Surprising news coming in indicates that the Ugandan Catholic Church is severely lacking in mass wine. This is one of the essential elements at the altar for the holy Eucharist.
According to the current Code of Canon Law, the most holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist is to be celebrated in bread and wine, to which a small amount of water is to be added.
During the most revered celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, only unadulterated, pure grape juice—that is not diluted with any other substances—may be used as wine.
“Wine represents the blood of Christ. And there is a reason wine is mixed with water during Eucharist because during the death of Jesus on the Cross the soldiers pierced his sides, and blood and water gushed out” a Catholic believer said..
Apparently Jesus’ Last Supper with the disciples during Passover is symbolized by the Holy Communion. As per Catholic beliefs, Jesus blessed the bread and wine during the final supper by declaring, “This is my body… This is My blood.”
Therefore the secret to consecration is wine. According to Roman Catholic doctrine, the consecrated body contains Jesus’ blood.
It is becoming apparent that the shortfall, which has been since the start of Lent, is probably going to get worse because the Middle East conflict has also impacted exports to Uganda.
The Church’s holding firm, JW InterServices Ltd., which is responsible for the worldwide procurement, alerted dioceses about the issue. It also advised them to use their stock carefully and sparingly. Additionally, it claimed that the delay resulted from the Middle East turmoil altering supply channels.
For the purpose of celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the Church imports wine from Spain. In order to manage the situation, the priests are supposed to utilize the wine that is available judiciously.
This is as per the information sent to different dioceses in the country by the Church. In a letter dated April 30, 2024 and with reference number 240430/Admin/Tr1, the managing director of the company, Rev Fr Asiku Alfred Tulu, stated that although wine was anticipated to arrive in the nation by the beginning of April.
A change in route may only allow it to reach by the end of May. The business does some internal and some foreign procurement for the Catholic Church and is a member of the Ugandan Catholic Episcopal Conference.
“This is to inform you that due to the Middle-East wars, the ship’s usual passage through the Mediterranean and the Red Sea were suspended and cancelled. The ships have been diverted to take longer and safer routes through the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean which has caused a major crisis and delays of their arrival to Mombasa Port,” the company wrote.
“This has affected the arrival of Mass Wine which we had expected to be here at the beginning of April 2024. The information from our shippers indicates that Wine will arrive in Mid-May and we hope to clear it through Uganda Customs by the end of the month of May,” the letter signed by Fr Tulu added, as he urged economy.
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“This therefore is to kindly request you to regulate the use of wine as much as possible. In the meantime, we have limited stock of White Mass Wine, duly approved by the Uganda Episcopal Conference. Kindly note, it is also limited,” Fr Tulu wrote as he apologized for “any inconveniences caused by this unforeseen situation caused by the above factors.”
All of the nation’s church parishes are expected to receive the information.
