archbishop Aquila writes, “The Eucharist is a gift, not an entitlement, and the sanctity of that gift is only diminished by unworthy reception.”
While he notes the tragedy of so many Catholics receiving the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin, Archbishop Aquila reserves special emphasis for Catholics in public office. He argues they are uniquely poised to lead others into sin by their example.
Cardinal Cupich argued that the notion “we can do anything to diminish the Eucharist, or its effects, is contrary to the church’s longstanding teaching” and that Aquila was dangerously close to denying the Church’s doctrine that the sacraments work ex opere operato.
Aquila’s response in The Catholic World Report amplified the points of his first article and addressed Cupich’s concerns. He affirmed the Church’s teaching that the worthiness of the minister does not affect the sacrament. “However, how it is received (ex opere operantis), that is, the benefit of receiving the sacrament, is dependent upon the condition of the subject’s spiritual disposition,” Aquila clarified. He draws quotes from both St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas to argue his point, as well as from the Catechism: “Nevertheless, the fruits of the sacrament also depend on the disposition of the one who receives them” (CCC 1128).
This exchange comes in the leadup to an upcoming document on Eucharistic coherence from the USCCB. The situation also has been highlighted because of the election of American President Joe Biden, a Catholic and supporter of pro-abortion legislation.
- Community and Prayer - April 30, 2021
- Bishops Clarify Eucharistic Coherence - April 30, 2021
- The Boisi Center Advises Biden - March 25, 2021