The Vatican last month outlawed gluten-free bread for Holy Communion because there needs to be enough protein in the wheat to make it without additives.
Cardinal Robert Sarah of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments wrote to Diocesan Bishops at the request of Pope Francis to ensure the bread was being prepared correctly and to "remove any doubt that the validity of the matter of the Eucharist."
"Hosts that are completely gluten-free are invalid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist," the Vatican wrote. "Low-gluten hosts (partially gluten-free) are valid matter, provided they contain a sufficient amount of gluten to obtain the confection of bread without the addition of foreign materials and without the use of procedures that would alter the nature of bread."
Roman Catholics believe wine and bread served at the Eucharist are converted into the body and blood of Christ through a process known as transubstantiation.
The wine must also be "natural, from the fruit of the grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances," said Sarah. There are about 1.2 billion Catholics around the world.
Related Stories:
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.