Dimosthenis Sarigiannis, Professor of Environmental Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, said that it was “very dangerous” for the faithful to receive Holy Communion from the same spoon.
As reported by thesstoday.gr, the professor compared the reception of Holy Communion to the kissing of the icons. He pointed out, “The fact that people lower their masks to kiss the icons is less important, given that icons have a larger surface. The most important thing is the issue of the reception of Holy Communion.”
“Everyone comes in contact by using the same spoon and, therefore, the chance of someone getting infected if there is a carrier is very easy and important,” he stressed.
Dimosthenis Sarigiannis explained, referring to the alcoholic solution (wine), that in this way the virulence of the virus is reduced, but he did not say that it was not possible to transmit it through Holy Communion. “On the other hand, given the situation we are in right now, it would be good if we could avoid such a thing,” he said.
“The likelihood of transmitting the virus is increased, so we must be careful,” he added. “Supposedly, if one decides to go – for faith reasons – to receive Holy Communion, then one would return home and must wear a mask for about 7 to 10 days. One would also make efforts to protect those around him or her from the consequences of a choice one made, which may be respected, but it should not affect our loved ones. We are free to choose what we do but we should not to put others at risk because of our choices,” he concluded.
