According to reports, 300,000 wafers came from Puerto Rico and another 35,000 from Panama.Image: www.imago-images.de
June 18, 2026, 01:44June 18, 2026, 01:44
Because of the acute economic crisis in Cuba, hosts for Catholic services are now missing. Since the nuns can no longer produce enough of the thin wafers, the churches in Puerto Rico and Panama had 335,000 wafers delivered to Cuba, as the Catholic news portal ACI Prensa reports.
An oil embargo and economic sanctions by the US government had recently further exacerbated the long-standing crisis in the socialist Caribbean state.
“This gesture of fraternity is a response to the difficulties faced by several Cuban dioceses in the provision of hosts,” said the Archdiocese of Panama. According to reports, 300,000 wafers came from Puerto Rico and another 35,000 from Panama. According to Catholic belief, the consecrated host becomes the body of Jesus Christ and is given during communion.
As the Puerto Rican Catholic newspaper “El Visitante” reports, flour shortages and ongoing power outages are making the production of Eucharistic bread in Cuba more difficult. The delivery took place at the request of the Cuban bishops. As a result of the US oil embargo, the island sometimes experiences power outages lasting up to 20 hours a day. (sda/dpa)