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Can my brother take communion?

My brother is a regular church goer at our local church of england. He said he takes communion. (i.e. he takes the bread and wine) I go to a catholic school and I know you can't take communion in the catholic church without having your first communion or being confirmed I'm not quite sure.

He's also been christened as a baby as a methodist but he's never pursued it he's always gone to church of england.

Is he allowed to be taking it?

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    Church of England are Protestants therefore they do not view communion as a sacrament as the body and blood of Christ. Catholics view communion as a sacrament and you have to belong to the church to receive a sacrament.

    Now there are certain exceptions like for example if your brother was dying and he truly believed the Eucharist, the Catholic Church were true, he could pass up going through the formal proces of joining the Catholic Church through classes. A protestant could also get confession from a priest under extraordinary circumstances like if they were dying and believe the priest could forgive their sins and they believed in the catholic church, etc.

    Protestants can go from church to church partaking the grape juice, crackers, bread, etc, because they only view it as a symbol and not real. It is a big sin for a catholic to get communion at a protestant service.

    If you brother wants to get communion---and he believes the eucharist is the body and blood of Christ, you should try to get him to enrolling RCIA classes right away so he can partake

  • 6 years ago

    Yep if this is a church of England church anyone can take communion so long as they're actually a Christian, denominations are irrelevant. And someone said protestants don't believe that the Eucharist is a sacrament, im an anglican so I can't speak for other protestants but in the church of England the eucharistic theology is identical to that of catholic churches besides we don't believe that the bread and wine (always bread and wine in Anglicanism) physically transforms. We believe it instead is how Christ enter the service spiritually. Through the sacrement of the holy communion.

  • 6 years ago

    I attended a Catholic seminary in the Anglican Studies department. We would have Anglican services, and many of the Catholics, including the Dean of Theology, an Oblate Father would receive Communion with us. The same didn't always happen at the Catholic services though. Anglicans believe that the Mass if for all baptized Christians. It is a sacrament - the bread and wine are the body and blood. Our theology is much the same as the Catholic one, but, some Catholics are sticky about non-Catholics receiving.

  • 6 years ago

    No, the Catholic church has quite strict rules about who may receive. This is based on what St Paul wrote in the first letter to the Corninthians, where he warns that those who receive unworthily, or without 'discerning the Body' will bring condemnation on themselves (1Cor 11:23-34).

    To receive communion, a person has to be a Catholic, has to believe that they are receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, and has to be in a state of grace. Catholics who have committed a serious (mortal) sin are not in a state of grace, and should go to confession before they receive communion.

    EDIT - The Shroud of Turin is correct to say that there are some rare exceptions to the general rule that non-Catholics should not receive, but these aren't applicable in the case you describe.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    6 years ago

    Only if he has recently received absolution from a catholic priest by going to confession.

    Edit. I'm not sure if non Catholics can receive absolution without classes

    He can still walk in line with the family. But there is some gesture he can make to tell the priest not to give him the Eucharist. I think it's just that he makes the sign of the cross, instead of receiving the host

  • 6 years ago

    In the Catholic Church you must have at least had the rite of First Communion in order to take communion (or be a member of a related church, such as Eastern Orthodox). In non Catholic churches it's not as a big a deal, and usually anyone can take it.

    Source(s): cradle Catholic
  • Misty
    Lv 7
    6 years ago

    Your brother cannot receive the Eucharist in the Catholic Church and you, as a Catholic, cannot receive the communion in the Anglican church.

  • 6 years ago

    Allowed by who? God's answer is likely different then most churches. I've known God to break his own 'rules' about age because the circumstance called for it.

  • 6 years ago

    A person can take Communion any time they want to. Some Religions try to prevent people from doing things, but that is NOT coming from God or Jesus. That is a rule of Religion that is not mentioned in any Bible whatsoever.

    OK, so a Priest comes before God. The Priest is asked why he prevented somebody from taking Communion. The Priest replies "because he didn't follow our rules." Do you think God will accept that?

  • 6 years ago

    not in a Catholic Church under most circumstances

    he should talk to the Catholic pastor or priest about this

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