NZ government asks for review of communion wine ban

New Zealand government leader are seeking a way out of the controversy caused recently when prison officials there banned communion wine for Catholic inmates, based on a new law:

From 1999 Catholics were granted an exemption to bring communion wine into prisons, but that was recently revoked as it was deemed to be inconsistent with the new Act.

The ban has outraged Catholics, who say it is a denial of religious freedom.
Public Prisons Service head Harry Hawthorn told the NZ Catholic newspaper the Act allowed no discretion.

But Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor today said he had been told legislative change was not necessary to achieve a solution.

NZPA understood a possible solution was Catholic priests being allowed to bring communion wine into prisons and drink it to celebrate mass, so long as prisoners did not partake of the wine.

"The ban is clearly an unintended consequence of the Act. I understand a legislative change is not required and I hope we can continue to accommodate the invaluable services of the church through the prison system," Mr O'Connor said.

(NZPA)