Marathon 64 services at church as worshippers celebrate Covid Christmas
Thousands of worshippers are expected to visit churches in Abu Dhabi after registering for Christmas Mass.
Strict protocols were in place to keep the congregations safe during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services.
More than 18,000 people booked places at 64 services at St Joseph’s Church in the capital over three days from Thursday. Tens of thousands more were joining prayers online, because numbers inside the church were restricted, with people socially distanced across the pews.
In his Christmas message, Bishop Paul Hinder, the Pope’s most senior representative in the Arabian Peninsula, called on parishioners to join in with enthusiasm from their homes.
“Many will not be able to join the church and receive the sacraments,” said the bishop, who was due to lead Christmas services at St Joseph’s.
“Some of you may not sing in common ‘Silent night, holy night’, but follow the celebration on the screen and eagerly wait for the day when you can again join the community physically.”
Before the coronavirus pandemic, about 8,000 worshippers packed into the Roman Catholic church grounds for a single Christmas service.
This year, 300 were permitted, dispersed across three prayer areas in the grounds. Church officials said they were able to keep the doors open as a result of “very strong support” from the government and the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi.
“In many parts of the world, churches are closed. We are grateful and feel privileged to have this opportunity,” John E John, of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, told The National.
In Abu Dhabi’s Mussaffah area, seats were fully booked for Mass, with 350 parishioners registering for each service on Thursday and Friday.
“This is not even 20 per cent of our usual congregation, but we are grateful to come together for Christmas,” said Fr Maxim Cardoza, a priest at St Paul’s Church.
In Ras Al Khaimah, Fr Kent Middleton welcomed parishioners to St Luke Anglican Church for midnight Mass on Thursday.
Catholic churches in Dubai are shut because it would be difficult to manage the tens of thousands who would congregate each day. St Mary’s Church said online services were being held on Friday morning.
Mosques, temples and churches across the country were closed on March 16 to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Several places of worship reopened with reduced capacities in early July.