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 Champagne is usually considered a celebratory drink and is commonly served at all weddings, no matter how expensive it gets with high duties and costs but Pope Francis, Head of Catholic Church, based in Vatican City has stated that wine expresses the joy of celebration.
"Water is necessary to live, but wine expresses the abundance of the feast and the joy of the celebration. And a wedding party which lacks wine -- the newlyweds feel ashamed of this. Imagine finishing a wedding party drinking tea -- it would be shameful! Wine is necessary for the celebration," said Pope Francis while addressing the thousands of Pilgrims collect in St. Peter’s Square when he talked about the miracle of Jesus converting water into wine.
“How is it possible to celebrate the wedding and have a party if you lack what the prophets indicated was a typical element of the messianic banquet?” the Pope asked rhetorically, adding, “imagine finishing a wedding party drinking tea -- it would be shameful! Wine is necessary for the celebration."
Comparing a long married life to fine wine, Pope also greeted a group of couples who were present and celebrating 50 years of marriage and said, “That's the good wine of the family.”
The pope is not much of a drinker, though reportedly he enjoys a glass of wine every once in a while.
In all fairness, not every Christian shares his belief. Protestants, who are members of the Southern Baptist Convention, have reportedly passed more than 50 resolutions on the negative effects of alcohol.
‘Assemblies of God movement’ also prohibit its ministers from drinking alcohol and encourages members to abstain. The United Methodist Church used to require all clergy to sign an abstinence pledge, but the practice was abandoned several years ago.
For Catholics and other more traditional churches, wine is essential for the Mass since it reflects its use in the Last Supper and is a long-standing part of Catholic culture in most places.
Vatican has only a few hundred permanent residents but statistically it has the world's highest per capita wine consumption. According to California Wine Institute, the amount of wine consumed in the Vatican amounts to almost 90 liters per resident.
Historically, Christian monks have kept the ritual alive and have been making wine for self use, no matter how strict or anti-wine the current regimes were. They are known to have smuggled vines and kept the tradition for wine alive for the Masses. |