Malta's Doing it Right: Cohabiting Couples may not receive Holy Communion

Cohabiting couples should not receive Holy Communion, the bishops said in a statement yesterday.

The bishops said the Church does not impose this sanction as a punishment, but because "the way of life" of such people violated the sacrament of marriage.

The Church would continue to offer such couples spiritual help and encouraged them to go to Mass, Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech said.

"However, the Catholic Church insists that couples who live together without being married should not receive Holy Communion," they said.

The statement was released in the wake of comments made by Fr George Dalli who said he was prepared to administer the sacra-ment of the Holy Communion to cohabiting couples.

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