Michael Kelly
The Primate of All-Ireland has said he is hopeful that the Government will consider lifting a ban on public worship in place as a measure against Covid-19. Archbishop Eamon Martin was speaking after a meeting between members of the Irish bishops’ conference and Taoiseach Micheál Martin. The archbishop also pointed out the lack of evidence linking the spread of the virus to religious gatherings and questioned why the ban was imposed without consultation.
Meanwhile, an online petition calling on the Government to relax restriction is gaining momentum. You can add your voice to the call by clicking here.
The Republic along with Wales is the only part of Europe where public worship is suspended and Mass and other ceremonies continue in the North complicating the matter further since dioceses straddle the border between both jurisdictions.
Speaking after the Government meeting, Archbishop Martin insisted that “Christians and Catholics simply cannot be without participating in worship – it is fundamental to what we are as a Christian community.
“We believe – and we tried to make this case – [religious practice] is good for society because we are in the churches putting forward a very positive message about respect for each other’s lives and health, keeping the public heath messaging going and we’ve been very consistent in that in trying to assist the Government and health authorities in getting out that message of self-sacrifice, respect for others, respect for ourselves and promoting life and promoting the common good,” the archbishop said.
“We were speaking to the Taoiseach and we’re hoping he will now bring our message to Cabinet to discuss it with public health authorities and we ourselves expressed an openness to continue this engagement,” he said.
A statement from the Government press office said the meeting “focused mainly on the effect which the current Covid-19 restrictions are having on the health and well-being of the faith community and the great desire to return to worship as soon as possible”.
The Government statement said that the bishops present at the meeting “emphasised that they are fully supportive of the public health messages but highlighted that the coming together in prayer and worship, especially for Mass and the sacraments, is fundamental to Christian tradition and a source of nourishment for the life and well-being of whole communities.
“The importance of gathering for worship as a source of consolation and hope at Christmas time was stressed,” according to the statement.
While acknowledging the important role of faith, the statement said that Mr Martin “outlined the reasoning behind the Government’s plan for living with Covid-19 and the need to strike the right balance between all forms of social and economic activity and public health.
“The archbishops emphasised the need to protect the most vulnerable in society at this time. They also acknowledged the positive value of keeping our schools open, especially for those who may otherwise be educationally disadvantaged by not having access to technology or the daily support of their teachers.
“The need for a shared understanding of the effects of the pandemic as it evolves and to align our response accordingly was recognised. All agreed the importance of ongoing constructive engagement and solidarity in facing and overcoming the challenges of Covid-19 together,” the statement concluded.
Dr Martin also questioned why there was no consultation. “I really can’t understand why the restrictions were put in place without consultation with the bodies concerned. In Northern Ireland, all of the Christian traditions – all of the faith leaders – have ongoing contact with the Executive Office and we’ve been given very strong assurances reinforcing that idea that there’s a lack of evidence that public worship is actually a source of contagion and we’re working really hard on the ground still in Northern Ireland to ensure that our gatherings in churches are as safe as possible and that people are protected and that it is good for society also,” he said.