It is good to hear from the Bishop of Lichfield in reply to the Nov 2021 General Synod questions 38, 39, 40, and 41 regarding the use of individual cups at Holy Communion that the House of Bishops ‘recognises that different ministers and churches have in good conscience adopted a variety of forms of administration of Holy Communion while Covid-19 continues to circulate in the general population.’
It is also good to see a tacit acknowledgement that the claim that the use of individual cups is ‘not lawful’ is disputable.
It is interesting to learn that apparently ‘many churches have been discovering fresh insights into the meaning of Holy Communion’ and I wonder what will emerge from this. But I note that as regards the use of individual vessels it had already been noted at the General Synod Meeting in Feb 2010 (by the Revd Dr John Hartley, Bradford) ‘that there is now considerable experience of this question up and down the country.’
Given that pertinent questions were asked in the wake of the swine flu pandemic, after the cup had been denied to the laity (apparently for the first time since the Reformation), it remains disappointing that the House of Bishop continues to rely on opinions whose apparent flaws have long been pointed out without offering a more comprehensive treatment of the matter.
We can hopefully agreed that ‘Whatever approach is taken, ministers and churches should be guided by the symbolism and ideal of “one bread and one cup”.’ But I would add that in our tradition it is of the essence of Holy Communion that this ‘one bread and one cup’ is shared.
