To the never-ending list of scarcities in Cuba comes a new addition: Communion for the Catholic faithful. Source: UCA News.
On June 14, several priests told AFP that they had been ordered to ration the small wafers that become the body of Jesus Christ through transubstantiation during Mass.
All of the Communion wafers consumed by Cuba’s Catholics are made at a Carmelite monastery in Havana, which, like the rest of the city and country, has been battling extended power cuts, made worse by a five-month-old United States oil blockade.
In recent weeks, as Cuba’s fuel supplies have begun to dry up, the outages have extended to over 24 hours at a stretch, causing misery for millions.
Fr George Payano, a 35-year-old Dominican priest, said the nuns sometimes had about two hours of electricity a day to operate the Communion wafer presses.
“That means lower production, and as they [the nuns] told the priests and bishops, you have to ration them a bit so that there are enough for all,” he said.
While the 20 or so worshippers at Fr Payono’s Masses did receive Communion, they were preparing for leaner times ahead.
On exiting the church to find the power out again in the neighbourhood, they vowed to keep the faith.
“People who don’t receive Communion can do so spiritually, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Mariela Shuman, a 70-year-old pensioner, told AFP.
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Power shortages force Cuban churches to ration Communion wafers (AFP via UCA News)
