By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Catholic Church in Uganda is facing a shortage of altar wine for its mass, a development that has persisted since February, local media report.
The acute shortage of this vital symbol of Christian faith has been attributed to the war in Gaza, which has delayed shipment into the East African country
Local media report that the church’s holding firm, JW InterServices, this week alerted dioceses regarding the matter, and advised them to cautiously use the stock they already had.
Local report says the church gets its supply from Spain and the product is normally shipped through the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
But because of a change in route, a consignment that had been due to arrive at the beginning of April, was now due by the end of this month.
“The ships have been diverted to take longer and safer routes through the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean which has caused a major crisis and delays of their arrival to Mombasa port,” the Observer newspaper quoted JW InterServices’ managing director, Father Asiku Alfred Tulu, as saying.
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Heritage Times reports that alter wine is an important part of the ritual of Holy Communion, through which Christians remember the sacrifice of Jesus’ death.
The war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants started since Oct 7 when the group launched an attack at the Israeli territory.
Arising from the war, at least 34,568 people in Gaza, mostly women and children have been killed, according to Palestinian authorities.
Repeated appeal by world leader for Israel to ceasefire has yielded no positive outcome.
This week, Turkey joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ),
Colombia also last month called on the ICJ to allow it to join the case and to ensure “the safety and, indeed, the very existence of the Palestinian people”.
