One of the largest news agencies in the world attempts to shed light on some aspects of the debate regarding the Holy Communion in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Associated Press presents in a detailed report published yesterday the situation prevailing in the Orthodox world regarding the Holy Communion and the way in which the faithful receive it from the chalice. It presents different views of Orthodox Churches around the world and of scientists.
From the point of view of the Orthodox Churches, such as the Church of Greece, of Cyprus, of Georgia, and of Ethiopia, the Associated Press shows their reluctance to change the way of offering the Holy Communion to the faithful as well as to change their stance on preserving the centuries-old tradition of using a common spoon.
On the contrary, the news agency deems the proposal of Archbishop Elpidophoros of America as more “realistic” in regards to the use of disposable spoons, that is one for each believer. The Archbishop of America stated that the Mystery of Holy Communion was more important than the way it is being received.
Finally, from a scientific point of view, the Associated Press presents the opinion of the Assistant Professor of Health and Epidemiology at the University of Athens, Gika Mayorkini, who argues that the matter of the Holy Communion can only be resolved through discussions, which will be mainly from a theological point of view. He added that only the Church itself could find the appropriate solution to the matter.