Girl’s wheat-free Communion declared invalid

AN eight-year-old girl who suffers from a rare digestive disorder and cannot eat wheat has had her first Holy Communion declared invalid because the wafer contained no wheat, violating Catholic doctrine.

Haley Waldman’s mother is pushing the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey and the Vatican to make an exception, saying the girl’s condition should not exclude her from the sacrament, which commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion.

The mother believes a rice Communion wafer would suffice.