8.311. Is there a contradiction between the post-Vatican II removal of altar rails and standing Communion in the hand, and the traditional Catholic discipline of kneeling Communion on the tongue?
Yes. From the first millennium until 1965, Roman Catholics customarily approached the holy table kneeling at an altar rail and received the Sacred Host on the tongue from the anointed hands of a priest. This posture of humility, coupled with architectural separation between sanctuary and nave, visibly proclaimed four dogmatic truths:
the Real, substantial Presence of Christ under the Eucharistic species;
the sacrificial nature of the Mass;
the hierarchical distinction between priest and laity; and
the need for interior purification before approaching the “King of Kings.”
After Vatican II, dioceses worldwide dismantled altar rails, encouraged the faithful to stand in a queue, and permitted self-communion in the hand. These gestures reflect a naturalistic, horizontal theology of assembly and obscure the four doctrines listed above. Thus the new practice is not a harmless pastoral variation but a practical denial of Eucharistic dogma—another proof that the post-conciliar religion is a counterfeit, not the Catholic Church.
1. Traditional discipline in Scripture, Fathers, Councils, Popes
Scripture. St Paul demands discernment of “the Body of the Lord” and warns that unworthy reception brings damnation (1 Cor 11:27–29). Kneeling expresses this fear of the Lord (cf. Phil 2:10).
The Fathers. St Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 386) instructs catechumens to approach “as a king” with “hands in the form of a throne,” yet this exception was restricted to the East and immediately followed by diligent checking for fragments. By the seventh century even the East gravitated toward clerical placing.^1 In the West, Pope St Gregory I (d. 604) already speaks of Communion “carried to the communicants.”
Middle Ages. Fourth Lateran Council (1215) required annual confession before Communion, presupposing kneeling Communion at the altar rail that began to appear architecturally c. 1000. Council of Trent (Sess. XXIII, cap. 8) confirms reception from the priest on the tongue as a hedge against profanation.^2
Modern Popes. Pius X (1905) in Sacra Tridentina allows frequent Communion but insists on “corpore et mente pura”—bodily humility included. Pius XII warns in Mediator Dei (1947) against “novelties” that blur the distinction between clergy and laity. The 1917 Code (canon 845 §1) forbids lay persons from touching the sacred species.
Therefore, kneeling Communion on the tongue is not mere custom; it is the living enforcement of dogma that has enjoyed papal approbation for a thousand years.
2. Post-Vatican II innovations
Instruction Inter Oecumenici (1964): authorized altars moved forward, making rails “unnecessary.”
Instruction Memoriale Domini (1969): reluctantly tolerates Communion in the hand where already abused, provided “no danger of irreverence.” (Abuse soon became global norm.)
General Instruction of the Roman Missal (1970, §§160–162): establishes standing reception as ordinary.
Architectural guidelines from episcopal conferences encouraged open “gathering spaces,” removal of rails, and “communion stations.”
Pastoral rhetoric: new posture reflects “the dignity of baptized Christians” and “Paschal joy,” presenting the Eucharist primarily as a meal shared among equals.
3. Doctrinal rupture
| Dogma Obscured | What the Traditional Discipline Teaches | What the Post-Vatican II Practice Implies | Doctrinal Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Presence | Kneeling and reception on the tongue manifest adoration of Christ truly present | Standing queue and self-handling of the Host treat It as ordinary bread | Faith in the Real Presence collapses; surveys show belief drops to ~30 % |
| Holy Sacrifice | Altar rail marks sanctuary as Calvary; priest offers the Sacrifice | Open floor & meal atmosphere recast the Mass as communal banquet | The idea of propitiatory Sacrifice fades; Mass seen as fellowship meal |
| Hierarchy of Orders | Only consecrated priestly hands touch the Sacred Species | Laity act as distributors; Host passed hand-to-hand | Priest–laity distinction blurred; priesthood’s sacred character eclipsed |
| Interior Purity | Kneeling posture fosters contrition; rail lets priest screen communicants | Casual line discourages confession; public sinners rarely refused | Rise in sacrilegious Communions; loss of sense of sin and judgment |
Trent anathematizes anyone who “denies that in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist Christ… is contained truly, really, and substantially” (Sess. XIII, can. 1). Practices that erode faith in this dogma are objectively evil. Moreover, Paul VI’s own Memoriale Domini admits Communion in the hand can lead to profanation, yet bishops promoted it—clear evidence of a new religion.
4. Validity of ministers
Because most clergy under 80 were “ordained” in the 1968 rite, which excised sacrificial language deemed essential by Leo XIII (Apostolicae Curae), their Orders are doubtful. Even if Communion in the hand were permissible, reception from a doubtful minister compounds the sacrilege, making today’s Novus Ordo Communions highly suspect (most likely invalid) in matter, form, and minister alike.
| Category | Traditional Discipline | Post-Vatican II Practice | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reception Posture | Kneeling at rail; priest places Host on tongue | Standing queue; Communion in the hand | Adoration vs. casual meal symbolism |
| Altar Rail | Physical barrier marking sanctuary as holy | Rails removed; open floor plan | Sanctuary/nave distinction erased |
| Gesture of Adoration | Immediate act of reverence (genuflection) | Minimal bow, often skipped | Decline in belief in Real Presence |
| Minister of Communion | Only priest/deacon with consecrated hands | Laity as “extraordinary ministers” | Further blurs hierarchical priesthood |
| Fragment Safeguard | Paten under chin; priest checks fingers | No paten; fragments frequently lost | Objective sacrilege of scattered particles |
| Validity of Minister | Ordained in traditional rite | Doubtful Orders from 1968 rite | Even valid form profaned by doubtful minister |
Summary
For nearly two thousand years Catholics have knelt to receive their Eucharistic Lord from the consecrated hands of a priest across an altar rail that marks the sanctuary as holy ground. This embodied catechesis safeguards four dogmas: Real Presence, sacrificial nature of the Mass, hierarchical priesthood, and the soul’s need for purification before Communion. The Council of Trent codified the discipline, and every pope until Vatican II defended it.
Beginning in 1964, however, Vatican II’s liturgical reformers demolished altar rails, promoted standing reception, and—despite Paul VI’s weak “reluctance”—spread Communion in the hand worldwide. The stated motive was to express the “dignity of the baptized” and recover supposed patristic practice. In reality, the shift enshrines a horizontal, man-centered theology: the Mass as a community meal where laity and clergy share equal roles. Physical symbolism changed, and belief followed: surveys confirm that belief in the Real Presence has collapsed.
The doctrinal damage is fourfold. First, standing reception erases bodily adoration, dulling awareness of Christ’s substantial Presence. Second, removal of the rail blurs the altar’s sacrificial character, encouraging the idea of a convivial table. Third, laity handling the Host destroys the visible distinction between priest and people. Fourth, casual access discourages sacramental confession; countless Catholics now approach in mortal sin, committing further sacrilege.
Matters worsen because most modern clergy were “ordained” in Paul VI’s 1968 rite, which excised sacrificial language that Leo XIII taught is essential for valid Orders. If their priesthood is doubtful, every Communion they distribute is likewise doubtful. Thus the faithful today face not merely irreverence but probable invalidity.
In sum, the post-Vatican II abolition of altar rails and imposition of Communion in the hand contradict immutable Catholic doctrine and practice. Like every major post-conciliar “reform, it subordinates the supernatural to the natural, exalting human dignity over divine majesty. To remain Catholic, one must seek out the traditional Mass, kneel at the rail, and receive the Sacred Host on the tongue from a priest whose Orders descend unambiguously from the Church of all time.