Question: Can a divorced Catholic receive holy Communion?

Answer: Unfortunately, too many people today — Catholics and non-Catholics alike — mistakenly believe that divorce separates one from the Communion of the Church and that divorced persons may not receive Communion. However, as the Church has communicated in a number of places, the issue at hand is not the reality of divorce, but is more often the reality of re-marriage outside of the Church (such as in the case of a Catholic who was previously married within the Church, divorced, and remarried without receiving an annulment).

Divorced persons are called to live chastely as single people and to observe the same call to avoid sin as anyone else who desires to receive the Eucharist. Beyond this, however, Pope Francis has reminded us that the healing power of the Eucharist can be especially significant for those who have “endured separation, divorce, or abandonment … divorced people who have not remarried, and often bear witness to marital fidelity, ought to be encouraged to find in the Eucharist the nourishment they need to sustain them in their present state of life.” (Amoris Laetitia, no. 242) Moreover, he continues, “The local community and pastors should accompany these people with solicitude, particularly when children are involved or when they are in serious financial difficulty.” (AL, no 242)

As Pope Francis has also reminded us, the Eucharist is “not a prize for the perfect,” but “a powerful medicine and nourishment” (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 47). Because we all stand in need of healing and wholeness, the Church invites all who seek to live their faith in integrity and devotion to come and receive the grace offered in the Eucharist.