A controlled study on intinction: a safer alternative method for receiving Holy Communion.

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A controlled study on intinction: a safer alternative method for receiving Holy Communion.

Introduction

The sacrament of Holy Communion has been practiced by Christians of all denominations for 2,000 years. This sacred and unifying ritual is modeled after the Last Supper at which Jesus Christ presided. Since popular belief holds that Christ and His disciples shared a common cup of wine, most Christian denominations use a common communion cup during the Holy Eucharist. However, variations on the practice of administering the consecrated wine have developed as Christianity has evolved.

The potential hazards that present themselves when one sips from a common communion cup in church have long been the subject of religious debate and scientific investigation. All of the scientific studies that have been performed over the last 100 years have drawn the same conclusion: there is a possible risk involved to an individual who sips from a common cup, as some microorganisms survive significantly longer than the time that normally elapses between one parishioner's sip and the next.

Fears about the potential for spread of disease during this religious sacrament arose in the last century as knowledge of infectious disease processes began to develop. As early as 1887, Terry of Utica, New York, was publicly advocating a move away from the use of the common commu...

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