Transubstantiation, << `tran` suhb `stan` shee AY shuhn, >> is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. It explains the belief that bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ during the sacrament of the Eucharist, or Mass. Transubstantiation indicates that Jesus is present in a real way under the appearance of bread and wine.
The word was first adopted by the church at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 and reaffirmed by the Council of Trent in 1551. The term had been in widespread use since the 1100’s. Some Eastern Orthodox Christians accept transubstantiation as one of several explanations for the transformation of bread and wine. Some Protestant churches have similar doctrines concerning real presence.
