The Catholic Church in Kenya has started using a new brand of altar wine after discovering that a previous one was being sold in local bars, liquor stores, and nightclubs, raising concerns about the sanctity of the product.

The new sacramental wine is simply labelled 'Mass Wine' andbears the coat of arms of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), its official signature of authenticity, marking a definitive shift in how the church upholds the sanctity of its holy sacrament according to sauce.co.ke.

"The newly approved wine is not for sale at any business outlet but is imported and owned by the KCCB and only distributed to dioceses," said Archbishop Anthony Muheria of Nyeri, who also chairs the KCCB's liturgical committee.

Archbishop Makumba announced the change Oct. 4 to thousands of Catholics gathered for the church's 38th National Prayer Day at Subukia National Shrine, a Catholic retreat center northwest of Nairobi.

"This is (the) only wine going forward that will be used in the celebration Mass in the whole of the country. Kindly don't buy the other one," Makumba said in his announcement.

The new wine is produced by Lutzville Vineyards in South Africa's Western Cape Province and will be imported by the church, reported by Frederick Nzwili for the National Catholic Reporter on October 21 citing church sources.

          - BISHOPS CONFERENCE EMBLEM

Priests using the wine have to confirm that it bears the bishops' conference emblem and the credentials of the conference's chairman before use. The wine is sold only to priests or those who can prove they have the authority from a church or a priest.

The approved wine is now sold only to priests or those who can prove they have the authority from a church or a priest.

The product approved by the KCCB is labeled Mass Wine and bears the coat of arms of the bishops' conference as an official signature to certify its authenticity.

"The newly approved wine is not for sale at any business outlet, but is imported and owned by the KCCB, and only distributed to the dioceses," said the archbishop, according to the BBC.

Wine is used during Mass, where, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, it is "transubstantiated" into the blood of Jesus Christ and then drunk by the priest as part of the Holy Eucharist ritual. At many churches, it is also given to the congregation as part o the sacrament of Communion.

"The newly approved wine is not for sale at any business outlet," said Archbishop Muheria, adding that the new drink was imported and owned by the KCCB.

"This assures purity from source."

The label on the new wine reads: "The fruit of the vine and the work of human hands will become our cup of joy" - a reflection of the wine's sacred purpose.

The composition of the wine is regulated by the Catholic Church's Canon Law, according to Archbishop Muheria.

More than 80 percent of Kenya's 50 million people identify as Christians. Of these, around 10 million - about 20 percent of the total population - are Catholic, according to government statistics.

Other Christians belong to evangelical churches and other denominations, including the Anglican Church of Kenya and the Presbyterian Church.