THOUSANDS of worshippers enter packed churches across London every Sunday to offer their prayers to God.
They kneel before the parish priest and receive Holy Communion of wafer and wine, representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ, before shaking hands with fellow members of the congregation as a symbol of the peace.
These ancient traditions could all soon be suspended in Roman Catholic churches across the capital, following the latest advice from the Diocese of Westminster, which covers parishes in the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and Westminster.
Diocese officials say that as churchgoers drink from the same chalice and priests place the wafer directly into people's mouths, they may be unwittingly creating the ideal breeding ground for the swine flu virus.
To help keep the virus contained, they recommend a staged approach. The first stage would be to stop giving Communion on the tongue and sharing the chalice if there is a known large-scale swine flu outbreak in the area.
The next stage, they advise, is that the sign of the peace - shaking hands - should be suspended or changed to a bow or another similar gesture, to reduce the risk of germs being transmitted.
A final resort could be stopping public gatherings, but this advice will only be issued to priests if the diocese is given this warning by the Government.
Parish priests are given the option of whether they feel these measures would be appropriate in their churches.
The advice should only be followed, officials say, "if there is a large number of swine flu cases locally, at least some schools have closed or have very high levels of sickness absence, and there are multiple confirmed or suspected cases known to be near the parish community or are personally known to parishioners".
Other more general advice has been issued, including washing hands regularly, sneezing into a tissue and then disposing of it and frequently cleaning objects such as telephones and light switches, which are touched by several people each day.
One parish priest has vowed to continue with Communion services at Our Lady of Victories, in Kensington High Street, Kensington, or at least for the foreseeable future.
"Taking Holy Communion is a high point of the mass and we won't be suspending it here just yet," said Monsignor Jim Curry.
"We're encouraging people to receive the wafer in their hand, so there's less risk of spreading infection.
"Apart from that, we've made people aware of general good practice in controlling infection, such as using a tissue when you sneeze.
"We're monitoring the situation and relying on any further information from the diocese."
At the last count, Kensington and Chelsea had relatively low levels of swine flu compared to other boroughs in London, despite being so densely populated.
One recent survey suggests just 119.9 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 792.4 per 100,000 in Tower Hamlets, for example.
In a worst case scenario, Communion could be taken to people's homes if the diocese recommended suspending all public gatherings, said Monsignor Curry.
"We always take it to the sick at home at the moment anyway. But I suspect we'll all get it sooner or later," he added. :
