How a “Blasphemous" Food Review Sparked Catholic Outrage in the Philippines

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A senior high school student in the Philippines was condemned for his Twitter post. He made a “food review” of the consecrated communion wafer given to him during Holy Mass and even described the taste as similar to cornflakes.

In the post of the now-deleted Twitter account of the student of the Ateneo de Manila University Senior High School (ADMU-SHS), a “food review” was made of the consecrated host, where he judged the wafer based on characteristics such as design, taste, and crispness. The unnamed student even gave the wafer a rating of 7.1 out of 10.

The white wafer, known as communion bread among Catholics, is offered as the Body of Christ during the Holy Communion to mass attendees. During Mass, the priest consecrates the bread and wine for “transubstantiation” into the Body and Blood of Christ, respectively.

Reports differ on how the student could smuggle the communion wafer out of the church. Some suggested that the student stole the host by taking the consecrated wafer during Mass and putting the bread in their pocket before the end of Mass, where the student took a picture of the consecrated host before writing the post.

Although the Twitter post was meant to elicit humorous reactions from netizens, the student’s “food review” drew the ire of many Catholics, who believed the post was inappropriate and disrespectful to the Catholic Church. A Twitter user also said this incident wouldn’t be the first time the student disrespected the Holy Eucharist. 

It’s also worth considering that the student studied at one of the most prestigious Catholic schools in the Philippines, which fueled the fire. Many Filipino netizens criticized the student for his actions; some even demanded his ex-communication and expulsion from the school.

Canon Law 1367 says that anyone who throws away consecrated hosts or keeps them for sacrilegious purposes would be excommunicated. Since the law incurs latae sententiae ex-communication, a person guilty of committing such an offense might be automatically excommunicated, even if the Church is unaware of the activity.

A Redditor also pointed out that the Papal Nuncio, or the Pope’s Ambassador, was already aware of the issue and might have given Pope Francis a heads-up since it’s included in the rare cases where the Pope can absolve or pardon an offender.

Filipino atheists were also divided on the issue. While some criticized Catholics for their reaction to the food review and even raised issues regarding Catholic priests sexually abusing children, some atheists, such as this Redditor, believed that the student should be reprimanded for their actions and make a public apology if necessary.

Ateneo’s Campus Ministry Office announced they would temporarily suspend Holy Mass activities within the senior high school campus for “reparation and atonement.”

While the campus ministry described the student’s actions as “sacrilegious,” the body said they would support and guide the student regarding his actions.

“We must approach this situation with compassion and understanding while holding him accountable for his actions,” the ASHS-CMO said.

Ateneo’s campus ministry also said that Holy Mass activities would only resume once the “Rite of Reparation for the Profanation of the Holy Eucharist” was accomplished.

Some netizens advised Catholics against vigorously attacking the student for his action.

“This should be a teaching moment for Catholics. It should incite not our anger but our urge to educate—and even catechize. We should invoke not canon law, but the voice of Jesus in the Bible, which has always asked us to forgive and to love.” Gian Lao said in his opinion piece regarding the incident.

Another Twitter user also made the same sentiments in his now-deleted Twitter thread, where LGBTQIA+ activist and lawyer Jesus Falcis said that he wouldn’t be surprised if the student would continue becoming an atheist because of the reaction from the public.

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