In the midst of a swine flu pandemic, should guests at a wine-tasting party share a single glass? A version of that question faces many Hampton Roads churches, where congregants sip from a shared Communion cup.
A Georgetown University doctor warns against such a practice, but it's routine during Communion in Catholic, Episcopal and Lutheran churches.
Both the local Episcopal and Catholic dioceses have issued flu precautions that include Communion practices, as has the White House's faith-based initiatives office.
As religion meets science in the sanctuary, some worshippers aren't worried that the cup might be a virus-catcher.
"When you've been at a church and know the people and community, they're like family," said Mary Jerauld, a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach. "It doesn't bother me."
Dr. Ranit Mishori, assistant professor in family medicine at the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, noted that H1N1 spreads by aerosol particles of bodily fluids from infected people.
The chalice could be a gathering spot for those germs.
"If the cup is moved in succession from one person to the next, the virus can come from your saliva or from someone sneezing in their hand and then holding the cup," she said.
Locally, congregants have faith that they won't catch the flu through a sacrament.
"I just dismiss it," said Ed Marroni, a Virginia Beach Catholic. "The alcohol in the wine, that is a factor for me - it might neutralize whatever is there."
At St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Virginia Beach, Robert Schihl trusts in his religion's belief that the consecrated Communion wine and bread are truly Jesus Christ's blood and body.
"I cannot believe, if this is the blood of Jesus, that contagion would be the result," said Schihl, the church's director of adult faith formation.
Others believe that the gold and silver in a Communion chalice make the vessels naturally inhospitable to germs.
But flu.gov, the federal Web site detailing H1N1 precautions, notes that flu transmission "may be possible" from religious rituals involving eating and drinking from communal dishes and containers.
In response to the warnings, some parishes are taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of their parishioners.
At Eastern Shore Chapel in Virginia Beach, an Episcopal church, Communion servers are wiping the cup's rim with an alcohol swab after each parishioner's sip. Before, the cup was wiped only with a clean cloth.
The church also provides anti-bacterial gel to priests and altar guild members who handle communion vessels. Additionally, Eastern Shore switched from handmade to pre-packaged communion wafers to reduce the risk of contamination.
"We want to take every precaution we can, but we don't want people to freak out or stay away," said Ann Turner, an Eastern Shore spokeswoman.
Recommendations from the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, which has 115 parishes and encompasses Hampton Roads, are posted on its Web site.
The Catholic Diocese of Richmond's Web site recommends that the cloth used to wipe the cup, called a purificator, be used on the inside and outside of the rim.
"While not yet mandated, it may eventually be necessary to temporarily eliminate reception of Holy Communion on the tongue and from the cup," the diocese stated.
The recommendations urge that the cloth should be turned over or moved so that a new portion is used to wipe the cup after each serving. Clergy and Communion servers are advised to wash their hands with sanitizing gel before serving the wafers and wine.
None of those steps guarantees that the shared cup is virus-free, Mishori said.
Mishori said simply wiping with a clean cloth isn't enough. Viruses usually can be killed with bleach or a solution that is at least 60 percent alcohol, she said. The alcohol in wine ranges to as high as 18 percent.
Mishori said that even people who abstain from Communion could be "somewhat at risk" of catching the flu just by being at church, a chance they take in any crowd.
Some churches offer the option of intinction, in which the Communion bread is dipped into the wine, skipping the need to sip.
Critics of intinction say fingertips might dip into the wine and transmit the virus to the cup's contents. Having one server intinct for each congregant might lessen that risk, others say.
"I'd rather do that," Mishori said of intinction, "than place my lips on the rim of a cup that had been on the lips of someone just before who'd just coughed or sneezed."
The better option might be giving congregants a choice of the common cup or an individual cup, which is routine at local Evangelical Lutheran Church of America parishes.
Steven G. Vegh, (757) 446-2417, steven.vegh@pilotonline.com
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Slower & more deliberate distribution of Communion
The Catholic diocese of Savannah, Georgia is doing the following:
To safe guard against the spread of swine flu we will [a] no longer be including the Sign of Peace during Mass; [b] Parishioners should refrain from holding hands during the Our Father; [c] Communion will not be distributed by the Chalice; and [d] Priests should take care when distributing Communion to avoid touching the tongue or the hands of the communicant, so we should be prepared for a more deliberate and slower distribution.
Can you imagine if the Catholic Diocese of Richmond actually required a slower and more deliberate distribution of communion?
viruses at play
The threat to human bodies is minimal when compared to the dogma that for ages has infected human minds with its nonsense.
Which Dogma?
Which Dogma? The one YOU believe? Or the Dogma you do not believe? Or is it only called a Dogma when you don't agree with it? Or is it an "infection of human minds" when it isn't in line with your theology (or lack of for that matter)? Are you incapable of faith and reason?
so many things we don't believe!
It's true, friend. I can't get with faith like some can. I have tried but am so filled with wonder over the mysteries and marvels of nature that the mere supernatural with its constipated texts no longer generates either excitement or inspiration. We learn from the ancients that it is ok of course, if humankind cannot explain something, to simply reflect and not invent explanations. As for ''which dogma?'' All, although they are all interesting to study as phenomena of human imagination. I in fact encourage familiarity with as many dogmas as you can stomach so as to better understand humankind. Don't settle on one. There are indeed hundreds which alas most no longer believe...yours might be next to fade away. The developed mind sees that, individually, dogmas transfer themselves from trained parrots who acquire their claims at second-hand without examination and pass them to trained congregations which accept them also without examination. And neither the speakers nor the hearers laugh at themselves!
Mythbusters?
That sounds like a good one for Mythbusters. Wine is a mild sanitizer due to the alcohol, so it's possible it kills off germs.
If you're willing to take the risk....
If you're willing to take the risk, be my guest. In the meantime, I'm going to refrain from sharing the same cup with other people, swine flu or not. By the time many people have drunk from the same cup, I imagine the saliva to wine ratio would create an even more pathogen-friendly environment. Just make sure you're first in line(even if you believe that It is the Body and Blood of Christ under the appearance of wine). If you believe it is a more complete experience by receiving both species, intinction is the safest way to do that; however, a communion paten would be needed to avoid profanation of the Sacred Species'...something that the Richmond Diocese would forbid. We are a paten-less diocese and always will be even if the Pope himself demanded it. We march to our own drummer.
At the same time . . .
At the same time, there are other things in wine the virus could feed off of. It would be interesting to see what sort of an effect wine does have on it.
take the flu
I am still waiting to get SARS, Bird flu, AIDS etc. I think this is a ploy by drug companies to make money. I think the vaccines get you ill anyway. I will tk my chances.
Swine Flu??!! What about all the other pathogens in saliva???
I do not take the risk of sharing the same cup with others. As long as the theology teaches that the Real Presence is fully present under one species, I will only receive the Host. Besides, I read about one study that was done on post-communion chalices. Chalices cultured for bacteria after the service grew Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus parainfluenzae and Branhamella catarrhalis to name a few. Although I do not know of any cases where a person has contracted Herpes from the Communion Chalice (or cup, if you prefer common kitchenware terminology when referring to the Sacred), I am not willing to take the chance of being among the last few communicants to drink 80% saliva from other communicants. By the way, the practice of hand-shaking and hand-holding should be strongly discouraged! This is a practice that I know is encouraged throughout the Richmond Diocesan liturgies....especially youth liturgies...not that our little ones are known to carry germs on their hands or anything like that.
I'm a Roman Catholic, and have been receiving Holy Communion
since the age of six.
I'd like to remind you all that the Son of God is fully present in both the host/bread, and the wine.
There is no need, therefore, to drink the wine, if it bothers your hygienic sensibilities.
I have more problems with the hand-holding, hand-shaking "Kumbaya" aspects of the modern Church.
Yes, and I still miss the Latin Mass of my youth.
Pax vobiscum!
When it gets to the churches . . .
You know people are starting to take this flu season more seriously when this sort of thing is being taken into consideration. With so many of the schools being half empty of students and people getting the flu that normally don't, people DO need to take it seriously and take necessary precautions. Faith is a great thing to have but God gave us common sense which will do a better job of keeping us healthy.
TJ, apparently you are not a
TJ, apparently you are not a christian
This just goes to prove
The comments made in the article are indicative of the kind of people who attend to these places of commerce, selling religion. They are easily led and will believe in just about anything. The commercially produced wine is the blood of "Christ".....what a joke! This H1N1 is finally bringing this conversation about? I agree with the other poster who mentioned all the other communicable diseases that can be passed on through these ceremonies.
crazy
I was raised in a congregation in which everyone was given their own small communion wine (grape juice, actually) and host (bread). When I found out that some denominations use a common cup, I couldn't believe it! I was raised by a nurse (my mom) to never share a drink with anyone beyond perhaps your own spouse. Sharing drinks is just reckless! It doesn't matter if the officiant wipes the rim of the cup, because the flu germs can be carried in your saliva!
It's a Catholic thing, you wouldn't understan
I remember when the cub for Communion first became common in Catholic churches and this concern was raised. We were asked to skip the cup if we were sick, and otherwise not worry. If you take the cup you are trusting God. If you are sick and take the Cup, you are testing God.
What a joke!
Yes, I remember going to a service at the local Greek Orthodox Church once. I chose not to participate in communion, of course. It was disgusting, in my opinion, and dangerous. And yes, they have this belief that God will protect you from the germs.
Just another example of how dangerous religion can be.
communion
The Greek Orthodox receives communion (wine/bread) by a shared spoon dipped into one cup - I don't ever remember anyone getting sick. Nothing has been said about making any changes.
About time they start caring for thier flocks
They do this for swine flu but have no concerns about seasonal flu, hepitis C, Aids, menigitis, and many other things that can be spread by sharing.
Communicable diseases
FYI, hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS are only spread by blood. You cannot get Hep C or AIDS by sharing a drinking vessel.
For the record, I think sharing communal glasses is a bad idea, but please get your facts straight. People are fearful enough of H1N1 without people bringing back inaccuracies about AIDS that we finally got rid of 15 years ago!