March 30 (UPI) — A food crisis has left Venezuela without wheat flour to make the sacramental bread used to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, so a Colombian church stepped in with a gift.
Members of the Catholic diocese of Cúcuta, Colombia, donated 250,000 communion wafers “so Venezuelans can celebrate the central mysteries of the Christian faith.”
The wafers were delivered on a bridge between the two countries during a heavy rainfall.
“Due to the scarcity of this country, the hosts for the celebration of the Eucharist have not been the exception; For this reason, and in the exercise of the charity of Christ on the border, the particular Church of Cúcuta has handed over to the dioceses of the Venezuelan border zone the subject matter for the celebration of the Holy Mass,” according to a Facebook statement by the diocese.
Shortages of food and medicine have become common in Venezuela because of an economic crisis largely fueled by a decline in oil production.
Earlier this month after supplies had run out, some churches had asked people to bring flour to nuns who make the hosts.
The Colombian Catholic church said it had a moral duty to help Venezuelans.
“It is important to attend to the needs that afflict the faith as a result of this time of border crisis,” a statement from the diocese said. “At this time of the week, the central mysteries of the Christian faith can be celebrated.”
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