Scotland’s Catholic bishops have called for a planned 20-person limit on congregations when churches can reopen for worship to be dropped.
Instead, the bishops maintain congregation size should be calculated in accordance with the size of each church, a system similar to that used in the retail sector, which still maintains social distancing regulations.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that her road map out of lockdown included plans to reopen public worship over the Easter weekend, but with services limiting congregations to just 20 – regardless of the size of the church.
Stay-at-home restrictions would be eased on Easter Monday, 5th April, but Easter and Passover would be taken into account during the decision-making process.
While welcoming the return of public worship, the bishops said they would speak with the Scottish Government regarding the limit on numbers. “The Catholic Community recognises the seriousness of the pandemic and is committed to working with others to avoid the spreading of infection,” they said.
“At the same time, we anticipate ongoing dialogue with the Scottish Government regarding the requirement of a numerical ‘cap’ on the number of worshippers.
“As we continue to observe social distancing and the protocols formulated by the Bishops’ Conference working group under the leadership of the former Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns, it would be more appropriate for each church building to accommodate a congregation in proportion to its size rather than on the basis of an imposed number.”
Echoing the “timely words” of Pope Francis’ address to the representatives of countries to the Holy See on the 8th February 2021, they added: “Even as we seek ways to protect human lives from the spread of the virus, we cannot view the spiritual and moral dimension of the human person as less important than physical health.
“The opening of churches is a sign that the sacrifices endured so far are bearing fruit and gives us hope and encouragement to persevere.
“We pray that the Risen Christ, for whom we long during this holy season of Lent, will bless and bring healing to our nation.”
Picture: Churchgoers wear facemasks and socially distance during Mass.
