Gluten-free communion bread, also known as low-gluten hosts, do exist for those who cannot consume regular wheat-based communion wafers due to medical conditions like celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. While exact statistics are unavailable, it’s estimated that around 1% of people worldwide have celiac disease and cannot tolerate gluten. For those individuals, consuming regular communion wafers containing wheat and gluten triggers an immune response that damages the small intestine. Thankfully, several companies now offer gluten-free and low-gluten options made from ingredients like rice, potato, and tapioca flours so that those with gluten intolerance can still participate in the sacrament of Holy Communion.
What is communion bread made from?
The bread used for Holy Communion in Christian churches is typically a thin, round wafer made from wheat flour and water. Wheat flour contains gluten, a protein composite found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. During communion, the wafer is consecrated and believed to become the body of Christ that is then consumed by church members. Standard communion wafers across different Christian denominations, including Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist churches, are made from wheat-based flour containing gluten. The circular shape and thinness of communion wafers are designed to be easily distributed to church congregations and dissolve quickly in the mouth.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a general name for the main storage proteins found in cereal grains like wheat, barley, and rye. It consists of two protein groups: gliadins and glutenins. When flour and water are mixed together and kneaded, these proteins link together and form an elastic network that helps bread dough rise and keep its shape. This protein matrix gives bread its chewy texture and allows it to rise during baking. Besides bread products, gluten is also found in foods like pasta, cereals, baked goods, soups, sauces, and beer made from gluten-containing grains.
What is celiac disease?
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the small intestine when gluten is ingested. When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune system identifies it as a foreign invader and produces antibodies to combat it. This triggers inflammation and damage to the villi, the small finger-like projections lining the small intestine that help absorb nutrients. Damaged villi are unable to properly absorb nutrients from food.
In children, this can stunt growth and development. In adults, celiac disease symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, weight loss, fatigue, joint pain, headaches, skin rashes, anemia, and osteoporosis. The disease is estimated to affect around 1% of the global population. However, many people with celiac disease are undiagnosed. The only treatment for celiac disease is strictly and completely avoiding gluten for life. Even small amounts of gluten can trigger symptoms and intestinal damage.
What is non-celiac gluten sensitivity?
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is a condition where people experience adverse reactions after ingesting gluten without having celiac disease or a wheat allergy. Symptoms of NCGS may include diarrhea, bloating, abdominal discomfort, fatigue, and headaches that improve when following a gluten-free diet. The exact cause of NCGS is not fully understood, but it is estimated to affect around 6-7% of the population worldwide. Many people with NCGS find they feel significantly better when avoiding gluten-containing foods.
Why do people need gluten-free communion options?
For Christians with celiac disease and NCGS, receiving communion is complicated by the presence of gluten in the communion wafer. Consuming even the small amount of gluten from a standard communion wafer is enough to make those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity ill. This presents a religious and spiritual conflict for those who wish to partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion but need to avoid gluten for medical reasons. Gluten-free communion options help provide an inclusive solution so that those with gluten restrictions can participate fully in the religious tradition and ritual of communion without medical consequences.
Do all Christian denominations allow gluten-free communion?
Most major Christian denominations like Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Presbyterians allow the use of gluten-free communion options, recognizing that for some congregants, wheat-based communion wafers can trigger illness and exclude them from partaking in the sacrament. However, beliefs and practices do vary across denominations and individual congregations regarding the theological implications and permissibility of gluten-free communion substitutions. Those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should check with their specific church’s policies on alternative communion breads and accommodation.
Some congregations may allow members to bring their own gluten-free bread while others provide options. Environmental concerns regarding potential cross-contamination from other parishioners also need consideration when assessing gluten-free communion accommodation policies. Open communication with church leaders and pastors is advised to find the best solution on an individual level.
What are some gluten-free communion bread options?
Various companies now produce gluten-free and low-gluten communion bread alternatives made from ingredients like brown rice flour, potato flour, tapioca flour, and cornstarch. Here are some leading brands of gluten-free communion bread:
Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration: Offers gluten-free hosts made from white rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour. They contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
Gluten-Free Hosts: Specializes in making communion bread with less than 10 parts per million of gluten content. Products are made from rice flour, transcribed water, potato starch, and xanthan gum.
Faith and Flower Communion Wafers: Certified gluten-free communion wafers with less than 10 ppm of gluten made from rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, and purified water.
Allegro: Produces gluten-free communion wafers, bread, and juice approved by the Celiac Support Association. The wafers are made from rice flour, potato starch, and water.
Abeo Wafers: Offers gluten-removed communion bread with less than 20 ppm of gluten made from wheat starch and water but processed to remove 99.9% of gluten.
PureHost: Specializes in low-gluten communion bread and wafers with less than 20 ppm of gluten made from wheat starch, water, and bran.
Let All Who Are Thirsty Come: Sells gluten-free communion bread made from brown rice flour and whole potato flour.
Katz Gluten Free: Produces certified gluten-free Passover matzo with less than 5 ppm of gluten that can also substitute as unleavened communion bread.
Are gluten-free communion options considered valid substitutions?
Within Catholicism and some Protestant denominations, the doctrine of consubstantiation states that during the sacrament of the Eucharist, the bread and wine are transformed into the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. Because of this belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the communion bread, some traditions place restrictions on the validity of gluten-free communion substitutions.
In 2003, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared low-gluten hosts invalid matter for the Eucharist. However, in 2004, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger issued a circular stating that gluten-free hosts were valid matter provided that they contained no additives and the amount of gluten was too small to have any bread-like quality. This opened the door for many Catholic parishes to make accommodations using very low-gluten hosts.
Most Protestant denominations do not officially prohibit alternative gluten-free communion breads as they reject the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. But some Lutheran, Episcopalian, and Methodist congregations still prefer to use wheat-based bread due to church traditions and biblical symbolism of bread as made from wheat. Overall, gluten-free options are widely accepted across most Christian faiths, but individual church policies may vary.
What precautions are taken to avoid cross-contamination?
For people with celiac disease, cross-contamination with even trace amounts gluten can trigger symptoms and intestinal damage. To provide the safest gluten-free communion experience, churches take steps to avoid cross-contamination such as:
– Using dedicated gluten-free communion stations separate from regular communion lines.
– Offering gluten-free options early in communion distribution before other parishioners have received the wheat-based bread.
– Having the priest or communion minister sanitize or wash hands thoroughly prior to distributing gluten-free wafers.
– Keeping gluten-free bread stored separately from regular communion bread before and during the service.
– Using separate patens, cups, and linens to distribute the gluten-free hosts.
– Avoiding contact between the gluten-free bread and the regular wheat-based communion bread during storage and distribution.
Proper protocols and training of clergy and communion ministers are crucial to prevent cross-contamination of the gluten-free hosts or bread. Some churches may even reserve a special chalice of grape juice for dipping the gluten-free host.
What do doctors recommend regarding gluten-free communion?
Gastroenterologists and physicians who specialize in celiac disease and food allergies generally recommend that patients with celiac disease or NCGS discuss gluten-free communion options with their church leaders. They advise those with gluten restrictions to ensure the gluten-free hosts provided actually contain very minimal gluten levels to prevent illness. Doctors recommend selecting churches that allow gluten-free communion substitutions and have robust protocols in place to avoid cross-contamination risks. If suitable accommodations cannot be made, physicians may recommend that their patients abstain from communioncontaining gluten to avoid adverse reactions.
Conclusion
While communion bread has traditionally contained gluten, options for gluten-free and low-gluten communion wafers and bread now exist through specialty producers. These gluten-free substitutions allow Christians managing gluten intolerance, celiac disease, and food allergies to participate fully in the holy sacrament of communion without medical repercussions. Most Christian denominations readily accommodate gluten-free alternatives as an issue of inclusion and accessibility. With proper precautions taken by clergy to avoid cross-contamination, people can enjoy communion without gluten. Through improved awareness and training, more faith communities can make appropriate accommodations during services to meet the dietary and health needs of their gluten-free congregants.
