doubt to have a concubine."
Moreover, Gregory says (Dial. iii) that "the faithless father sent an
Arian bishop to his son, for him to receive sacrilegiously the
consecrated Communion at his hands. But, when the Arian bishop
arrived, God's devoted servant rebuked him, as was right for him to
do."

_I answer that,_ As was said above (AA. 5, 7), heretical,
schismatical, excommunicate, or even sinful priests, although they
have the power to consecrate the Eucharist, yet they do not make a
proper use of it; on the contrary, they sin by using it. But whoever
communicates with another who is in sin, becomes a sharer in his sin.
Hence we read in John's Second Canonical Epistle (11) that "He that
saith unto him, God speed you, communicateth with his wicked works."
Consequently, it is not lawful to receive Communion from them, or to
assist at their mass.

Still there is a difference among the above, because heretics,
schismatics, and excommunicates, have been forbidden, by the Church's
sentence, to perform the Eucharistic rite. And therefore whoever
hears their mass or receives the sacraments from them, commits sin.
But not all who are sinners are debarred by the Church's sentence
from using this power: and so, although suspended by the Divine
sentence, yet they are not suspended in regard to others by any
ecclesiastical sentence: consequently, until the Church's sentence is
pronounced, it is lawful to receive Communion at their hands, and to
hear their mass. Hence on 1 Cor. 5:11, "with such a one not so much
as to eat," Augustine's gloss runs thus: "In saying this he was
unwilling for a man to be judged by his fellow man on arbitrary
suspicion, or even by usurped extraordinary judgment, but rather by
God's law, according to the Church's ordering, whether he confess of
his own accord, or whether he be accused and convicted."

Reply Obj. 1: By refusing to hear the masses of such priests, or to
receive Communion from them, we are not shunning God's sacraments; on
the contrary, by so doing we are giving them honor (hence a host
consecrated by such priests is to be adored, and if it be reserved,
it can be consumed by a lawful priest): but what we shun is the sin
of the unworthy ministers.

Reply Obj. 2: The unity of the mystical body is the fruit of the true
body received. But those who receive or minister unworthily, are
deprived of the fruit, as was said above (A. 7; Q. 80, A. 4). And
therefore, those who belong to the unity