Worry of Tainted Wafers Scares Church.

MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. -- It was not the first time a health scare had infiltrated the sanctuary of a Roman Catholic church. The bodily contact in certain church rituals has made some people wary of touching hands or sharing chalices of altar wine during every public health emergency, real or imagined, of the last few decades. But unlike some scares based on rumors or overcautiousness, the alarm among parishioners at a Long Island church this week is based on a confirmed finding: Someone who touched the communion wafers distributed at two packed services on Christmas Day was infected with hepatitis A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]