For the purpose of spiritual counselling and leading worship, South Africans can now officially attend religious services after two months of closure, as from 1 June, adhering to strict regulations to slow the spread of coronavirus. President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on 27 May, but Jesuits feel the return to worship could have waited.
The Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) welcomed resumption of services saying opening the churches will assist “our people many of whom have experienced emotional and spiritual distress during the lockdown”.
“People have felt abandoned by the church community in their moment of grave need. The stress of feeling isolated leaves the individual with weakened immunity,” said Archbishop William Slattery, SACBC’s spokesperson. “A sense of deep depression due to spiritual longing is also a suffering and a disease,” he said.
Archbishop Slattery said bishops fully endorse all precautionary measures to avoid infections such as limiting service to a maximum of 50 people, with all attendants wearing face masks while observing hygiene protocols.
“Should individual communities represented by their priests and parish councils feel unable to meet these precautions they must keep the churches closed,” he said adding that the church will take the responsibility of observing the health regulations.
But the Jesuit Institute of South Africa said there is no need to open churches right now to practise the faith. “Prayer, acts of kindness, reading sacred texts and service of neighbour can continue without gathering in the midst of this pandemic,” said Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, director of the Jesuit Institute.
“This sudden, seemingly rushed move is questionable,” said Fr Pollitt claiming the spread in other parts of the world suggested that even in places of worship where strict social distancing rules were upheld there were reports of infection. “The more people mix, the more there is potential for spread,” he said.
He said opening churches now creates yet another inequality at a time the pandemic has exposed the country’s unequal society: those who get to attend and those who don’t. “It goes against the very spirit of being a community of believers to split that community.”
Fr Pollitt also noted that many places of worship do not have the financial capacity to provide the prescribed personal protection equipment or personnel to sanitise the buildings, furniture and equipment that is necessary. In any case, “Will police check places of worship and break up gatherings of more than 50 persons?” he said.
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