In the middle of the fourth century Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem gave this instruction to those who were about to join the Catholic Church: “When you come forward for Holy Communion, do not draw near with your hands wide open or with fingers spread apart; instead, with your left hand make a throne for the right hand, which will receive the King. Receive the body of Christ in the hollow of your hand and give the response: Amen.”

According to Cardinal Robert Sarah, head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship, this way of receiving Communion constitutes “the most insidious diabolical attack” on the Blessed Sacrament, organised by Satan himself.