Church Uses Stronger Wine to Fight Flu

Several parishes of the Church of Sweden have begun to use fortified wines, rather than light or alcohol-free wines, in the hopes of reducing the risk of transmitting swine flu. Other churches around the world have stopped the practice all together.

According to The Local , church authorities hope that fortified wine will provide better protection against the spread of swine flu when the communion cup is passed around. The decision is a local one and the Church of Sweden said in a statement that they have not made any recommendations about fortified wine.

Over the summer, archbishops with the Church of England recommended that churches stop sharing the chalice at communion due to swine flu fears.

Churches in the U.S. are also taking the swine flu threat seriously and putting new safeguards in place to help reduce congregants' risk. Newsweek reported that Methodist churches in Texas are using individually wrapped communion wafers and juice packets, rather than traditional bread and wine. Some churches are also suspending the sharing of wine as part of communion.

The Associated Press reported that parishioners will no longer offer handshakes as a sign of peace at a Roman Catholic Church in Cincinnati, due to concerns about swine flu. Also communion wine will not be served.

Earlier this year TechCrunch called for the ritual of the handshake to end, calling it a "relic of an older time." And one German city has "abolished" the practice stating that "We do not give you the hand, but we give you a smile."

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