Archbishop Eamon Martin, President of the Irish Bishops' Conference.
Photo: CNS Archbishop Eamon Martin has written to clergy of the Armagh Archdiocese saying he hopes that the bishops’ plan for safe public liturgies will help the Church North and South to make the case for an early resumption of the public celebration of Mass and the Sacraments “in a measured and safe way”.
Noting that this Sunday is the feast of Pentecost, Archbishop Eamon writes that “I find it sad and disappointing that we have now come the whole way through the Easter season and we are still unable to gather physically for Mass and the sacraments.
“I want to thank you for the work you are doing at local level to plan for the full ‘re-opening’ of parish life and worship. Please work closely with your priests so that your parish stands ready to respond quickly when the public health authorities tell us it is safe to begin gathering together again for Mass inside our churches,” he writes.
Preparations
He said that he hopes the national framework document that will soon be released “will help guide our ongoing preparations at parish and diocesan level.
“It will also support our continuing engagement with government and public health authorities – north and south – in making a case for the early resumption of the public celebration of Mass and the Sacraments in a measured and safe way,” according to the archbishop.