Public Masses in Italy will
resume on 18 May
 |
| faithful in a church in Torino, Italy (ANSA) |
In Italy, Masses, weddings, funerals and baptisms are set to
resume in Italy on 18 May, with the provision that those attending abide by a strict
set of social distancing and sanitation measures.
By Vatican News
After two months of live-streamed Masses and private prayer
at home, the faithful in Italy will once again be able to attend religious
ceremonies in churches around the country.
The news came on Thursday, 7 May with the signing of a
Protocol, by Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, President of the Italian Bishops’
Conference, and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, and the Minister of the
Interior, Luciana Lamorghese.
The protocol outlines rules and regulations that must be
followed in order to ensure minimal risk of contagion of the coronavirus.
All religious ceremonies – Masses, baptisms, weddings and
funerals – were either cancelled or closed to the public in early March when
the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to help curb the spread of
Covid-19, a virus that has now killed almost 30,000 people in Italy alone.
As Italy enters “phase 2” of its coronavirus lockdown, the
government is working together with the Italian Bishops to prudently ensure
that the faithful can attend ceremonies in churches again.
Cardinal Bassetti, reiterated the Church's commitment to
overcoming the current crisis by saying "the Protocol is the result of
profound collaboration and synergy between the Government… and the Italian
Bishops’ Conference, where everyone has played their part responsibly”.
The protocol outlines that the faithful must wear facemasks,
and must respect the 1m safety distance between each other.
All rooms and objects used will be sanitised at the end of
each ceremony, and the sign of peace will be omitted.
For the rites of Communion, the celebrant is required to
sanitize his hands and must use gloves and a mask.
These measures, said Prime Minister Conte, express the most
appropriate ways to ensure that the resumption of liturgical celebrations with
the people takes place in the safest way possible.
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