• Sweden edition

Fortified wine to prevent spread of swine flu: Church of Sweden

Published: 7 Sep 09 10:17 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/21922/20090907/

A number of Swedish churches have decided to serve fortified wine during communion in hopes of reducing the risk of spreading swine flu, according to several media reports.

Church authorities hope that fortified wine will provide better protection than light or alcohol-free wine against the spread of swine flu when the communion cup is passed around.

Karlskoga church in central Sweden has decided to reintroduce fortified wine and the issue is also being debated among parishes in Piteå in northern Sweden.

“We will have a vicars meeting where we will discuss this issue. Everything points to the fact that we will decide to reintroduce fortified wine during communion,” dean Stieg Berggren told Piteå-Tidningen newspaper.

The question of whether or not to serve fortified wine remains a local one.

“At the national level, we haven't made any recommendations about fortified wine,” Stefan Håkansson, press secretary at the offices of the Church of Sweden, told TT news agency.

Several churches have recommended that visitors shouldn't partake of communion at all to prevent the spread of swine flu.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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11:54 September 7, 2009 by Serendipitiz
Good thing that they aren't preaching abstinence from pork as the way to prevent swine flu, as they have been with relation to sex and the prevention HIV/AIDS. Both methods would work equally well, I'd say.
13:04 September 7, 2009 by Kaethar
Swine flue isn't spread through pork...
13:46 September 7, 2009 by ooh456
You can get it from porking however...
18:45 September 7, 2009 by richardbw
Oh dear...
21:15 September 7, 2009 by Rebel
Since sexually transmitted diseases are far more a threat to Sweden than swine flu has the CofS taken a forceful stand in favor of abstinance before marriage and then no messing around with anyone but your wife/husband afterwards?
00:09 September 8, 2009 by lingonberrie
Two thousand (2000) American college students from the University of Washington, Washington State, have been identified as having the swine-flu strain.

Most American colleges just opened for classes.

How many more students will get the swine-flu when this sickness gets into full swing?

The powers that are at that University, and the State health officials, are very concerned about this turn of events at the University.

What I read here, however, are statistics about auto-realted deaths that are meant to down-play this serious disease with a totally irrelevant comparison.
01:41 September 8, 2009 by bosco
It's been a few 24 hours since I have attended Church Services but after reading this I might just get up a bit earlier on Sunday! Actually, as someone who

"enjoys a drink" I think it definitely kills more than germs. Great article and

might I add, as an Irishman who absolutely loves Germany, a great Website!

Bosco
10:32 September 8, 2009 by peropaco
I admire the church creative thinking. They are fully aware how much swedes love a sip or two of booz and there is no better way to increase attendance than by offering real wine.
01:09 September 9, 2009 by raindogg
I'd attend that church if i could.

god bless
06:33 September 9, 2009 by ausboi
This whole communion thing is a lovely concept but it belongs in the past and the time when society had less understanding of how diseases are spread. Of course any sharing of cups is going to spread disease. Are these people idiots?
10:42 September 9, 2009 by Rick Methven
Just watch out for the Police outsude those churches ready to increase their Drink-Drive conviction rate
22:37 September 11, 2009 by henry.bn
According to orthodox Christian doctrine, as explained by St Thomas Aquinas, Christ is received whole and entire in either species alone (the Body of Christ or the Blood of Christ).

We Catholics have simply reverted to the traditional practice of receiving the Body of Christ alone, on the tongue.
17:30 October 17, 2009 by michaelbesho
As an Orthodox Christian, I see if we believe that by the flesh and the blood of Jesus christ we have salvation, so how we can accept that swine flu or any other disease whatever it be can transfer during communion secrtet.

Sometimes we have to put down our logical thinking to live with the faith as Abraham, Joseph,Moses, and others had done before.
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