Masks, sanitisers a must in church, says Archbishop of Bombay

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, suggests guidelines for when the state decides to reopen churches

Mandatory use of masks and sanitisers, restricting a church-s capacity to one-third and no more choir till the world is free of COVID-19 may very well be the new normal for the church-goers in the state when the restrictions are further relaxed next month.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the president of Catholic Bishops Conference of India CBCI, recommended a list of guidelines on Sunday, giving the public across India a glimpse of what visiting a church would look like in the near-future. The suggestions would also be applicable in Maharashtra in accordance with the state government-s guidelines, Archbishop of Bombay spokesperson Father Nigel Barrett told mid-day.

There is a list of guidelines issued by Cardinal Oswald Gracias once churches reopen

Gracias, who is also the Archbishop of Bombay, in his letter addressed to priests, bishops and archbishops across the w, said, "India is now fifth in the world for new Coronavirus cases. We cannot let our guard down. I would urge all my brother bishops... to not be in a hurry to start Eucharistic Sacrifices in our churches till you have a satisfactory protocol in place."

He mentioned that since Mumbai and Maharashtra are still under lockdown, he had not issued any norms for the Archdiocese of Bombay. Father Barrett said it was the prerogative of the state government to reopen religious places.

-Restrict church capacity-
Cardinal Gracias stressed the need to maintain physical distancing in the church. "One square metre distancing is prescribed [unless it is a family from one household]. Hence, the number of people allowed to enter church should be restricted. The bishop can specify how many." He recommended one-third of a church-s capacity.

He also said churches would have to make arrangements for sufficient ushers to ensure the rules are followed. The ushers should ensure no one enters the church without a mask.

"There should be sanitising of hands. Church doors should be kept open to avoid physical contact with handles, doors. I would recommend provision for washing hands with soap, water and tissue at the entrance of the church. Also, a dustbin to dispose of the used tissues. These should be burnt later."

The communication added that sprinkling of holy water should stop and the stoups must be empty. Cardinal Gracias also suggested discontinuing choir for a while. However, cantor, the lead singer of a choir, can sing a hymn or recite a Psalm.

Issue of Holy Communion
Referring to Holy Communion as a "most vexing issue," Cardinal Gracias stated, "The safety of our people; no danger of transmission of virus from priest to people or from communicant to communicant; safety of our priests; government directives that explicitly prohibit any -physical offering like prasad- inside the religious place.

There have been several suggestion regarding this: a restrict the number of people drastically 2 Place a Ciborium with consecrated hosts on a table; people can come and communicate directly. c Distribution of holy communion after Mass."

"I urge that the number of Masses be increased. I would also recommend that you grant a dispensation from the Sunday obligation for people of a specified age/morbidity," the letter concluded.

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