Christians Adapt To 'No Communion' During Coronavirus Crisis

Virus Outbreak Italy Reopening — Father Jose Maria Galvan, wearing gloves to prevent the spread of COVID-19, places the host in the hands of a parishioner during the morning mass at St. Eugenio Church, in Rome, Monday, May 18, 2020. Italy partially lifted lockdown restrictions Monday after a two-month coronavirus lockdown.

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

May 22, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam spoke with Boston Public Radio on Friday about performing Christian rituals during the pandemic.

"There's only about three key rituals in Christian belief: baptism, communion, and last rites," he said. "The Catholic Church and the Pope said we have to go on a Eucharist fast, meaning no communion if you can't physically go to church and receive bread and wine from a physical priest."

Remote baptisms are permitted, Beam said. "In fact, you can do a citizen's last rites, God forbid something should happen, but any one of us can go into a hospital and administer a last baptism — even the Catholic Church acknoledges that."

Beam's latest book is "Broken Glass: Mies van der Rohe, Edith Farnsworth, and the Fight Over a Modernist Masterpiece."