"No unbaptized person shall be eligible to receive Holy Communion in this Church."
This canon echoes the eucharistic theology of the Book of Common Prayer and the constant teaching and practice of Christian churches from apostolic times. The Prayerbook picks up St Paul's language from 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 when it warns, "As the benefit is great, if with penitent hearts and living faith we receive the holy Sacrament, so is the danger great, if we receive it improperly, not recognizing the Lord's Body" (p 316).
But a recent fad in the Episcopal Church is to entirely ignore canon law, Christian tradition, and the Apostle's caution in favor of what is sometimes called "inclusivity" or "radical hospitality" by offering Holy Communion to the unbaptized. This is not about accidental communion of the unbaptized when the priest does not know, but about openly inviting and encouraging someone who is not baptized, does not profess the Christian faith, or may openly practice another religion to recieve the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion.
It is not an isolated issue. When my wife went to San Francisco on vacation a few years ago, she went to Grace Cathedral and brought back a Sunday bulletin. Looking at it, I noticed that they both invited everyone to Holy Communion (baptized or not) and also expressed in their Mission Statement: "We believe in one God, known to us in Jesus Christ, also known by different names in different traditions."
Fr Dan Martins has some insightful comments on communing the unbaptized here. On a similar theme, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops recently released a paper on worthy reception here called "Happy are those who are called to his Supper."
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