The Doctrine of Concomitance is a

Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...

doctrine Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...

held by many (generally Western)

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

which describes the nature of Christ's presence in the consecrated bread and wine of the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

Doctrine

The doctrine states that since Christ is indivisible, no one part of Christ's substance can be divided. Thus, Christ's body can not be separated from his blood which means that Christ's full presence is in each element fully.

Use

The Doctrine of Concomitance has been used to justify communion under one kind of species, saying that the Christ is fully present in each species alone. Further application allows those who are allergic to gluten, are alcoholics, or otherwise wish to abstain from alcohol consumption to receive one species alone with the assurance of the fullness of the sacrament. Historically, this application contributed to the 1415 ruling by the

Council of Constance The Council of Constance (; ) was an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that was held from 1414 to 1418 in the Bishopric of Constance (Konstanz) in present-day Germany. This was the first time that an ecumenical council was convened in ...

that the laity should be given only the bread at communion.

References

{{reflist Sacramental theology Eucharist Eucharist in the Catholic Church