Page 1 of 1

Letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist

Posted: 20:30 Sun 09 Jul 2017
by jdaw1
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:
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.
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?

Re: Letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist

Posted: 22:14 Sun 09 Jul 2017
by PhilW
I believe that port has quite commonly been used for communion wine, at least in Anglican churches.

Re: Letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist

Posted: 23:59 Mon 10 Jul 2017
by DRT
Whilst clearly not true 'Port", it is commendable that it is available in reasonably sized bottles...

https://www.churchsupplywarehouse.com/c ... Altar_Wine

Re: Letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist

Posted: 17:18 Wed 19 Jul 2017
by uncle tom
I vaguely recall being told many years ago that the standard CofE communion wine was a 50:50 mix of ruby port and tap water.

This would appear to fail the 'Vatican test' on two counts..

Re: Letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist

Posted: 22:47 Wed 19 Jul 2017
by DRT
uncle tom wrote: 17:18 Wed 19 Jul 2017 I vaguely recall being told many years ago that the standard CofE communion wine was a 50:50 mix of ruby port and tap water.

This would appear to fail the 'Vatican test' on two counts..
I'm not entirely sure that the CofE has been bound by the "Vatican test" since the time when Henry VIII decided he needed another wife :wink:

Re: Letter to Bishops on the bread and wine for the Eucharist

Posted: 00:45 Sat 07 Mar 2020
by winesecretary
Idly reviewing this very old thread: the father of a school-friend was an Anglican missionary in Africa (where wine tended to spoil unless fortified) until middle age. In his later years he was a hospital chaplain in England and as was his habit he used a good sound LBV for sacramental purposes. I understand it had remarkable restorative powers, with some people having the last rites every day for weeks.