|
Hi, Christine —
If his church permits him to do so,
he asks for it on his own, and is
properly disposed, he may receive
Communion in our Church.
See the Code of Canon Law for Eastern
Churches [CCEO] 671, Sec. 3.
Canon 671 - §1. Catholic ministers licitly administer the sacraments only to Catholic Christian faithful, who, likewise, licitly receive the sacraments only from Catholic ministers.
§2. If necessity requires it or genuine spiritual advantage suggests it and provided that the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, it is permitted for Catholic Christian faithful, for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister, to receive the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic ministers, in whose Churches these sacraments are valid.
§3. Likewise Catholic ministers licitly administer the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick to Christian faithful of Eastern Churches, who do not have full communion with the Catholic Church, if they ask for them on their own and are properly disposed. This holds also for the Christian faithful of other Churches, who according to the judgment of the Apostolic See, are in the same condition as the Eastern Churches as far as the sacraments are concerned. |
If his conscience permits it, and
he freely asks, he should be formally
received into the Church after a
period of catechesis. Technically,
this does not involve RCIA per se (which
is for unbaptized people) but
popularly, people rarely make the
distinction. Note that he may be
received as a Coptic Catholic, not
Roman Catholic (Roman-rite Catholic).
You may have to consult an expert
in canon law to determine this.
In other words, there are Copts in
union with the Catholic Church who
have their own hierarchy, laws, customs,
liturgy, and so forth See:
Coptic Catholic Church.
In general, Eastern-rite Christians
received into the Catholic Church
are (or were, last time
I checked) received into the
corresponding church, sui iuris in
communion with Rome. (sui iuris means
of one's own laws.) This gets
complicated.
Eric
|
