Ireland’s four archbishops have asked the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, to allow public worship to resume when the current Covid-19 restrictions are eased in March so that people can gather for Holy Week and Easter ceremonies.
In a bilateral meeting between the Taoiseach and Archbishops Eamon Martin, Dermot Farrell, Kieran O’Reilly and Michael Neary, the four Catholic leaders also asked Mr Martin to consider increasing the number permitted to attend funeral Masses. Currently just 10 mourners are allowed to attend funerals.
Underlining their desire to sup- port public health measures, the church leaders expressed concern over how stressful and difficult life is for people emotionally, men- tally and spiritually at present.
They highlighted how partici- pation in public worship brings spiritual comfort and hope to people and also expressed a strong desire that people might gather safely for the important cere- monies of Holy Week and Easter.
However, the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has said its members have “significant mis- givings about reopening churches for Easter ceremonies”. While it commends the archbishops in seeking to engage political lead- ership about public worship, it is concerned by calls for an Easter return to community worship.
“Numerous priests, many elderly and not yet vaccinated, are Covid-19 front-line workers as they journey with families during sadness and bereavement,” the ACP said.
The group also noted that the post-Christmas surge in Covid- 19 cases and the threat from new variants of the virus represented “a persuasive, evidence-based plat- form to strongly argue against an early return to congregational worship”.
Separately, in a tweet, the ACP said the association’s phone had “not stopped” with priests and parishioners “really worked up about the proposed premature return to congregational worship”.
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