Lutheran Babies May Receive Communion
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Baptized Lutheran infants cradled in a parent’s arms will be allowed to receive Holy Communion at Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregations, church leaders decided this week.
Currently, the church opens Communion to all baptized Christians, but excludes infants. Just a quarter of a century ago, only members who had been confirmed in the faith--usually in early adolescence--were allowed to take Communion.
The new standard aligns those Lutheran congregations choosing to implement it with practices of the early church, in which an infant would be given Holy Communion following baptism. The practice also has continued in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
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