Sir, - The recent "Statement of belief" drawn up by the bishops of the Catholic Church on the subject of the Eucharist does nothing for me as it does not deal with the real problem. For all "thinking" Catholics there is only one: the total non-compliance of the Catholic Church in Ireland with the clearest, most specific and most dogmatic instructions given by Christ at the Last Supper as to how the Eucharist must be celebrated. No one could misunderstand these instructions, to wit, first "take this bread and eat it", and secondly "take this cup and drink from it". In the main the Irish RC church totally ignores them.
At Mass I constantly see both the priest and the ministers of the Eucharist taking bread and wine, while the congregation partakes of bread only. In the light of Christ's words this cannot be right. On special occasions such as weddings, bread and wine are distributed, which would indicate that the church has a guilt complex about its two-tier system of the Eucharist. In the early days of Christianity for many hundreds of ears when "confession", as we know it as non-existent, the Eucharist, consisting of bread and wine at all times, was the heart of the faith. It as a grave mistake to change to bread only.
Outside Ireland, throughout the RC world, bread and wine is now the norm. In London for instance, over 70 per cent of churches use bread and wine only. The Irish church has always been loath to accept change even when it was long overdue, and has suffered for it unfortunately.
I would like to ask the bishops the following questions:
1. When and by what authority were Christ's instructions as to the celebration of the Eucharist changed so radically?
2. Who could possibly have the right to decide that Christ's directions at the last supper need not be strictly obeyed?
3. If Christ's words in an one case are flexible, does it not follow that his words in all other circumstances are equally flexible and, in effect, he instituted a "please yourself" type of religion?
I don't think so. - Yours, etc., W.G.A. Scott,
Friars Hill, Wicklow.