Church of England says ‘no’ non-alcoholic communion wine
The Church of England has rejected calls to introduce dietary alternatives for the Eucharist, such as alcohol-free wine and gluten-free bread. The post Church of England says ‘no’ non-alcoholic communion wine appeared first on The Drinks Business.
The Church of England has rejected calls to introduce dietary alternatives for the Eucharist, such as alcohol-free wine and gluten-free bread.
Ahead of the start of the church's General Synod today (10 February), the issue of inclusivity within the Church of England has been raised, particularly with regard to dietary requirements.
The Eucharist is one of the key sacraments of Christianity, recalling the Last Supper. One of the major differences between Protestantism and Catholicism is that the latter faith believes in transubstantiation – that the bread becomes the flesh of Christ and the wine becomes the blood of Christ. For the Anglican church, the consecrated bread and wine represents the body and blood of Christ, but has not physically become so.
Reverend Canon Alice Kemp suggested that the use of "gluten-free and alcohol-free elements" in the Eucharist should be made legal: "Both priests and congregants who are unable to consume gluten and/or alcohol are forced to receive in one kind only or may be prohibited from receiving both elements if they are unable to consume both gluten and alcohol."
According to information from Coeliac UK, around one in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by the consumption of gluten, though only a third of those with the condition are clinically diagnosed.
However, the riposte to Kemp's suggestion from chairman of the Liturgical Commission and Bishop of Lichfield Michael Ipgrave suggested that the church will stick to its position, and argued that partaking in the Eucharist does not have to physically involve ingesting the bread and wine: "Receiving holy communion in one kind in a case of necessity is not an ‘exclusion’ but full participation in the sacrament, as often practised in the communion of the sick, or with children. Indeed, even believers who cannot physically receive the sacrament are to be assured that they are partakers by faith of the body and blood of Christ, and of the benefits he conveys to us by them."
With regards to the rules, Canon B 17 stipulates: "The bread, whether leavened or unleavened, shall be of the best and purest wheat flour that conveniently may be gotten, and the wine the fermented juice of the grape, good and wholesome."
Given that fermentation results in alcohol, the legal advisory to the General Synod suggested that this means that alcohol is an integral part of the communion wine, and therefore dealcoholised wine was not permissible: "Putting aside the specification of the fruit to be used, the addition of the word ‘fermented’ must also have been included for good reason. Fermentation is the process by which alcohol is created and therefore the Canon requires that the grape juice be turned into alcohol. By the removal of all such alcohol the required results of that fermentation are nullified and the resultant beverage then not only ceases to be ‘wine’ as commonly understood but also ceases to be ‘the fermented juice of the grape’."
Ahead of the start of the church's General Synod today (10 February), the issue of inclusivity within the Church of England has been raised, particularly with regard to dietary requirements.
The Eucharist is one of the key sacraments of Christianity, recalling the Last Supper. One of the major differences between Protestantism and Catholicism is that the latter faith believes in transubstantiation – that the bread becomes the flesh of Christ and the wine becomes the blood of Christ. For the Anglican church, the consecrated bread and wine represents the body and blood of Christ, but has not physically become so.
Reverend Canon Alice Kemp suggested that the use of "gluten-free and alcohol-free elements" in the Eucharist should be made legal: "Both priests and congregants who are unable to consume gluten and/or alcohol are forced to receive in one kind only or may be prohibited from receiving both elements if they are unable to consume both gluten and alcohol."
According to information from Coeliac UK, around one in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease, an autoimmune disorder triggered by the consumption of gluten, though only a third of those with the condition are clinically diagnosed.
However, the riposte to Kemp's suggestion from chairman of the Liturgical Commission and Bishop of Lichfield Michael Ipgrave suggested that the church will stick to its position, and argued that partaking in the Eucharist does not have to physically involve ingesting the bread and wine: "Receiving holy communion in one kind in a case of necessity is not an ‘exclusion’ but full participation in the sacrament, as often practised in the communion of the sick, or with children. Indeed, even believers who cannot physically receive the sacrament are to be assured that they are partakers by faith of the body and blood of Christ, and of the benefits he conveys to us by them."
With regards to the rules, Canon B 17 stipulates: "The bread, whether leavened or unleavened, shall be of the best and purest wheat flour that conveniently may be gotten, and the wine the fermented juice of the grape, good and wholesome."
Given that fermentation results in alcohol, the legal advisory to the General Synod suggested that this means that alcohol is an integral part of the communion wine, and therefore dealcoholised wine was not permissible: "Putting aside the specification of the fruit to be used, the addition of the word ‘fermented’ must also have been included for good reason. Fermentation is the process by which alcohol is created and therefore the Canon requires that the grape juice be turned into alcohol. By the removal of all such alcohol the required results of that fermentation are nullified and the resultant beverage then not only ceases to be ‘wine’ as commonly understood but also ceases to be ‘the fermented juice of the grape’." 
