[WORLD]26/06/14 Power shortages force Cuban churches to ration Communion wafers

[성기화 요셉]

Priests say the shortages stem from the country's deepening energy crisis, with some areas experiencing blackouts lasting more than 24 hours 

George Payano, a friar of the Discalced Carmelites, celebrates Mass in the chapel of the Santa Teresa and San Jose Convent in the Vedado neighbourhood of Havana on June 14. (Photo: AFP) 

By AFP, Havana

Published: June 15, 2026 06:14 AM GMT

Updated: June 15, 2026 06:18 AM GMT

To the never-ending list of scarcities in Cuba comes a new addition: communion for the Catholic faithful.

On June 14, several priests told AFP that they had been ordered to ration the small wafers intended to symbolize the body of Jesus Christ during Mass.

Communion wafers are made from a mix of flour and water pressed into flat discs that the priest places on worshippers' tongues during Mass.

All that wafer consumed by Cuba's Catholics is made at a Carmelite monastery in Havana, which, like the rest of the city and country, has been battling extended power cuts, made worse by a five-month-old US oil blockade.

In recent weeks, as Cuba's fuel supplies have begun to dry up, the outages have extended to over 24 hours at a stretch, causing misery for millions.

George Payano, a 35-year-old Dominican priest who officiated at a mass at Saint convent on June 14, said the nuns sometimes had around two hours' electricity a day to work the communion wafer presses.

"That means lower production, and as they (the nuns) told the priests and bishops, you have to ration them a bit so that there are enough for all," he said.

While the 20 or so worshippers at his service did receive communion, they were preparing for leaner times ahead.

On exiting the church to find the power out again in the neighborhood, they vowed to keep the faith.

"People who don't receive communion can do so spiritually, but let's hope it doesn't come to that," Mariela Shuman, a 70-year-old pensioner, told AFP.