Uganda: Catholic Church Runs Out of Altered Wine as War Persists in Gaza

By Enyichukwu Enemanna

The Catholic Church in Uganda is facing a shortage of altar wine for its mass, a situation that has persisted since February, local media report.

Severe shortages of this vital symbol of the Christian faith have been attributed to the war in Gaza, which has delayed shipments to the East African country.

Local media report that the church holding company, JW InterServices, alerted dioceses about the matter this week and advised them to cautiously use the stock they already had.

A local report says the church sources its supply from Spain and the product is typically shipped via the Mediterranean and Red Sea.

But due to a route change, a shipment that was due to arrive in early April was now due to arrive at the end of this month.

“Ships have been diverted to take longer, safer routes across the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, causing a major crisis and delays in their arrival at the port of Mombasa,” the Observer newspaper quoted the CEO of JW InterServices as saying. , Father Asiku Alfred Tulu. as he says he.

Heritage Times reports that altered wine is an important part of the Holy Communion ritual, through which Christians remember the sacrificial death of Jesus.

The war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants began on October 7, when the group launched an attack on Israeli territory.

According to Palestinian authorities, at least 34,568 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, have died as a result of the war.

The world leader’s repeated call for Israel to cease fire has not yielded any positive results.

This week, Turkey joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Colombia also asked the ICJ last month to allow it to join the case and guarantee “the security and, indeed, the very existence of the Palestinian people.”