Celiac.com 08/02/2002 - The Bishops National Liturgy Office in Italy recently approved a low-gluten Eucharistic host made by a specific German firm for use by worshippers who have celiac disease. The hosts have been approved by the scientific committee of the Italian Celiac Association and are made using Codex Alimentarius quality wheat starch that contains 0.0374 milligrams of gluten. Additionally, the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has also approved the hosts for use in the Eucharist. According to the Catholic Church the bread used in the Eucharist must be made exclusively from wheat, and the German-made hosts are currently the only ones produced that meet all of the Catholic Churchs requirements.

This decision creates controversy, however, between worshippers with celiac disease in Europe and the United States, mainly due to the differing opinion with regard to whether those with celiac disease need to be on a 100% gluten-free diet. Since support groups and some segments of the American scientific community advocate a 100% gluten-free diet, the Catholic Church recommends that worshippers with celiac disease in the United States only receive communion if the form of consecrated wine.

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