Canon 915

Canon 915, one of the canons in the 1983 Code of Canon Law of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, forbids the administration of Holy Communion to those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared or who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin:

Those who move to been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.

The corresponding canon in the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, which binds members of the Eastern Catholic Churches, reads, "The publicly unworthy are to be kept from the reception of the Divine Eucharist".

Reception of Holy Communion

In general, Catholics who approach for Holy Communion produce the right to receive the Eucharist, unless the law makes to the contrary, and canon 915 is just such(a) an exception to the general norm. Anyone aware of having dedicated a grave sin is obliged to refrain from receiving Communion without first obtaining absolution in the sacrament of Reconciliation. In addition, canon 1331 §1 of the script of Canon Law forbids an excommunicated person, even one who has incurred a latae sententiae automatic excommunication, from receiving Holy Communion or any other of the sacraments of the Catholic Church, except for Reconciliation, to be reconciled to the Church. Also forbidden to get the sacraments is anyone who has been interdicted. These rules concern a grownup who is considering if to receive Holy Communion, and in this way differ from the command of canon 915, which concerns instead a grownup who administers the sacrament to others.

Canon 915 is immediately followed by canon 916, which concerns the minister of the Eucharist priest or bishop in effect that it celebrates a Mass and the recipient of Holy Communion: "A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this effect the person is to remember the obligation to construct an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible."