Bishop Kevin Doran has called for the Government to allow 25 people to attend funerals, rather than the current ten.
In his homily last Sunday, the Bishop of Elphin homed in on the “inclusive” nature of Christ’s mission, and said that the families of those whose loved ones have died have been at risk of exclusion too often throughout the pandemic.
“When you look at the idea of ten people being allowed, in many families that wouldn’t even include the immediate parents, brothers or sisters – especially of a middle aged person maybe whose parents are still alive, and whose children are alive and whose brothers and sisters are there. So you’re talking about a very, very minimalistic approach. In our churches obviously, there is scope for 25 people surely to gather safely,” he said.
“I understand the public health concern, which is related to the fact that some people have been extremely selfish in taking the view that the rules don’t apply to them,” Bishop Doran added.
In the meantime, Bishop Doran also expressed his hope that there would be a return to Mass for Easter.
Acknowledging that the “difficult”, but “pro-life” option was to suspend public worship following the Christmas spike in cases, Bishop Doran said, “we’re now looking towards Lent and Easter which are very sacred times for Christians, and the situation is changing. We would certainly hope, and I’d have no hesitation in supporting a call for us to have a return to public Mass.”