Should Communion be received on the tongue or in the hand?

During Mass, should one receive Communion on the tongue or in the hand? What does the Catholic Church say about how to receive the Eucharist? This question sometimes sparks debate among the faithful, particularly regarding respect for the Blessed Sacrament, liturgical tradition, and the Church’s official texts. Today, in many countries, it is possible to receive Communion either in the hand or on the tongue. But what do the official texts actually say? Discover the Church’s answers.

Updated on 21/07/2026|Reading time : 5 min

Can one receive Communion in the hand?

Yes, every member of the faithful has the right to receive Communion in the hand.

Receiving Communion in the hand has been permitted beginning in France since May 29, 1969, following the Instruction Memoriale Domini on the authorization to receive Holy Communion in the hand in places where this practice had already been introduced.

This Instruction states, for example:

“The fact that the lay person is now able to receive holy communion in the hand should not suggest to him that this is ordinary bread, or just any sacred object. Rather ought it to strengthen his sense of his dignity as a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, of which baptism and the grace of the Eucharist make him a part. He will thus experience an increase of faith in the great reality of the Body and Blood of the Lord which he touches with his hands. His respectful attitude should be proportionate to what he is doing.” (Memoriale Domini, no. 3).

Can one receive Communion on the tongue?

Yes, every member of the faithful has the right to receive Communion on the tongue.

The Instruction "Redemptionis Sacramentum, on certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist," issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament (March 2004), recalls in particular the right of the faithful to receive Communion on the tongue and also specifies the conditions regarding Communion in the hand:

“Although each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, at his choice, if any communicant should wish to receive the Sacrament in the hand, in areas where the Bishops’ Conference with the recognitio of the Apostolic See has given permission, the sacred host is to be administered to him or her. However, special care should be taken to ensure that the host is consumed by the communicant in the presence of the minister, so that no one goes away carrying the Eucharistic species in his hand. If there is a risk of profanation, then Holy Communion should not be given in the hand to the faithful.” (Redemptionis Sacramentum, no. 92).

The Catholic Church regulates not only the manner of receiving Communion but also who is authorized to distribute the Eucharist during Mass.

Is receiving Communion in the hand mandatory?

No, receiving Communion in the hand is not mandatory.

Each member of the faithful remains free to receive Communion in the hand or on the tongue. Both forms of receiving Communion may coexist within the same liturgical celebration.

A letter from the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship (now the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament) addressed in June 1969 to the French Bishops’ Conference states:

“The new manner of giving communion must not be imposed in a way that would exclude the traditional practice. It is a matter of particular seriousness that in places where the new practice is lawfully permitted every one of the faithful have the option of receiving communion on the tongue and even when other persons are receiving communion in the hand. The two ways of receiving communion can without question take place during the same liturgical service.” (No. 1).

So, should one receive Communion in the hand or on the tongue?

In many countries, the Catholic Church permits both ways of receiving Communion: in the hand or on the tongue.

What matters most is the respect due to the Eucharist and faith in the Real Presence of Christ.

Regardless of the method chosen, Communion must always be received with faith and respect.

Here are some excerpts from the 1969 letter sent by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship to the French Bishops’ Conference:

“The option offered to the faithful of receiving the Eucharistic bread in their hand and putting it into their own mouth must not turn out to be the occasion for regarding it as ordinary bread or as just another religious article. Instead this option must increase in them a consciousness of the dignity of the members of Christ’s Mystical Body, into which they are incorporated by baptism and by the grace of the Eucharist. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lord’s body and blood, which they touch with their hand. Their attitude of reverence must measure up to what they are doing.” (No. 3)

“The faithful should consume the host before returning to their place.” (No. 4)

“Whatever procedure is adopted, care must be taken not to allow particles of the eucharistic bread to fall or be scattered. Care must also be taken that the communicants have clean hands” (No. 5)