Card Sarah: Ensure the validity of bread and wine for the Eucharist

Letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship. Bishops must ensure that the material for the celebration is valid: wheat bread and grape wine. The exceptions for celiac and for those who do not drink wine but can drink mustum. Verification is needed because today these products are also sold in supermarkets and via the internet.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The "validity of Eucharistic matter", namely that bread and wine for Eucharist are truly unleavened wheat bread and grape wine, is an important issue that bishops must "watch over" so they are "guaranteed" by manufacturers and distributors. It is the theme of a letter signed by Card. Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, "requested by the Holy Pope Francis" and released today by the Holy See Press Office.

"Vigilance" has become necessary because while in the past there were religious congregations who baked the bread and made the wine for mass, today these products "are also sold in supermarkets, in other stores and over the Internet", leaving "doubts about the Validity of Eucharistic matter".

The letter recalls that " The bread used in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made so that there is no danger of decomposition.  It follows therefore that bread made from another substance, even if it is grain, or if it is mixed with another substance different from wheat to such an extent that it would not commonly be considered wheat bread, does not constitute valid matter for confecting the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament.  It is a grave abuse to introduce other substances, such as fruit or sugar or honey, into the bread for confecting the Eucharist”.

In turn, " 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.”

Exceptions are provided. For example, for those who are celiac, "hosts partially devoid of gluten" may be used, but not totally exempt; And instead of wine, it is possible to use mustum, provided that it  “is either fresh or preserved by methods that suspend its fermentation without altering its nature (for example, freezing).

The letter suggests to the various episcopal conferences to find ways - through religious congregations or competent bodies - to ensure the validity of  "production, preservation and sale of bread and wine for the Eucharist in a given country and in other countries where they come exported. "