Church of England bans use of the Common Cup for Holy Communion in bid to stop spread of coronavirus
- Wine, used during Eucharist, will not be given to people having Holy Communion
- St Paul’s announced measures to try to stop the spread of the deadly COVID-19
- The Anglican cathedral said it would remain open for worshippers and tourists
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
The Church of England has banned the Common Cup for Holy Communion to try to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The cup of wine, used during the Eucharist, will no longer be passed around for people having Holy Communion at sites including St Paul’s in central London.
The Anglican cathedral announced a raft of measures to try to stop the spread of COVID-19, which has claimed at least 10 lives in the UK.
St Paul’s was almost deserted yesterday (pictured) as tourists stayed away due to coronavirus fears
The cup of wine, used during the Eucharist, will no longer be passed around for people having Holy Communion at sites including St Paul’s in central London (file photo)
There was no queue to get in to the cathedral yesterday (pictured) and few people around the usually busy steps
The Church of England also encouraged worshippers not to shake hands during the ‘Sign of the Peace’.
The move was enforced on Monday when Boris Johnson, Prince Harry and Craig David gave each other ‘elbow bumps’ to comply with the Abbey’s guidelines.
Christians receiving Holy Communion drink wine or grape juice from the Common Cup, which is supposed to represent Jesus’ blood.
The cup is often reused several times, and passed from person to person.
Craig David was seen giving Prince Harry an ‘elbow bump’, an informal greeting that avoids the unnecessary touching of hands, at the annual Commonwealth Service on Monday
St Paul’s, which will remain open for the time being, has axed the sacred practice of the Common Cup and worshippers will only eat bread or wafer, which represents Jesus’ body.
A spokesman said: ‘St Paul’s Cathedral is monitoring the coronavirus outbreak very closely and following all government and Church of England advice.
‘This has included removing the Common Cup during services, increasing its cleaning regime and providing hand sanitiser to public facing staff.
‘The Cathedral currently remains open and has welcomed sightseers and worshippers this week.’
Academics had historically been concerned the Common Cup could have helped spread AIDS.
There were no signs in the cathedral’s toilets asking visitors and worshippers to wash their hands more frequently, as many other sites have been adopting
A Spokesman for St Paul’s said: ‘The Cathedral currently remains open and has welcomed sightseers and worshippers this week’
St Paul’s was almost deserted yesterday as tourists stayed away due to coronavirus fears.
There was no queue to get in and few people around the usually busy steps.
There were no signs in the cathedral’s toilets asking visitors and worshippers to wash their hands more frequently, as many other sites have been adopting.
St Paul’s’ move follows Catholic churches in Scotland which banned holy water and signs of peace over the spread of the disease.
St Cuthbert’s Church in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, introduced ‘precautionary measures’ after the first Scot was diagnosed.
These include emptying holy water stoops and suspending the sign of peace.
Holy Communion will also be received in the hand rather than on the tongue.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced stricter measures to combat the killer virus yesterday/on Thursday, and said ‘many more families are going to lose loved ones’.
In new rules the Government has asked anyone with a new and persistent cough or a fever to stay at home for seven days.
If someone is diagnosed, then the whole household will be asked to self isolate.
Officially there are 596 cases with 10 deaths, however health officials are concerned there could be 10,000 infected people.