Problem Eucharystii w Afryce Subsaharyjskiej
Problem of the Eucharist in sub-Saharan Africa

Summary/Abstract: One of the pastoral difficulties, which missionaries working in Africa had to confront, was the fact among the plants cultivated there, those providing matter for the Christian sacraments were not found: wheat, vine shrub and olive tree. What was more, in many places their cultivation proved to be impossible due to climatic conditions, and the continuous use of imported and unknown to the local population elements, implied the risk of making Christianity an “alien” religion marked, in addition, by the aftertaste of colonization. In this context, a question arose about conceivable possibility of changing the matter of the Eucharist. This pastoral problem initiated an interesting debate among African theologians, in which some argued for the change of matter, while others remained faithful to the existing practice. Although in the African theology this topic does not raise great interest today, it gives testimony to courageous attempts at inculturation, which was accompanied by a very lively debate. The purpose of this article is an attempt to systematize arguments “for and against” the change of matter in Eucharist, on the basis of selected theological publications from the last thirty years of the XX century.

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