Catholic churches 'should be allowed to reopen before others'

[brooklynite]

The Guardian

Catholic churches should be allowed to reopen before Pentecostal churches, or mosques owing to their different styles of worship, the leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales has said.

Places of worship come under step three of the government’s recovery strategy, meaning they cannot open until 4 July at the earliest.

But Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster, said Catholic churches should be allowed to open for private prayer by individuals before places of worship in which large numbers of people gather.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday, Nichols said: “The issues of how people are able to practice their faith are profound and sensitive, and we’d like a bit more sensitivity from the government.”

OR (just spitballing here), they could engage in "private prayer" at home...

[eilen]

1. An argument can be made for allowing the Catholic churches to

open for confession/contrition.

I don't know about Mass. The act of communion seems tailor made to spread the virus though. There is also the part of the mass where we shake hands and wish each other peace ...

That needs to wait for the vaccine.
However supporting their parish via the weekly envelope is still safe. A good 1/3 of most collections go to Catholic Charities who do important work.

[uriel1972]

4. An argument could be made for all elephents being mauve...

it could be made, but it's not a good one.

[Chainfire]

2. What is important

the message or the building?

Is it that it is easier to get money from folks when they are in the building rather than watching on TV?

[brooklynite]

3. Pat Robertson and Jim Bakker have figured it out...