The Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland have suspended public Masses and other liturgies until next month due to an “alarming” rise in Covid-19 infections.
In a statement on Thursday, the five bishops said that they had taken “this painful decision reluctantly” in light of the current serious and worsening situation, and in line with clear public health guidance that people should stay at home.
The suspension came into operation last night (Thursday 7th January) and will remain in place until Saturday 6th February with the exception of marriage, funeral, baptismal liturgies and drive-in services, which are subject to regulations. It will be reviewed in late January.
The statement was signed by Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, Bishop Noel Treanor of Down and Connor, Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry, Bishop Larry Duffy of Clogher and Bishop Michael Router, auxiliary of Armagh.
Though being unable to gather for public worship could cause pain to the faithful, the church leaders expressed the hope that this “limited period of sacrifice” would protect life and benefit the health of everyone.
Individual visits to churches for private prayer can continue in accordance with regulations.
The bishops have asked parishes, where possible, to continue to broadcast the celebration of Mass - and other devotions and prayer services - online and through other media, “knowing that faith and prayer can be a tremendous support to individuals and society during these difficult times”.
The decision to suspend public worship followed Thursday’s briefing to the Faith Leaders’ Forum to discuss the emergency by Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride, and the Chief Scientific Officer, Professor Ian Young, in consultation with the Executive Office in Stormont.
The statement said the clear message from health officials is that this situation is going to worsen significantly over the coming weeks and that as many people as possible must stay at home at this time.
In their statement, the bishops said they were “very concerned at the current serious public health position in which Northern Ireland finds itself: with the extremely high level of transmission of the Covid-19 virus; the continuing escalation of numbers in hospital and intensive care; the number of associated deaths; and, the increasingly unsustainable pressure on our healthcare staff”.
Chief scientific adviser, Professor Ian Young, told the BBC on Thursday that as many as one in 40 people may have Covid-19 in some areas of Northern Ireland.
The five bishops welcomed the announcement of a similar position on the suspension of public worship by the leaders of the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Methodist Church in Ireland and many other denominations and faith communities.
In a statement, the Church of Ireland said that in light of the current serious and worsening situation and in line with clear public health guidance that people should stay at home, “we have decided that all public gatherings for worship and all other in-person church activities should cease for our particular denomination, until Saturday, February 6, 2021”.
Rev Trevor Gribben of the Presbyterian Church said that it was “regrettable and disappointing that over these next few weeks our congregations will no longer be physically gathering for worship”.
“However, because of the alarming rise of Covid-19 infections in the community, this is the right decision to take, both for the safety and protection of people and also to contribute to the overall reduction of inter-person contact in line with the Government’s ‘stay at home’ message.”
The Catholic bishops of Northern Ireland asked for prayers for the sick, the bereaved and all those whose livelihoods have been particularly impacted by the pandemic and said they were keeping in their prayers all health workers, carers, chaplains and other essential workers.
All public worship south of the border has also been suspended, though churches remain open for private prayer.
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