BELAGAVI
With the Karnataka government issuing new COVID-19 guidelines on Saturday banning religious gatherings due to a surge in Covid cases, Catholic services with public gatherings have now been stopped in Karnataka.
In a circular issued on Saturday, Archbishop of Bangalore Peter Machado has urged priests, religious and faithful to follow the new guidelines to check the surging Covid cases in Karnataka.
Bishop Machado, who is also president of the Karnataka Regional Catholic Bishops' Council (KRCBC), has also stated that there will be no public services on Sundays and weekdays.
“As more and more Covid cases are reported, and the pandemic is nowhere diminishing in Bangalore, the Karnataka government has issued fresh directives on April 15, continuing suspension of religious services, among other restrictions, till April 30. Accordingly, we shall follow strictly the directives of the government,” Archbishop Machado has said in his circular.
“Thus, pre-fixed sacramental programmes like baptisms, marriages and confirmations may be allowed with not more than 50 persons attending closed door services by scrupulously following the SOPs.”
“Likewise, for the funerals, bare minimum people should be allowed to participate in the burial mass and the last rites at the cemetery, by taking the maximum prescribed precautions.”
“However, as the government has not ordered closure of religious places, it is permitted to keep the churches/chapels open only for private visits,” stated Bishop Machado.
Besides the Bangalore archdiocese, the bishops in the nine other dioceses of the KRCBC are also expected to issue circulars similar to the one issued by Archbishop Machado.
In this regard, Bishop of Belgaum Derek Fernandes has also issued a similar circular to the priests and the religious in the diocese.
Bishop Fernandes has urged priests in Belgaum diocese to refrain from having any public services in the church.
“Since we have a duty to protect our people, hence I would say that this week we refrain from having any church services,” stated Bishop Derek Fernandes in a circular on Saturday.
