Gozo Bishop Mario Grech has again made reference to the Holy Communion saga, saying that if you do something that is in itself a moral disorder, even if you have own valid reasons for doing so, “you still cannot receive Holy Communion, because you might scandalise other people”.

Bishop Grech was speaking during a pontifical Mass to celebrate the Corpus Domini feast on Sunday evening. He said that the current Holy Communion debate shows that even though society is seemingly religious, it seems to be losing the sense of what is sacred and this could lead to “abuse of the Eucharist”.

The Holy Communion issue was recently re-ignited following a comment made by Fr George Dalli, who said he could not refuse to administer Holy Communion to a woman whom he knows is involved in an extramarital relationship.

The priest’s comment led to the publication of a statement by the bishops of Malta and Gozo, who said that while unmarried couples who were living together would continue to receive spiritual guidance from the Church and encouragement to go to Mass, they should not receive Holy Communion.

Two days ago, The Sunday Times quoted Maltese canon lawyer Fr Brendan Gatt, as saying that, “A priest can only refuse to administer Holy Communion in ‘extreme’ circumstances – which do not include cases involving cohabiting couples or divorcees”.

The report goes on to quote Fr Gatt as saying that the Eucharist can be withheld only when someone has been excommunicated and the case has been made public, and it is for individuals to decide whether to present themselves for Holy Communion – not for the priest.

But Bishop Grech again insisted that according to the Church’s teachings, you need to be free of mortal sin to be able to receive Holy Communion, and he pointed out that it isn’t only when people engage in extramarital sex that they are committing a mortal sin. He insisted that Catholics, unlike Protestants, believe in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, and this presence stays on, in the consecrated hosts in the tabernacle, even when Mass ends.