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Hi, Mary —
Thanks for the question.
No. In order to receive the Blessed Sacrament their has to:
- be a priest to celebrate Mass for those who are prisoners of war, or
- the country with who they are at combat with should, based on human rights and basic decency, allow prisoners of war to receive Holy Communion from either a:
- priest
- nun, or
- Extraordinary Ministry of the Eucharist
If prisoners of war cannot receive the Blessed Sacrament, what they can do is say a Spiritual Communion which goes like this:
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. I love You above all things and I long to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace myself entirely to You, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
It would also be a good habit to say an Act of Contrition before saying this Spiritual Communion.
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen.
In this Act of Contrition, when it says: to confess my sins, it is understood to be a private confession, until and if, the person has an opportunity to confess his sins to a priest.
For those who are in the unfortunate situation of being a prisoner of war, they can also say the Rosary, by means of a Rosary-less Rosary — just use your the fingers of your hand to count the Hail Marys and Our Fathers. Here is a posting that spells out the exact prayers and the order which to pray them.
I hope this helps,
Mike
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