Letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist
Posted: 20:30 Sun 09 Jul 2017
We do not usually mix Port tastings with religion. The Royal Navy prohibits discussion of religion; without going that far we can recognise the potential for purposeless disagreement.
Nonetheless, it might interest some that The Vatican has released a letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist, which says:
Nonetheless, it might interest some that The Vatican has released a letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist, which says:
Is wine mixed with grape brandy allowed for these purposes? Perhaps a Port company, presumably but not necessarily a Portuguese company, could seek a ruling from the relevant ecclesiastical authorities?The Vatican wrote:The wine that is used in the most sacred celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice must be natural, from the fruit of the grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances. […] Great care should be taken so that the wine intended for the celebration of the Eucharist is well conserved and has not soured. It is altogether forbidden to use wine of doubtful authenticity or provenance, for the Church requires certainty regarding the conditions necessary for the validity of the sacraments.