In drastic step, Italy bishops cancel weekday Masses in coronavirus areas
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Philip Pullella
2-3 minutes
FILE
PHOTO: View inside Milan's Duomo cathedral, as it reopened to the
public for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak in northern
Italy, in Milan, Italy, March 2, 2020. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
VATICAN
CITY (Reuters) - Italy’s bishops on Thursday ordered that Masses not be
held during the week in churches in areas of the north of the country
affected by the coronavirus outbreak, a step believed to be
unprecedented.
It was believed to be the first time such a
draconian step had been taken in Italy, the European country worst hit
so far by the coronavirus outbreak. Masses were not even canceled when
the plague struck Milan in the 17th century.
A statement from the
bishops conference said Masses would not be held from Monday to
Saturday in churches in the Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna region
as well as in the provinces of Savona in the Liguria region and Pesaro
and Urbino in the Marche region.
The statement did not mention
Masses on Sunday, when according to Church teaching Catholics are
obliged to attend Mass unless they are ill.
The move comes during the season of Lent, where more Catholics go to weekday Mass than at other times during the year.
The
Italian government has ordered the closure of cinemas and theaters and
has told Italians not to shake hands or hug each other. Schools and
universities have been closed until March 15.
The death toll from coronavirus in Italy stood at 107 on Wednesday while the accumulative number of cases totaled almost 3,090.
Several
conferences that were to have taken place in the next few months with
the participation of Pope Francis have been postponed.
The
Vatican has said the 83-year-old pope, who canceled a Lent retreat for
the first time in his papacy, is currently suffering from a cold that is
“without symptoms related to other pathologies”.
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