According to LifeSiteNews, “laity should never touch Holy Communion with bare hands”. They are adamant that this is absolutely true; it is not presented as an opinion. They have gone so far as to encourage people to take a pledge to receive Holy Communion only on tongue while kneeling. They participated in and promoted a conference asserting the same.

But that is not what the Catholic Church teaches. The Church alone has the authority of Christ over the Sacraments. And She has permitted Communion in the hand for decades now. The claim that the laity should never touch holy Communion, and should never receive in the hand is contrary to the decision of the Church on this Sacrament. And the Magisterium has never taught that the laity should not touch Communion, or that Communion should be received only on the tongue.

So LifeSiteNews is opposing the authority of the Church over both doctrine and discipline. They are in effect saying: “Listen to LifeSiteNews instead of to the Church.” And why would they do so? It is because John-Henry Westen, who runs LifeSiteNews, has rejected submission to the holy Pontiff Pope Francis. He has accused the Pope of various grave errors, and he has made it clear that he will not believe what Francis teaches — unless what he teaches happens to be the same as JHW’s opinion — and that he will not adhere to the disciplines approved by the same Pontiff. JHW is a schismatic, and he is using his website, which formerly had the purpose of defending life and opposing abortion, to defend heresy and to oppose the Roman Pontiff, the teachings of Vatican I (Yes, One), and the disciplines of the Catholic Faith.

John-Henry Westen, If you believe that Pope Francis is a valid Roman Pontiff, then why do you oppose him and his teachings? Vatican One teaches that each valid Pope has the “gift of truth and never failing faith divinely-conferred”. No Pope can err to the extent of teaching or committing heresy, as the relatio of Vatican One confirms, and as Cardinal Manning confirms. If you instead believe that Pope Francis has taught or committed heresy, then please explain how he can be a member of the Church and a valid Pope? But if Francis is invalid and therefore not the true Roman Pontiff, why don’t you say so?

Faithful Roman Catholics, decide. Is Pope Francis the valid Pope? If so, then humble yourself to accept his teaching and authority. If not, then admit that you think Francis is an antipope and not the successor of Peter. But if the latter is your opinion, you cannot continue to claim to be in communion with the Holy See.

As for holy Communion, it is a grave sin to use Communion as a way to fight against the authority of the Pope and the body of Bishops, and as a way to try to assert your own opinions as if they were dogma.

Ronald L Conte Jr.