Reports from local media indicate that the Catholic Church in Uganda is grappling with a significant shortage of altar wine.
This shortage, ongoing since February, is reportedly attributed to delays in imports caused by the conflict in Gaza.
According to local media, the church’s supplier, JW InterServices, recently informed dioceses about the issue and advised them to use their existing stock judiciously.
Traditionally, the church procures its wine from Spain, with shipments typically traveling through the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
However, due to a change in shipping routes, a consignment originally scheduled for early April is now expected to arrive 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.
Altar wine is an important part of the ritual of Holy Communion – through which Christians remember the sacrifice of Jesus’ death.