Time to add an “outrage” category. This is just insane: A church panel has invalidated a girl’s communion because she can’t eat wheat (original article here).
The girl has celiac disease, which means any amount of wheat can cause her serious health problems. A local priest was willing to let her use a rice-based wafer, but higher-ups declared it was invalid — that if there wasn’t wheat, it didn’t count. She can either take the communion with a wheat-based wafer, or not take it at all.
For all intents and purposes they’ve excommunicated this girl because of a medical condition.
Good thing I’m not Catholic and the sacrament doesn’t involve peanuts.
I wonder if the church would be willing to pay for emergency room visits (or funerals) resulting from this kind of situation?