Archbishop Martin: Masses may have to be held outside

Leader calls for creative thinking to find solution

MASSES may have to be held outside during the coronavirus outbreak, the leader of the Irish Catholic Church has said.

Archbishop Eamon Martin said that the church is doing its best to come up with creative answers for people who want to worship.

With the country currently enjoying a spell of fine weather, it may be possible that outdoor services, while keeping social distancing rules, may be the answer.

The reopening of places of worship is currently scheduled for July 20, in phase four of the Government’s roadmap to gradually reopen the country.

Many churches have already made the transition to online services but with the return date for collective worship not set until late summer, church leaders say they will have to adapt to meet the spiritual needs of parishioners.

Speaking exclusively to the Irish Daily Mail, Archbishop Martin, the primate of All Ireland, called current church closures ‘absolutely unique’.

‘I think we’re going to have to be creative about this and even consider the possibility of some gatherings outside the church but in the vicinity of the church,’ he said.

‘There’s all sorts of ways in which we could look at this.

‘I think what we don’t want to do in the church is to flout the best safety because ultimately that trumps everything.

‘Protection of life and the protection of our health workers and the continued suppression of the virus is the most important thing.’

The question of small wedding ceremonies, baptisms and even outdoor Mass services may be possible before the July date, in accordance with Government guidelines on the number of people gathering in one place.

In the Republic of Ireland, in theory, it is possible for very small weddings and baptisms to take place and small funerals are also allowed.

Some churches are also open during the day for personal private prayer – where physical distancing and sanitising is observed.

However, churches have been closed by public order in the UK and Northern Ireland and there is a ban on any services with the exception of small funerals.

Leaders of Ireland’s main Churches – Catholic, Presbyterian, and Methodist – discussed the re-opening of church buildings for collective worship via video conference on Friday.

They concluded in a joint statement that it ‘would not be appropriate’ to consider a full return to such gatherings at this time.

However, despite the current delay in the possibility of collective worship Archbishop Martin recognised the part the church community will play in the difficult months that lie ahead during the crisis.

‘For a lot of people, their spiritual wellness is very much linked with their mental and their physical wellness and I really feel that as we move on through this we’re going to require a lot of community resilience,’ he said.

‘I think that we in the churches will help to play our part in keeping the community resilient and keeping people hopeful.’

‘We don’t want to flout safety’ ‘Church will keep people hopeful’