Dog owners who shared the Eucharist with their pets are not excommunicated, Swiss bishop rules
April 28, 2026
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CWN Editor's Note: Following an investigation, Bishop Joseph Bonnemain of Chur, Switzerland, ruled that three dog owners who shared the Blessed Sacrament with their pets did not incur an automatic excommunication because they did not act with sacrilegious intent. Canon 1382 provides that “one who throws away the consecrated species or, for a sacrilegious purpose, takes them away or keeps them, incurs a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.”
The incident during place last October 4, the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, at Good Shepherd Parish in Zurich. The diocese stated:
Due to a poor weather forecast, the blessing [of the animals] was moved indoors and combined with a Eucharistic celebration. During this Eucharistic celebration, three people shared portions of their hosts with their dogs.The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
The findings clearly showed that the three individuals did not act with sacrilegious intent. Consequently, these individuals cannot be accused of sacrilege, as they lacked this sacrilegious intent. Therefore, they did not incur the excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See as a penalty for their actions.
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Posted by: pastelcobra1557 -
Apr. 29, 2026 1:47 PM ET USA
Is #1382 the only Canon law governing the misuse of a consecrated host? Seems like an interpretation in favor of the dogs. What would the ruling be if the pet was say, a fish or canary. I certainly hope that these people were strongly warned not to do this again and required to attend a class on the realities of the Eucharist. It's a good example of how distorted a person's love for a pet can become. However, considering the severity of excommunication, I do agree with the ruling.
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Posted by: feedback -
Apr. 28, 2026 9:32 AM ET USA
This is not a "case closed" because of the lack of sacrilegious intent. This is a case of grave neglect of ministerial duties to teach the basics of the Faith by the local Bishop and priests. Why is Cardinal Fernandez concerned about apparently too many titles of honor attributed to the Blessed Mother, while great number of the Catholic faithful (and very likely some Catholic clergy) do not believe in the Real Presence. https://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=60063
