Can a divorced Catholic receive Communion?

Yes. Divorce alone does not bar a Catholic from Holy Communion; it is remarriage without an annulment, which the Church views as an ongoing state of adultery, that creates an obstacle. A Catholic who is divorced but has not remarried, or whose prior marriage has been declared null, remains free to receive the sacraments (CCC 2386).

Divorce itself is not a sin, and a Catholic who is civilly divorced, whether they sought the divorce or had it imposed upon them, may receive Holy Communion so long as they are otherwise in a state of grace. The Church recognizes that sometimes civil divorce is the only way to protect legal rights, children, or personal safety, and this can be morally legitimate (CCC 2383).

The difficulty arises only when a divorced Catholic attempts a new civil marriage while a prior valid sacramental bond still exists. Because the Church holds that a valid marriage cannot be dissolved by civil authority, entering a second union under these circumstances places a person in a continuing state objectively contrary to God's law, which is why such persons have traditionally been asked to refrain from Communion unless they live as brother and sister or obtain a decree of nullity (CCC 1650, 1651).

The Biblical Basis

Christ's teaching on the indissolubility of marriage is unambiguous: 'What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder' (Matthew 19:6), and he explicitly names remarriage after divorce as adultery (Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18).

St. Paul warns that receiving the Eucharist unworthily, without examining one's conscience, is a serious matter: 'But let a man prove himself; and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself' (1 Corinthians 11:28-29). This is why the Church asks anyone conscious of grave sin, including the sin of an ongoing adulterous union, to first seek absolution in confession before approaching the altar (CCC 1385, 1415).

What the Church Actually Teaches

Following St. John Paul II's Familiaris Consortio (84), the Catechism teaches that the divorced and civilly remarried are not excluded from the Church's life; they are encouraged to attend Mass, pray, raise their children in the faith, and grow in charity, even though they may not receive Communion or exercise certain ministries because their state of life contradicts the union of Christ and the Church signified in the Eucharist (CCC 1650).

Pope Francis's Amoris Laetitia (chapter 8) calls for careful pastoral accompaniment and discernment of individual cases with a priest, particularly where fault, culpability, or the moral status of a second union is complex, without altering the underlying doctrine on marriage's indissolubility or the ordinary discipline regarding Communion.

Practically, a divorced Catholic who has not remarried, or whose first marriage is later found null through the annulment process, faces no barrier to the sacraments. Anyone uncertain about their own situation should speak candidly with a priest, who can help discern the state of the marriage and the path back to full sacramental life (CCC 1457).