The Holy Communion is the oldest Christian practice, through which a gathered group of people partake bread and wine with a shared spoon. The pandemic of COVID-19 produced unexpected social instability and chaos. In Greece, a recent bishop’s death from COVID-19 re-awaked the issue of infection transmission by using a common chalice and spoon. This review evaluates the available medical literature on this topic from the beginning of the pandemic until today.
Anyfantakis D. Holy communion and infection transmission: a literature review. Cureus. 2020. p. 8741.
2.
Gill O. The hazard of infection from the shared communion cup. J Infect. 1988. p. 3–23.
3.
Taft R. Byzantine communion spoons: a review of the evidence. DOP J. 1996. p. 209–38.
4.
Papageorgiou Fr . The chalice, the spoon, and our fear of death. 2020.
5.
Oke R. Healing of the haemorrhaging woman as a model for checkmating stigma of people living with HIV. Verbum Eccles. 2017. p. 1–12.
6.
Anders H. Prophylaxis in churches needed by the adoption of individual communion chalices or cups. Proc Philadelphia County Med Soc. 1894. p. 345–52.
7.
Spantideas N, Drosou E, Barsoum M, Bougea A. COVID-19 and Holy Communion. Public Health. 2020. p. 134–5.
8.
Kingston D. Memorandum on the infections hazards of the common communion cup with especial reference to aids. Eur J Epidemiol. 1988. p. 164–70.
9.
Hobbs B, Knowlden J, White A. Experiments on the communion cup. J Hyg Lond. 1967. p. 37–48.
10.
Burrows W, Hemmens E. Survival of bacteria .on the silver communion cup. J Infect Dis. 1943. p. 180–90.
11.
Gregory K, Carpenter J, Bending G. Infection hazards of the common communion cup. Can J Public Health. 1967. p. 305–10.
12.
Loving A, Wolf L. The effects of receiving Holy Communion on health. J Environ Health. 1997. p. 6–10.
13.
Manangan L, Sehulster L, Chiarello L, Simonds D, Jarvis W. Risk of infectious disease transmission from a common communion cup. Am J Infect Control. 1998. p. 538–9.
14.
Jayaweera M, Perera H, Gunawardana B, Manatunge J. Transmission of COVID-19 virus by droplets and aerosols: a critical review on the unresolved dichotomy. Environ Res. 2020. p. 109819.
15.
Vélez F. Spiritual care of the sick. Linacre Q. 2017. p. 220–5.
16.
Loving L, A. A controlled study on intinction: a safer alternative method for receiving Holy Communion. J Environ Health. 1995. p. 24–8.
17.
Ekklisia. Agios Anthimos of Chios: He transmitted the divine communion to the lepers and then. 2020.
18.
Ekklisia. Piraeus: 2,500,000 people have shared in the last 10 months. 2020.
19.
Quadri S. COVID-19 and religious congregations: Implications for spread of novel pathogens. Int J Infect Dis. 2020. p. 219–21.
20.
Orthodox times Epidemiology professor: No scientific study that proves COVID-19 transmission through Holy Communion. 2020.
The statements, opinions and data contained in the journal are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publisher and the editor(s). We stay neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.