Archbishop permits gradual opening of churches

NT NETWORK
Panaji
Archbishop of Goa and Daman Filipe Neri Ferrao on Wednesday issued a circular permitting the gradual opening of churches, chapels and shrines in the state.
He has directed the priest in charge of each place of worship to seriously consider, after careful deliberation, if he is able to meet the requirements of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the government and the diocesan guidelines, especially regarding the regular and proper sanitisation of the premises, having in place a sufficient number of hand sanitisers, infrared thermometers and other equipment.

The priest is then to ask for due permission from the Archbishop, who will send his delegate to verify that all the conditions are fulfilled in each place of worship. The written permission will be given only on the recommendation of the delegate. Sacred places situated in containment or buffer zones are not to open and ‘vulnerable’ worshippers are discouraged from coming to church.

In his circular, the Archbishop has cautioned the priests in charge to realise the seriousness of the situation and proceed with great prudence and discernment. “Finally, it is the responsibility of each individual faithful to decide when he/she should attend the religious services in the current situation,” Archbishop said.

As per the guidelines issued, the priest in charge is to make sure that: the place of worship is not, at the time, within a “containment/buffer zone” declared by the civil authority; thorough cleanliness and disinfection of the sacred place and of the surrounding premises have been carried out and can be assured to be undertaken regularly; the priests will have to ensure that the place of worship is well ventilated and volunteers/ushers are adequately instructed and prepared to assist the faithful.

The seating arrangement with physical distancing of six feet should be marked out and hymnals and other books/leaflets are removed from the place of worship. The priests have been told to see that holy water stoups/fonts are kept dry, and ensure a display of signage, clearly indicating the obligation of wearing face masks; the position of distinct entry and exit points and the necessity of maintaining a physical distance of six feet with others, at all times. The priests have been asked to provide hand sanitisers for the use of the faithful and a contactless thermometer is in place to check the body temperature of those who enter.

The archbishop has said that the priest should form a “coordinating team” of about four to eight persons (or more, wherever needed), after taking into confidence other priests and religious in the parish and representatives of the Lay Faithful (members of the PPC, Administrative Committee, PAT and other Associations/Movements).

The coordinating team, under the chairmanship of the priest, should make the necessary arrangements in the light of the directives of the church and of the civil authorities, to facilitate the process of the gradual opening of the place of worship, monitor the implementation of all the guidelines and periodically evaluate it, in view of the safety of the faithful.

The circular further states that all meetings/programmes of PPCs, SCCs, associations, movements and other groups as well as community devotional practices and retreats continue to remain suspended. “Catechesis and faith-formation programmes for children and adults that require them to gather together are to be deferred till further instructions. However, those meetings that are required for urgent consultation or decision-making and for charitable purposes could be held, seeing that only the strictly necessary number of members is physically present and the usual precautionary measures are taken. Online meetings, wherever feasible, should be encouraged for the time being,” the circular reads.