WelCom October 2020
Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship, says it is ‘necessary and urgent’ to return to public Masses as soon as anti-Covid-19 measures permit. The Vatican’s top official for liturgy has urged Catholic bishops around the world not to let religious worship be relegated to a priority level below ‘recreational activities’ or treated as just another public gathering. Sarah said that although the Catholic Church should co-operate with civil authorities and adopt protocols to protect the safety of the faithful, ‘liturgical norms are not matters on which civil authorities can legislate, but only the competent ecclesiastical authorities’. He also insisted that broadcast and livestreamed Masses are useful but are no replacement for being physically present.