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The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has expressed concern about pressure from parishes to rush into First Communion and Confirmation ceremonies.
In addition to running the risk of undermining public health measures, he said: “Some efforts, often well-intentioned, run the risk of reducing the administration of sacramental acts almost to the level of a supermarket that one can walk into and ‘get the sacrament done ‘.
“This would reduce the Eucharist to a commodity.”
Some parents and grandparents have expressed their displeasure in recent days at the cancellation of First Communion and Confirmation ceremonies due to Covid-19 restrictions.
In a statement, Archbishop Martin said he understood the disappointment of the families who were ready to undertake these events and now find them postponed.
However, he said he was concerned “that parishes take initiatives to ‘do first communions and confirmations.’
“I appreciate the pressure families and schools can bring to bear on parishes. We must remember that First Communions and Confirmations are sacramental acts and should be celebrated in an appropriate liturgical context and catechetical preparation.
“The idea that sacramental acts must be performed quickly and can be performed outside of the normal liturgical situation is false. There is no urgent need to celebrate these sacraments just because they fit into the school calendar. “
Risk of infection
In his statement Saturday, the archbishop said: “I am seriously concerned that many people are underestimating the seriousness of the current situation in Co Dublin and indeed now in other counties. The spread of the virus has reached serious levels and constitutes a real risk of a radical increase in infection in the community.
While there was no evidence that the virus spread in worshiping communities, the measures in Dublin were appropriate at this time, he said.
He also referred to what he called the “severe distortion” of a Vatican document addressing worship amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I have seen reports citing a Vatican document urging a speedy return to normal worship. Some use it as an indication that the official line of the Holy See is to oppose the restrictions. This is a very serious distortion of what that document says.
“The document … strongly supports the application of restrictive measures and ‘painful decisions even to the point of suspending the participation of the faithful in the celebration of the Eucharist for a long period'”.
He said: “Places of worship must remain closed except for private prayer, as well as limited attendance at funerals and weddings.”
The statement comes just days after a Waterford priest criticized the behavior of some Catholics demanding Communion on the tongue despite Covid-19 restrictions.
Father Liam Power, a former communications officer for the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore, said these people do not appear to “respect the danger this poses to others” and are a cause of “a very grave embarrassment to the priests, many of whom are which are elders. “
He referred to an incident in a Waterford church recently when there was a “confrontation” between a parishioner and a priest “during the holiest moment” of Mass.
In a message to clergy on Friday, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Michael Jackson said the prospect of churches closing under Level 3 restrictions was “frustrating and terrifying,” but added: “It is important that Let’s face this with resilience and hope. ”
The Islamic Foundation of Ireland mosque on South Circular Road said it was now doing Friday prayers live on Facebook when no one was allowed in the mosque.
Dublin’s small Jewish community said they hoped there would be some scope this weekend to mark Rosh Hashanah, their new year. The community had been in close contact by phone and Zoom.
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