Communion wafers also scarce in Venezuela

After the shortage that reached the Venezuelan Catholic Church with its communion wine, Bishop of Merida state, Archbishop Baltazar Porras, said the wheat flour to make communion wafers is also running out quickly, which is why he is analyzing a reduction on the number of masses held per day.

“The reserve of wine we have in Merida will last for two or three months”, while the wafers  “will not last long due to its high consumption and because the nuns that make them, have a harsh time getting the wheat flour,” said Porras.

The scarcity of catholic elements  affects most of the 29 million Venezuelans, of which between 70% and 90% are Catholic believers, and attend the more than 10,000 churches in the country.

To combat the shortage, the Maduro government allowed imports of 760.000 tons of food and other products, including rice, sugar, wheat flour, corn flour, margarine, oil, powdered milk, tuna, chicken , meat, packaged juices, mayonnaise, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, diapers, soap, toothpaste, communion wine and communion wafers.

Supermarkets are empty in the absence of several products in the country.