E HAVE BEEN TOLD Father Silvio José Dias recently denied Holy Communion to a young man who knelt and wished to receive in the traditional manner. This took place in the Church of Saint Theresa (in the diocese of Taubaté, Brazil) on the 5th Sunday of Easter, 2024. Preliminary investigations seemingly leave no doubt it was Father Silvio José Dias who denied Communion to the young man. We don’t speak Portuguese; therefore, we appeal to readers fluent in Portuguese to send us more information about this scandalous & sad event. In particular, we wish to know whether the priest has publicly addressed this incident. Scandalous actions by priests can leave serious scars on members of the faithful.
Against Church Law • No priest in the Western Rite is permitted to deny Holy Communion to someone who chooses to kneel. Indeed, there has been much discussion in the United States vis-à-vis whether certain politicians should be denied Communion as demanded by Canon 915.
Here’s the direct URL link.
Communion In The Hand? • The man in charge of all liturgical reforms was CARDINAL LERCARO. On 2 March 1965, Lercaro published an article in l’Avennire d’Italia in which he strongly condemned liturgical abuses, giving concrete examples of practices he considered “fanciful” and “deplorable.” What were these deplorable abuses? (a) Communion in the hand; (b) a Celebrant reciting the Canon in an audible voice.
