Was wine at Holy Communion banned in the USA during Prohibition?

Buck540

No...an exception was made for sacramental wine. Mar 01 05, 6:59 PM

picqero

Also, wasn't it the case that alcoholic beverages which had been acquired before prohibition laws came into force could still be legally drunk? Mar 01 05, 9:19 PM

Arpeggionist

I think it was durring this time that wine manufacturers started coming out with non-alcoholic grape juice for the purposes of ritual use in churches and in Jewish ceremonies. I still prefer that to the alcohol. Mar 02 05, 3:04 AM

Buck540

The Vatican requires the wine to be fermented for use in Mass, and this was before Vatican II. Mar 02 05, 9:23 AM

Arpeggionist

All we require is that it be the "fruit of the vine" - that is, that the drink be 100% grape, whether or not it has had time to ferment. The only occasion when a Jew is required to drink alcohol is on Purim day, and then we are required to truly drink to excess ("until one can't tell the difference between 'blessed be Mordechai' and 'cursed be Haman'"). Mar 02 05, 10:29 AM

Stew54

Methodists drink unfermented grape juice at Holy Communion, and this has been the case since the eighteenth century. Mar 02 05, 11:37 AM

Arpeggionist

So methodists shouldn't have had a problem with Prohibition laws. I would think that the Catholic Church would have made some adaptation to accomidate its American adherents who would have felt guilty of drinking illegal alcohol, who would feel that breaking the law was a sin. Mar 02 05, 3:47 PM