Blessed Pope Paul VI granted the indult (permission) at the request of various bishops’ conferences around the world. The argument at the time was that it was the oldest manner of receiving holy Communion, one common to the early Church. However, since then, Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan, has demonstrated that this view rested upon misunderstandings of the patristic texts. Pope Benedict XVI was personally impressed with his work, and the Vatican published the bishop’s study, called Dominus Est (it’s also available in English); and, shortly thereafter, the Pope began giving Communion only on the tongue to kneeling communicants.
The Pope did not, however, rescind any of the permissions for Communion in the hand, which remains a lawful manner of reception in many countries, including the United States. Over the years, unfortunately, the Holy See has found it necessary to remind Catholics of the Church’s doctrine that Christ is present in every particle and drop of the consecrated species and that the greatest care and respect, as well as divine worship, must be given to Our Lord in the Eucharist, irrespective of the manner of reception.
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