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Girl with disease seeks rice Communion:BRIELLE, N.J. (AP) Aug. 21. 2004 An 8 year old girl who cannot eat wheat due to a rare digestive disorder has had her first Holy Communion declared invalid because the wafer contained no wheat, violating Roman Catholic doctrine. Now, Haley Walgman's mother is pushing the Diocese of Trenton and the Vatican to make an exception, saying the girl's condition should not exclude her from the sacrament, which commemorates the Last Supper of Christ before his crucifixion. The mother believes a rice Communion wafer would suffice. "Its's just not a viable option. How does it corrupt the tradition of the Last Supper? It's just rice vs. wheat,"said Elizabeth Pelly Waldman. Church doctrine holds that Communion wafers, like the bread at the supper, must have at least some unleavened wheat. Churh leaders are reluctant to change anything about that sacrament. "This...has already been decided for the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world by Vatican authority"Trenton Bishop John Smith said ina statement last week. Haley was diagnosed with celiac sprue disease when she was 5. The disorder occurs in people with a genetic intolerance of gluten, a food protein contained in wheat and other grains. When consumed by celiac sufferers, gluten damages the lining of the small intestine, blocking nutrient absorption and leading to vitamin deficiencies, bone-thinning and sometimes gastrointestinal cancer. The diocese has told Haley's mother that the girl can recieve a low-gluten wafer, or just drink wine at Communion, but that anything without gluten does not qualify. Pelly Waldman rejected the offer, saying her child could be harmed by even a small amount of the substance. Some Catholic churches allow no-gluten hosts, while others do not, said Elaine Monarch, executive director of the Celiac Disease Foundation, a support group for suferers. |