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There will be no change to Level 5 restrictions on public worship, including Mass, following a meeting between Taoiseach Micheál Martin and the Catholic Archbishops. However, Level 5 restrictions allow continuous private prayer in churches and other places of worship.
At the meeting, everyone agreed on the importance of continued constructive engagement and solidarity to face and overcome the challenges presented by Covid-19.
The Taoiseach thanked the archbishops for their support and recognized the important role that religious leaders have played in supporting people and giving hope in this time of stress and concern and in reaching out to those who may feel isolated or marginalized.
It was recognized that pastoral work continues at the parish level even when the celebration of Mass moves online. The challenges of those grieving at this time were also recognized, particularly entering the month of November, the traditional time to remember the dead.
On October 8, the four Catholic archbishops wrote to the Taoiseach requesting a meeting to discuss easing restrictions on the celebration of public Masses.
Mr. Martin met with the Catholic Archbishop Primate Eamon Martin, the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, the Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary, the Archbishop of Cashel and Emly Kieran O’Reilly, and the Bishop of Ossory Dermot Farrell on Wednesday for the night.
According to their statement after the meeting, the archbishops spoke about “the effect that the current Covid-19 restrictions are having on the health and well-being of the faith community and the great desire to return to worship as soon as possible.”
They stressed that they “fully supported the public health messages, but stressed that union in prayer and worship, especially for Mass and the sacraments, is central to Christian tradition and a source of nourishment for life and well-being. of entire communities “.
They also emphasized “the importance of gathering together for worship as a source of comfort and hope around the Christmas season” and emphasized the efforts of priests and volunteers at the parish level “to ensure that church gatherings are as safe as possible and the constant message from the church about protecting the health and life of everyone in the community, particularly the vulnerable ”.
The archbishops also emphasized the need to protect the most vulnerable in society at this time and recognized “the positive value of keeping our schools open, especially for those who might otherwise be educationally disadvantaged by not having access to technology or daily support from their teachers. ”.
For its part, the Taoiseach outlined the reasoning behind the Government’s plan to live with Covid-19 and the need to find the right balance between all forms of social and economic activity and public health.
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