Charlotte

A Catholic family in North Carolina claims they were refused Holy Communion after approaching the altar rail during a Confirmation Mass, according to a report from the Diocese Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte has refused Holy Communion to a Catholic family who approached the altar rail during a Confirmation Mass, in an AdVaticanum exclusive report. The incident took place on April 29 at Our Lady of Grace parish in Greensboro, North Carolina. While the Confirmation ceremony took place as usual, during Communion only two or three families approached the altar rail to receive the Eucharist. One father who brought his family said to AdVaticanum: “He was sitting in front of us when we went to the rail and he simply ignored us. All the priests turned their backs on us,” he said. “Everyone else communicated and we were denied. To be frank, it was very humiliating.” The same witness said that while the wider congregation received Communion, those kneeling at the rail were passed over. Attempts were made to speak to Bishop Martin about incident after the Confirmation Mass, but he did not respond in detail. Photo taken from the confirmation Mass. Submitted anonymously. The claim comes amid the current liturgical dispute in the Diocese of Charlotte. Bishop Martin has introduced norms governing the reception of Holy Communion, emphasising that the “normative posture” in the United States is to receive standing, following a bow of the head. The controversy unfolds alongside involvement from the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which has acknowledged receipt of a formal “hierarchical recourse” concerning Bishop Michael Martin’s handling of liturgical matters in the Diocese of Charlotte. In a letter dated February 16 and signed by Fr Pierre Paul, the dicastery confirmed that the case had been registered under protocol number 369/25 and would be examined in accordance with canonical procedures. The acknowledgement signifies that the Holy See has formally taken cognisance of the complaint, although such steps are procedural and do not in themselves indicate that any corrective action will follow. Previously, in a pastoral letter issued on December 17, he wrote, “The liturgy of the Church is the work of God and the work on behalf of God in the life of the Church. These norms for our diocese move us together towards the Church’s vision for the fuller and more active participation of the faithful.” In this pastoral letter of December 17, Bishop Michael Martin set out specific norms concerning the manner of receiving Holy Communion in the Diocese of Charlotte, including explicit reference to altar rails. He added that “our unity as believers in Holy Communion is expressed through our postures and gestures that reflect our mystical communion and unity as fellow believers,” stressing that the Eucharist is “a communal act of worship, not only an individual act of piety.” The same directive instructed parishes that had reintroduced altar rails or kneelers for the distribution of Communion to discontinue the practice and remove any such furnishings, describing them as “a visible contradiction” of the prescribed norm. It stated that Holy Communion should be received as the faithful “go in procession, witnessing that the Church journeys forward and receives Holy Communion as a pilgrim people on their way.” At the same time, the bishop’s letter reiterated that individuals are not to be denied Holy Communion on the basis of posture, even if they choose to kneel. “Clergy and catechists,” he wrote, “are to instruct communicants according to the normative posture in the United States” and “are not to teach that some other manner is better, preferred, more efficacious, etc.” AdVaticanum asked the diocese for comment, but at the time of publication it has not responded.

The Vatican has confirmed it is reviewing a formal appeal over liturgical decisions in the Diocese of Charlotte, including restrictions placed on the Traditional Latin Mass The Vatican has confirmed that it is reviewing a formal appeal concerning liturgical decisions taken by Bishop Michael Martin in the Diocese of Charlotte, according to a letter issued by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. The letter, dated 16 February, states that the dicastery has “received a hierarchical recourse” regarding the bishop’s “apparent refusal” to respond to “requests concerning liturgical matters”. It adds: “The Dicastery will proceed to examine the Acta, which have been assigned protocol number 369/25.” The appeal itself was filed on 9 February. The acknowledgement confirms that the case has formally entered the Vatican’s administrative process, though no indication has been given as to how long the review may take or what outcome may follow. The appeal arises after a series of liturgical measures introduced in Charlotte over the past year. Most notably, Bishop Martin ordered that the Traditional Latin Mass be discontinued at parish churches in the diocese and restricted to a single location outside the city. Changes have also been implemented at parish level. Directives issued within the diocese have included the removal of altar rails and kneelers used for the reception of Holy Communion. These measures prompted concern among clergy, and in January a group of diocesan priests submitted a dubia to the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, questioning the legal basis of the restrictions. Additional controversy followed the circulation of draft liturgical norms, which proposed limits on the use of Latin, the celebration of Mass ad orientem, and certain traditional vestments and practices. The Diocese of Charlotte later stated that the text was a draft and had been revised after feedback. The Vatican body now examining the recourse is headed by Cardinal Arthur Roche, who has overseen the implementation of liturgical policy following Traditionis Custodes. The dicastery’s role includes adjudicating disputes concerning the application of liturgical law and responding to appeals submitted through hierarchical recourse. Such recourse allows clergy or lay faithful to challenge administrative acts they believe have been improperly handled or insufficiently addressed at diocesan level. The procedure involves the submission of documentation, which is then reviewed by the competent dicastery in Rome. No further details about the substance of the appeal have been released beyond the brief description contained in the Vatican letter. The document has, however, circulated widely in recent days. The Diocese of Charlotte has not issued a further statement in response to the Vatican’s acknowledgement of the case.