Canonical Requirements The Code of Canon Law is very specific with respect to the requirements for the bread to be used in the celebration of the Eucharist. Canons 924, 925 Canons 924. 925 & 926 address the issue of matter as it pertains to the bread and wine. ARTICLE 3: The Code of Canon Law 1983 (Source Vatican Web Site, English Translation) Can. 924 §1. The most holy eucharistic sacrifice must be offered with bread and with wine in which a little water must be mixed. §2. The bread must be only wheat and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling. §3. The wine must be natural from the fruit of the vine and not spoiled. Can. 925 Holy communion is to be given under the form of bread alone, or under both species according to the norm of the liturgical laws, or even under the form of wine alone in a case of necessity. Can. 926 According to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church, the priest is to use unleavened bread in the eucharistic celebration whenever he offers it. The Implications of Canon Law The language of Can 924 makes it clear that the breads ‘must be wheaten only’. The word ‘must’ makes the canonical requirement mandatory. The words ‘wheaten only’ exclude any and all non-wheat products [rice, barley etc.] The language of Can 926 mandates that ‘the priest is to use unleavened bread’. The requirement for unleavened bread consequently excludes all ‘loaf’ type breads made with yeast. The two requirements together mandate the use of of pure flour and water ONLY in the making of altar breads. The addition of any other ingredient[s] is a clear violation of The Code of Canon Law. Those who suffer from severe food allergies ‘in case of necessity’ [such as gluten intolerance] are accorded the option of receiving communion ’under the species of wine alone’ by virtue of Can 925. There are also provisions for the use of low-gluten breads. Note should be made that one small fragment of a regular bread will in most likelihood contain a similar amount of gluten to that found in low-gluten breads. Given the strict canonical requirements for the matter and form of the Eucharist, under the species of bread and wine, that the bread ‘must’ be ‘wheaten only’, and ‘unleavened’ and that the only other acceptable form is ‘the species of wine alone’, no other options are available for use in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Canon Law is the body of laws and regulations adopted for the governing of the Catholic Church and its members.

Liturgical Requirements “Redemptionis Sacramentum, On Certain Matters To Be Observed Or To Be Avoided Regarding The Most Holy Eucharist," is a document from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments.

Canon Law The Code of Canon Law is specific with respect to the requirements for the bread to be used in the celebration of the Eucharist.