Hi, John —

I don't particularly advise it. Although there may be no canonical restriction against it, it serves no real purpose.

There is:

• no priest to bless you
• nor is there a valid Eucharist present for the minister to bless you with.

In essence, you are just going up for a prayer of blessing.

While I have no problem with a Catholic going forward for prayer at a non-Catholic service, in the context of healing and so forth, I don't think it is wise to do so during a communion service because, by doing so, you seem to be validating an invalid sacrament.

John

John —

The only reason a Catholic might want to do that is out of human respect, i.e., not to feel out of place and not to offend — because a Protestant minister cannot literally bless.

He can pray for someone and it is certainly OK to be prayed over by a Protestant, Protestant minister or otherwise but to go up to receive a prayer at the one time in the service that is an expression of unity is basically to say that we are in union, which is not the case.

I don't think it is explicitly forbidden, as reception of their communion is, but because most would think you were receiving, it would give scandal or give the wrong testimony.

Mary Ann