Govt must prioritise return to Mass and ease ‘harsh and unfair’ funeral rules – Archbishop Farrell

The Archbishop of Dublin has called on the Government to assure people of faith that the right to worship will be prioritised in easing Covid-19 restrictions.

Archbishop Dermot Farrell also said that the number of people permitted to attend Mass when restrictions are eased should not be “randomly determined”. He described current restrictions on funerals as “harsh and unfair” meaning loved ones are unable to be present at the requiem Mass of a close family member.

The Irish Republic has had the harshest lockdown in Europe and one of only three countries in the European Union (EU) to ban public worship.

Speaking at Mass in St Patrick’s Church, Ringsend in Dublin on St Patrick’s Day, Dr Farrell warned that: “The planned exit from the current severe restrictions is being watched by many citizens who expect their religious practice to be respected by the public authorities, and not be subordinated to commercial interests.

“This is a matter of health and wellbeing for many. Health, as we discover again and again, is not just a matter of avoiding disease, it is a matter of how we are in ourselves, it involves our emotions and our mental health,” the archbishop said.

He insisted that: “As a matter of human dignity and fairness — but even more so as matter of wellbeing and the restoration of normality, I call on the public authorities to give assurance that the legitimate desire of people to gather responsibly and within reasonable guidelines to exercise their constitutional right to worship will be prioritised in the easing of restrictions”.

He said that Government rules limiting the number of mourners at a funeral to just ten are “harsh and unfair”.

“Close family members are frequently denied the right to be present in church at the funeral of their loved ones: at times, people who have been with the deceased for years. This is tolerable only in the most extreme circumstances, and for the shortest possible period,” he said.

Pointing to the fact that the right to public worship is protected by the Constitution, Archbishop Farrell insisted that “the number who are allowed to worship cannot be randomly determined as if were some mathematical formula.

“This is about people: the protection of people’s health, and the fostering of people’s wellbeing. While a balance must be struck, easing restrictions on worship has a better founded statutory claim than other activities which may be pressed by powerful commercial interests.

“Worship has a clear human priority over other activities that do not possess that priority of themselves,” the archbishop said.

Dr Farrell pointed out that parishes have demonstrated time and again that they can operate safely. “Every reasonable and responsible person knows that keeping a safe distance from others is vital to the control of the virus. Whenever public worship was permitted, our parishes have been diligent in operating within guidelines, with great commitment by staff and volunteers to stewarding, sanitising and managing attendance,” he said.

Dr Farrell warned that Mass and other forms of public worship should not be dismissed as optional by State authorities. “For many people, being denied the opportunity to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion has been difficult: it has affected how they are nourished and sustained by their faith. Let us not underestimate the consequences of this in people’s lives.

“Faith and the communal celebration of faith make a difference to people. Prayer and communal worship are not just an optional pastime. The spiritual and the human go hand in hand. Our spirituality, how it is lived, and how it is publicly expressed bring significant benefits to people – and to all people of faith – irrespective of age or income, irrespective of where or with whom we live,” the Primate of Ireland said.