Photograph – Some churches in Northern Ireland, including St Mary’s Church in Chapel Lane, Belfast have reopened for individual prayer, with social distancing measures. Picture by Hugh Russell
Catholic bishops in Scotland on Wednesday finalised their plans for the gradual reopening of their churches from coronavirus-enforced closure, William Scholes reports in The Irish News.
The proposed infection control guidelines have been sent to the Scottish government and are expected to be published “within the coming week”.
Scotland is following a four-phase ‘routemap’ out of lockdown and is taking a generally more cautious approach to other devolved administrations.
It is in phase one, and does not envisage churches opening for private prayer – a measure introduced in Northern Ireland late last month.
Public worship is not envisaged until phase three, which provides for churches being “open to extended groups subject to physical distancing and hygiene safeguards”.
The plan forwarded to the government is intended to demonstrate the Church’s readiness to move to phases two and three.
The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland set-up a Covid-19 working group last month to look at hygiene and infection control as well as the creation of new liturgical advice to govern the celebration of Mass and other sacraments.
Bishop Hugh Gilbert, president of the Bishops’ Conference, said the guidelines “will highlight the fact that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains dispensed until further notice and everyone is asked to consider carefully whether or not they should return in the early phases”.
“We are mindful of our duty of care to elderly clergy and lay people, which together with social distancing reductions in capacity will mean that the availability of Mass may reduce in some areas,” he said.
Courtesy The Irish News, 04 June 2020
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