Peruvian cardinal stops Communion in the hand
Apr 18, 2008
A Peruvian cardinal reports that he has banned the practice of receiving Communion in the hand.
Lima, Apr. 17, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Speaking to the Italian web site Petrus, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne of Lima, Peru, said that in order to guard against abuses, "the best way to administer Communion is on the tongue."
Cardinal Cipriani told Petrus that he took the step to halt Communion in the hand in order to promote greater reverence for the Eucharist. In some cases, he said, the practice had led to gross abuses. More generally he cited the "relaxed attitude of many priests" as a cause for the decline in reverence.
Peruvian cardinal stops Communion in the hand