Can Holy Communion be gluten-free? One of the Herald’s chaplains answers your questions

The Catholic Herald• June 1, 2025

Concerned Catholic: After several months of severe illness, I have been diagnosed with coeliac disease. My consultant has told me to avoid absolutely all gluten in future. However, I have also read that the Catholic Church does not allow the use of gluten-free hosts for Holy Communion. Does this mean I can never receive the Eucharist again? I feel bereft.

Chaplain: As a Catholic priest who also suffers from coeliac disease, I very much appreciate your situation, and sympathise with it. Firstly, I would like to assure you that if you do stick to a gluten-free diet, your symptoms will soon improve dramatically. Avoiding gluten altogether can sometimes seem challenging, but nowadays most shops and restaurants cater well for those with coeliac disease, and in general society is much more understanding of those with severe food allergies.

This brings us to the Eucharist. I want to begin by explaining why the Church cannot allow the use of completely gluten-free hosts, and then to reassure you that you will, nevertheless, be able to continue receiving the Eucharist regularly.

So then, why doesn’t the Church allow the use of gluten-free hosts? Very simply, because in celebrating the Mass we are obliged to use the same material elements that Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper – namely, bread made with wheat and wine made from grapes. We cannot, for example, substitute beer for wine, nor indeed can we use alcohol-free wine (as some non-Catholic denominations do) because it is certain that the wine of the Last Supper would have been fermented (alcoholic). Were we to change these essential elements of the Eucharist, we would be departing from the pattern given us by Christ, and the Mass would simply be invalid – we would be depriving people of the Body and Blood of Christ.

However, with all that being said, the Church does make ample allowance for those suffering from coeliac disease. Although the bread of the Eucharist must be made with wheat (hence, with gluten), the element of gluten can be reduced to a ‘trace’ amount. Hosts are now readily available which contain wheat only in 20 parts per million (ppm), an amount recognised by the Coeliac Society as being effectively “gluten-free” but which still fulfils the Catholic Church’s requirements for validity. Such hosts are available for both priests and laypeople, and the small hosts – intended for the laity – are usually square rather than round, so that they can be easily distinguished from those containing the normal amount of gluten. This helps enormously when giving Holy Communion.

Now, given what your consultant told you, about avoiding gluten altogether, you may be nervous of consuming even a ‘trace’ amount of gluten in the Eucharist. Having been seriously ill for so many months, you naturally want to avoid any recurrence of that illness. I understand this well, as I shared those concerns when I myself was diagnosed. However, I now consume a large priest’s host every day (twice or three times on Sunday) with no ill effects. So, from my own experience, I am confident that you would be able to receive a small host, even daily.

Coming to practical matters, I suggest that you meet your parish priest, and explain the situation to him. I am sure he will be willing to help you. If necessary, he can help you purchase the coeliac-friendly hosts. Please note, it is important to buy only those valid for the Catholic Mass – there are hosts available on the market (intended for non-Catholic worship) which are made from substances such as rice and maize, and these are not valid. You will also need to discuss with him how best to receive Holy Communion. In my own church, I consecrate the coeliac-friendly hosts in a smaller ciborium or pyx (which preserves them from contamination with gluten), and I ask those who need them to come up last to Communion, so I can easily identify them. Your priest may have his own suggestions.

You may be wondering about receiving from the chalice. Personally, I would suggest that it is best to abstain from receiving the Precious Blood, if it is offered at your church, since it is not recommended that sufferers from coeliac disease share a drinking vessel with those who consume gluten (we are told to be very careful even about sharing cooking utensils). Remember, however, that according to the Catholic doctrine of “concomitance”, the whole Christ is received under the form of bread alone – his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity – so you need not fear that you are being deprived in any way. Our Lord never deprives his disciples of the necessary means of salvation.

I hope this brief explanation will reassure you that you can continue to practise your Catholic faith to the full, while living a healthy, gluten-free lifestyle.