7 Little-Known Facts About Roman Catholicism

Catholicism's relationship to wine through the Eucharist was instrumental in creating most of the world's best alcoholic beverages. Benedictine friars invented champagne, and Trappist monks continue to make some of the best beer in the world, just to name a few. The Eucharist (called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper, among other names) is a Christian rite. Catholics believe that in the sacrament of Eucharist, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ; the theological term for this is transubstantiation. Partaking of this physical presence of the divine is a point of mystery and wonder for believers.