ANGLICAN churches in Manchester will no longer offer communion wine as part of measures to fight swine flu.

The Bishop of Manchester has this week written to the diocese's 330 parishes asking them to stop sharing wine during services.

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As part of the new national hygiene measures, congregations will no longer be invited to shake hands and leaflet giving advice on reducing infection will be placed on pews.

The warning comes as it emerged that the number of swine flue cases in England nearly doubled last week, with an estimated 100,000 people infected.

For Anglican Christians, sharing the chalice communion recalls Jesus' final meal with his disciples.

Churchgoers are being urged to use alcohol hand gel before worship to kill possible bacteria and advice has been given to ministers visiting hospitals and old people's homes.

Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, said church authorities had decided on the precautionary measures to prevent the further spread of the illness.

He said: "Swine flu continues to be a mild disease for the vast majority of people and we pray that will continue to be the case.

Changes

"Today I have asked clergy to make changes to worship in their churches and start using hand gel. I am confident that if our advice is followed then we will have played our part in helping to reduce the risk of pandemic flu in church."

Leaders of the Catholic church in Greater Manchester said they were also monitoring the situation but not yet taken a similar measure.

Father Simon Stamp, a spokesman for the Salford diocese, said: "At the moment we are following basic hygiene rules that have been laid out by the church nationally. But we are constantly watching the situation. If the situation becomes more serious then the bishop will issue new guidance."

Canon Anthony McBride, from the Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist, said some parishes had already taken the precautionary steps.

He said: "There are a number of clergy in their own parishes who have decided to temporarily stop communion under the form of wine."

Current medical advice warns pregnant women, pensioners and people with diabetes, lung or heart disease are at greater risk if they contract the illness.

The Department of Health has urged people to carry handkerchiefs and regularly wash their hands, but stresses that most cases of the illness continue to be mild.