Whining about wine in the U.K.

This from the telegraph.co.uk.

In Beit Jala, a Jerusalem suburb, a Roman Catholic order called the Salesians of Don Bosco has been making organic wine for about 100 years. For some time, now, they've been selling a bunch of it to Roman Catholic and Anglican parishes, as well as to religious houses and university chaplaincies in the United Kingdom.

Not at the moment, however. For some reason Israel has refused to allow the wine through the Hebron checkpoint so it cannot get to Haifa to be shipped to Europe. No one seems to know why but the Israeli Army is reported to have said allowing the wine to pass into Israel may involve a security risk.

Maybe there are teeny little monks hidden under the cork? Wouldn't want any teeny little monks running around loose in Israel! Monkee business, you know!


Della Shenton, employed by the Roman Catholic diocese of Plymouth, has been involved in the flow of wine from Beit Jala to Europe and is terribly distressed. Even though 4,000 bottles of the altar wine have already been imported this year, another 1,000 bottles were on order to be used for the Christmas festivities.

"What this is doing is causing havoc and a lot of distress," said Ms. Shenton. "It is sad that this Christmas Christians are being denied the opportunity to be at one with the people of Bethlehem by drinking its wine."


Havoc and distress? That seems a little over the top!

It is true, I believe, that for Christians, the Eucharist or Mass involves, through partaking of the bread and wine (body and blood), becoming one with Christ and the worldwide community of believers?

Can Christians in the U.K. not be "at one with the people of Bethlehem" by drinking wine from South Africa or Australia or Chile or the Napa Valley?

Does wine from the Salesians of Beit Jala become better "blood" than wine from the local pub?


Omigod. All this havoc and distress!

There's sure a lot of humorous hocus pocus that goes on amongst the churches at Christmas!