Communion on the Camino
We asked the question of a catholic priest:
“I am not a Catholic. Can I go to Holy Communion when I attend a Pilgrims’ Mass along the Camino or when I arrive in Santiago?”
ANSWER:
This is a question that is often asked by pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. There is a desire to go to Communion and to be part of the liturgical celebration while at the same time wanting to respect the practice of the host church. What is the position?
The general rule in the Catholic Church regarding sacramental sharing is that it is only permissible for those with whom we share full ecclesial communion. There are two exceptions to this rule, namely, in danger of death or for “some other grave or pressing need”. In the case of grave or pressing need, the following conditions are to be met: “(a) the person must seek it of his or her own initiative, (b) must be unable to receive the sacrament from a minister of his or her own Church, (c) must manifest Catholic faith in the sacrament, (d) must have proper disposition for the fruitful reception of it”.
How these norms are interpreted varies from place to place and I think that one can normally assume a broad interpretation. For example, here in Cape Town, the policy has this to say regarding the criterion that the person should “manifest Catholic faith in the sacrament”: the person concerned should “acknowledge that the sacrament is the Body and Blood of Christ given under the form of bread and wine. This faith is manifest by responding ‘Amen’ to the minister who presents the sacred bread and saving cup.”
The short answer? By all means go to communion if you are a regular communicant in your own church and can say ‘yes’ to this being the Body and Blood of Christ. After all, when you are walking the Camino, you are probably a long way off from receiving the sacrament from your own church! And surely everyone on pilgrimage has the proper disposition!
One last thing. You will notice that most Catholic churches give Communion to the congregation under the form of bread only. This is really a matter of convenience. We believe that Christ is entirely present under either of the species. For symbolic value, of course, receiving Communion under both kinds is more complete.
And one more last thing. When Communion is administered to someone on their death-bed it is referred to as ‘viaticum’ which means ‘food for the journey’. But in a real way, every time we receive communion, it is viaticum, food for the pilgrimage of life!
Fr. Frank de Gouveia
Fr Frank de Gouveia is the Spiritual Advisor at the St Francis Xavier Seminary in Cape Town. He has walked both the
Camino Frances and Portuguese Caminho