The Vatican has sent out a letter stating that the liturgical materials of the Eucharist are to be respected and that no modifications, such as adding “fruits, honey and sugar,” should be made.
The Holy See’s body for the discipline of the sacraments, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, has told local bishops to be “watchful of the quality of the bread and wine destined for the Eucharist.”
The letter, signed by the Congregation’s head, Cardinal Robert Sarah, says that some priests have been using materials that render either the wine or the bread, or both, “invalid for Eucharist.”
The recommendations came in a circular letter, ‘On the bread and wine for the Eucharist,’ sent to diocesan bishops "at the request of the Holy Father, Pope Francis." Dated 15 June - the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ - the letter was made public by the Vatican on 8 July.
Because bread and wine for the Eucharist are no longer supplied just by religious communities, but "are also sold in supermarkets and other stores and even over the internet," bishops should set up guidelines, an oversight body or even a form of certification for bread and wine, the letter advises.
Mgr Claudio Magnoli, who is a liturgical expert and consultant to the Vatican body that deals with sacraments, said that “in some cases there has been a sort of theology of adaptation” whereby the Church's instructions on what liturgically qualifies as suitable for the Eucharist are ignored.
There have been cases of priests using beer instead of wine, to reflect local cultural practices.
Reports have emerged of a priest in Holland using the barley-based beverage instead of the Church’s “consecrated” wine, arguing that it more closely reflected the Northern European country’s culture.
Aside from beer, some parish priests have used “manioc (or cassava), rice and other cereals” if wheat – used for the host – is not cultivated.
The letter explains that the host cannot be "completely" without gluten, as it is necessary for it to be considered bread. It adds: “Completely gluten-free hosts continue to be "invalid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist."
If a priest is to use low-gluten hosts, they must first gain permission from the ordinary.
The introduction of any other substances, "such as fruit or sugar or honey, for confecting the bread” is, described as “a grave abuse."
The wine used in the celebration of the Eucharist "must be natural, from the fruit of the grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances," continues the letter.
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