The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

COMMUNION UNDER ONE KIND. 817rites. In some instances, the sacred host, saturatedin1the cup, isgiven to the child.3. Public communion was, indeed, usually administeredin the first ages under both forms. Thefaithful, however, had the privilege of dispensingwith the cup, and of partaking only of the bread,until the time of Pope Gelasius, in the fifth century,when this general, but hitherto optional, practice ofreceiving under both kinds was enforced as a lawfor the following reason :The Manichean sect abstained from the cup onthe erroneous assumption that the use of wine wassinful.Pope Gelasius, in order to detect and condemn the error of those sectaries, left it no longeroptional with the faithful to receive under one orboth forms, but ordained that all should communicate under both kinds.This law continued in force for several ages, buttowards the thirteenth century, for various causes,it had gradually grown into disuse, with the tacitapproval of the Church. The Council of Constance,which convened in 1414, established a law requiringthe faithful to communicate under the form of breadonly; and in taking this step, the Council was actuated both by reasons of propriety and of religion.The wide-spread diffusion of Christianity throughout the world had rendered itvery difficult to supplyall the faithful with the consecrated wine. Suchinconvenience isscarcely felt by Protestant com-1Denziger Kit. Orientales.