416 Evergreen Avenue

Brielle , NJ 08730

July 14, 2004

Cardinal William Joseph Levada

Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Dear Cardinal Levada,

My eight year old daughter Haley suffers from Celiac Sprue. Celiac is a malabsorption syndrome in which the body's immune system attacks the lining of the small intestines in response to a food protein called Gluten. The small intestines are where the digestion and absorption of nutrients occurs, and therefore damage to such results in malnutrition. Haley herself suffers from Osteopenia (bone loss) as a cumulative result of the Gluten she consumed before she was diagnosed with this disorder. People with celiac are also more likely to develop cancer, including intestinal lymphoma, with repeated exposure to even trace amounts of Gluten.

The prognosis for a person with Celiac is good if the offending grains are removed, in their entirety, from the diet. Strict adherence to a Gluten-Free diet allows the intestines to heal, and significantly decreases one's risk of developing cancer. In fact a study done by two Italian researchers, Giovanni Corrao, and Dr. Robert Corazza found a significant increase in the death rate of Celiacs (six times higher) that did not adhere to a strict Gluten Free diet.

One of the most common misconceptions about Celiac Disease is that it is a food allergy. Celiac Disease is not a food allergy but an idiosyncratic reaction to food proteins that can prove fatal.

Celiac disease is also much more widespread than previously suggested. The most recent study out of the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research found that one in every 133 people has Celiac Disease. Celiac is also prevalent amongst Irish and Italian populations, both of which are often Roman Catholic.

In recent times the Catholic Church has acknowledged those afflicted with Celiac Disease and church doctrine allows the use of a Low-Gluten host (about .01 percent, or one part in 10,000) in place of the traditional host. The Catholic Church states that the host must contain some Gluten for it to be the valid body of Christ. The Low-Gluten host is not an option for Haley because even trace amounts of Gluten can be toxic to a Celiac. Dr. Joseph Murray, a gastroenterologist and expert on Celiac disease at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minn. emphasizes that going on and off the Gluten-Free diet make it less effective, putting a Celiac at an increased risk of further complications. I believe the church leaders must suggest the use of the Low-Gluten host out of lack of knowledge regarding Celiac Disease, for it is incomprehensible why the ingestion of toxins would be seen as a viable option.

Church doctrine also allows the use of Mustum, a partially fermented, low alcohol wine, in place of the Eucharist. The Catholic Church does acknowledge under the law (CIC, canon 843) that Holy Communion may be received through the precious blood alone. The use of Mustum is not an option for Haley because as a parent, I believe no amount of alcohol is appropriate for a child. The Catholic Church maintains the Mustum must contain some alcohol for it to be the valid blood of Christ.

The question I pose to you Cardinal Levada is how the use of a Gluten-Free host would corrupt the traditions of the Last Supper. It is not my understanding that Christ asked his disciples to remember him through wheat bread. I think the will of God, or the divine law, conflicts with this Canon Law. I do not believe Christ would want a child to obey a canon law that could be potentially harmful to her. This debate violates the sacredness of my conscience, which is the very heart of my connection to God. My obedience to God's law requires me to simply love good and avoid evil, and I fear the present dispute is one over a church, or man made, law rather than of God's commandment.

I do not understand why the Vatican views the consumption of a rice based host as a threat to establishing God's kingdom. In focusing on this detail, we are failing to acknowledge the essence of our faith which is justice, mercy, and honesty. Christ himself warned the religious leaders of his time of "Straining out the fly while swallowing the camel" (Mt23: 23-24) and I fear the religious leaders of our time are guilty of the same.

I have been warned by the diocese of Trenton that if I choose to allow Haley to consume rice based host I would be breaking canon law, and Haley would be receiving merely a wafer, and not the true presence of Christ. In my heart, however, I believe the personal relationship between Christ and my child will not be corrupted based on such a technicality.

I have myself been accused of being uncompromising and inflexible in my efforts, but I believe the Catholic Church to be the one culpable of intransigence. This is a church rule, not God's will, and it can easily be adjusted to meet the needs of the people, while staying true to the traditions of our faith.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Pelly-Waldman

cc: Cardinal Francis George, OMI United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on the Liturgy

     Most Reverend John M. Smith Bishop of Trenton