Individual Cups? Law, Ecclesiology and Eucharist

Extract

I write after the advice of the archbishops in July 2009 on restricting the use of the common cup has been withdrawn. It came under attack during its period of currency, not only on the grounds that it was medically quite unnecessary, but also on the interesting grounds that it was in violation of the Sacrament Act 1547. The Act concedes that the distribution of the cup would be the norm ‘except necessity otherwise require’. The swine flu alarm raised the issue of how to handle the necessity. This Comment arises from the alternatives which were then commended – intinction or distribution in one kind (bread) only (hereafter called ‘one-kind’). The discussion here concerns solely the duties of officiants at Holy Communion, and does not do more than touch in passing on how an individual communicant may respond.