@PetriOP:
This business about kneeling for Holy Communion was settled long ago. In fact, the USCCB was subtly corrected on the matter in the publication of the 2010 American translation of the 2000 edition of the Missale Romanum. Here's what happened...
In 2000, the third edition of the Missale Romanum was promulgated by St. John Paul II, which included a revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal (i.e., the GIRM). Every episcopal conference could then make adaptations proper to their own bishops' dioceses as long as the Holy See approved those modifications.
In 2002, therefore, this revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal was issued for the United States with the approved adaptations for the United States.
Paragraph 160 of that 2002 US GIRM said: "The norm for reception of Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States is standing. Communicants should not be denied Holy Communion because they kneel. Rather, such instances should be addressed pastorally, by
providing the faithful with proper catechesis on the reasons for this norm."
Communicants couldn't be denied Holy Communion for kneeling, but they should be "addressed pastorally." Keep in mind, we were still using the 1972 translation of Mass found in what was called then the Sacramentary.
In 2004, the then-Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments at the Holy See issued an all-encompassing document addressing deficiencies and abuses regarding the Most Holy Sacrament called Redemptionis Sacramentum.
In paragraph 90 of that document, the Holy See affirmed: "'The faithful should receive Communion kneeling or standing, as the Conference of Bishops will have determined', with its acts having received the recognitio of the Apostolic See. 'However, if they receive Communion standing, it is recommended that they give due reverence before the reception of the Sacrament, as set forth in the same norms.'"
Note the Holy See's insistence here on the norm that any determination by an episcopal conference on these matters must have the approval (the recognitio) of Holy See.
The following paragraph (91) says this: "In distributing Holy Communion it is to be remembered that 'sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them'. Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ’s faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing."
Fast forward to 2010 after the US Bishops approved an English translation for the 2000 Missale Romanum, it's sent to Rome to be approved, but NOT WITHOUT a change in the US GIRM at paragraph 160--a change that wasn't reported at the time as being requested by the USCCB. In other words, it's a change that the Holy See simply made on its own authority.
Unlike the 2002 US GIRM at 160, the 2010 and CURRENT US GIRM at 160 doesn't mention any pastoral issue needing to be addressed about the faithful kneeling to receive Holy Communion. Presumably, this is because the Holy See doesn't think it is a pastoral issue.
The 2010 US GIRM, approved by the Holy See and changed from the 2002 version by the authority and initiative of the Holy See, now says:
"It is not permitted for the faithful to take the consecrated Bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them on from one to another among themselves. The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling" (and cites Redemptionis Sacramentum, paragraph 91).
Thus, in 2010, the Holy See changed the US GIRM specifically to remove any sense of kneeling being a pastoral issue. Yes, standing is the norm in the United States, UNLESS a member of the faithful wishes to receive Holy Communion while kneeling.
Sources in the replies:
"If we give in to the world, and laugh, dance, and play as it does, it will pretend to be scandalized; if we refuse to do so, it will accuse us of being hypocritical or morbid. If we adorn ourselves after its fashion, it will put some evil construction on what we do; if we go in plain attire, it will accuse us of meanness; our cheerfulness will be called dissipation; our mortification dullness; and ever casting its evil eye upon us, nothing we can do will please it. It exaggerates our failings, and publishes them abroad as sins; it represents our venial sins as mortal, and our sins of infirmity as malicious. St. Paul says that charity is kind… but the world is unkind; charity thinks no evil… but the world thinks evil of every one, and if it cannot find fault with our actions, it is sure at least to impute bad motives to them, whether the sheep be black or white, horned or no, the wolf will devour them if he can. Do what we will, the world must wage war upon us. If we spend any length of time in confession, it will speculate on what we have so much to say about! if we are brief, it will suggest that we are keeping back something! It spies out our every act, and at the most trifling angry word, sets us down as intolerable. Attention to business is avarice, meekness mere silliness; whereas the wrath of worldly people is to be reckoned as generosity, their avarice, economy, their mean deeds, honorable. There are always spiders at hand to spoil the honey-bee’s comb. Let us leave the blind world to make as much noise as it may, like a bat annoying the songbirds of day. Let us be firm in our ways, unchangeable in our resolutions, and perseverance will be the test of our self-surrender to God, and our deliberate choice of the devout life."
—St. Francis De Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Part IV, ch. 1.
Sonnier began to work within the system to obtain access to the old rite for servicemembers and their families. He watched in disbelief as, over the course of years of respectful petitioning, military Catholic chaplains repeatedly lied and dissembled, pulling every possible string to ensure that the Latin Mass would never be said on any military base.
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From @BenZeisloft:
When you fight for the life of your dog…
… But murder your baby out of convenience.
“Wherever there is animal worship, there is human sacrifice.” — G.K. Chesterton
This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21.
The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided.
I know some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news. We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.
She underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but emotionally we are drained.
Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome, is caused by an extra chromosome. It is caused by an error in cell division, like a glitch. The odds of a baby having it is 1 in 1000.
When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic. If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may…but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.
Once we made it public, it became clear that MOST people don’t know what Down Syndrome entails (and no, it’s not the same as Autism):
50% of babies with DS have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc…Sadly, the list is long, feel free to look it up…Down Syndome isn’t a “blessing”, it is objectively shitty from a health perspective.
I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.
The miscarriage risk is also close to 50%, which made matters worse…they may never see the light of day and it puts Ashley further at risk.
We spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors and learned that up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21.
This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgment being cast.
You never think you’d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change.
To all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions…we appreciate you. You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here. I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward.
As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice.
It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.
Love you guys & thank you for understanding. ❤️
When the members of a neighboring community reached the site of the massacre, they found dead bodies: men and women shot with AK-47s, hacked with machetes, lying in pools of blood on the dusty ground in front of their homes. Miraculously, one baby survived, strapped to the back of his mother’s corpse. His haunting cries, the sound of ultimate sadness, are something that, once heard, can never be forgotten.
Not three feet away lay a father holding his baby in their final embrace before death. The baby’s eyes were wide open but lifeless as his blood mixed with his father’s in a grotesque puddle, a testament to the inherent hate and violence of The Religion of Peace.
“Fulani Muslim terrorists are slaughtering Christians in Nigeria. This genocide is far worse than the world knows. Entire communities are being wiped out in silence.” Wrote Didier Neza who posted the video on Instagram.
Although this attack happened five years ago, the video has been circulating a great deal recently, serving as a reminder that things have gotten worse, not better, with more and more Christians, including children, killed and abducted each year.
Miraculously, this is not the only incident in which a baby was the sole survivor. In a separate incident, a church community adopted a one-month-old baby girl found on New Year’s Day 2026 after her village was wiped out by Fulani Islamists.
In a video posted by Truth Nigeria journalist Masara Kim, a woman holds the beautiful little girl as the pastor describes the horror of how she became an orphan. Christians arrived in the village after the attack had ended. “When it was daybreak, they went into the house and they found the mother dead, protecting this child. The father was dead.” But they found the child alive.
“That day, we buried nine people, including her mother and father, in the mass grave.” The pastor went on to draw a Christian lesson from the death and destruction. “We have the Holy Spirit working in the entire community that allowed us to adopt a child, because this child will remain.” He said that the Fulani will always hate the fact that the baby survived. “But we have forgiven the Fulani terrorists that have come to Plateau State to kill us.”
More: https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/06/baby-found-clinging-dead-mother-after-christian-massacre/
“Knowing that his death was close, John XXIII called me and told me: ‘Silvio, Silvio; my pontificate has been a failure. All the things I wanted to accomplish have not been done; what I did not want to take place is being realized.'”
- Cardinal Oddi
