Book review: Federico Bortoli, La distribution de la communion dans la main. Etudes historiques, canoniques et pastorales, trad. G. Luyt, Editeur Artège, Paris 2019, pp. 288

Abstract

Federico Bortoli’s book addresses the issue of how to receive Holy Communion. Through richly documented sources, the author illustrates the transition from receiving Holy Communion in the hand to receiving it on the tongue. This transition was accompanied by an increased awareness of Christ’s Eucharistic presence and a heightened care for every particle of the consecrated host. The book analyzes contemporary documents from the Magisterium of the Church, highlighting the formation of a new form of receiving Holy Communion. The Magisterium considers receiving Communion on the tongue to be the most appropriate way to receive the Body of the Lord, as it avoids desacralization and ensures respect. Receiving Communion in the hand, which was introduced after the Second Vatican Council, is seen as resulting from liturgical abuses and an insistent return to the practices of the early centuries of Christianity. Such a return, according to Bortoli, treats Church history not as a continuous development under the influence of the Holy Spirit, but as
a period of decline. The book argues that the further the practices move from the original apostolic community, the weaker the influence of the supernatural and the stronger the influence of human actions. Bortoli presents a fascinating account of the changes in the 20th century, often occurring too quickly and without adequate consideration of the Holy See’s guidance.