Church calls for people not to lose heart – insists on importance of public Masses

Church leaders have urged parishioners not to lose heart in the face of further Covid-19 restrictions and insisted that they will work to impress upon the civil authorities the vital importance of public Masses.

In a statement this evening (Wednesday) following their virtual quarterly plenary meeting, the bishops’ conference said that while they “fully support the guidance of the public health authorities, we will continue to engage constructively in the coming days with the civil authorities to ensure that our people have continued access to the support of Mass and the sacraments and essential spiritual nourishment for these challenging times”.

The Church leaders insisted that the “communal celebration of Mass and the sacraments – even with restricted numbers – is at the very heart of what it means for us to be a Christian community.

“These are not simply ‘gatherings’ of people, but profound expressions of who we are as a Church. For parishes, and individual Catholics, the loss of these spiritual supports can be a source of great anxiety, and fear, and can have a detrimental impact on their overall health and well-being,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, Independent Senator Rónán Mullen has criticised restrictions on public worship brought about by the State moving Covid-related precautions to level three. It comes as concerns have been raised that authorities north of the border may move to limit public worship there on Thursday.

Speaking in the Seanad this morning, Mr Mullen – a senator on the National university of Ireland panel – said he supported the public health restrictions in principle.

However, he said that he did “question the lack of discernment around the restrictions being placed on public worship.

“The people who are attending churches primarily are a demographic who are highly compliant. Most of us have probably seen the remarkable attention to detail in terms of sanitising before and after services, and the stewarding of people to ensure that traffic is one way”.,

Mr Mullen said that he believed that “if everybody was as good as the churches have been – and people attending churches – in observing the restrictions, we wouldn’t be facing the challenges we are facing. That ought to be acknowledged because a lot of the people who really value their ability to go to church are among those most facing restrictions otherwise. I think there has to be a rethink on that,” he said.

In their statement, the bishops said that “now that more restrictive measures are being put in place, we encourage people to persevere and not to lose heart”.

In their statement, The bishops said that since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic “the people of Ireland have endured testing times with courage, resilience, and compassion.

“Individuals and communities have made great sacrifices for the protection of life, health and the common good. Like many others, the Church has endeavoured to support the people of Ireland, north and south, in the face of considerable uncertainty and disruption. We owe a great debt of gratitude to our priests and to the many volunteers whose continued dedication has ensured that our churches have remained very safe places to gather for Mass and the sacraments,” the bishops said.

On the fresh restrictions, the hierarchy said that “faith and prayer, in the home and in church can be a huge support in difficult times”.

Referring to next month’s commemoration of the faithful departed, the bishops said that November 2020 “will be particularly poignant. We sense a huge yearning for consolation and hope in the heart of our people.

“We are especially mindful in 2020 of those grieving families, who, because of restrictions, have been unable to experience the customary spiritual and community supports which are so much part of our Irish tradition,” the statement added.

The hierarchy also announced that on November 1, at 3.00pm the bishops and priests of Ireland will lead a short service of prayer to dedicate the month of November to ‘Remembrance of the Dead and Prayer for the Bereaved’.

“We invite the whole country to unite in this moment which will be followed by parish liturgies throughout the month of November, reaching out as much as possible to those who cannot be physically present,” they said.