Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
KNA InternationalApril 22, 2020
Bavarian bishops walk in procession to the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers near Bad Staffelstein, Germany, in this 2012 photo. There is a long tradition among Catholics to pray to saints for intercession in periods of sickness and difficult times and the Fourteen Holy Helpers are saints revered as healers. (CNS photo/Reuters) 

Berlin (KNA) The Catholic Church in Germany expects the ban on public church services to be lifted from May 4 subject to corona-related hygiene and social distancing rules.

The chief lobbyist of the church at the federal level, prelate Karl Juesten, said in a newspaper interview published on Wednesday that he saw realistic chances that the federal and state governments would give the green light to services after their conference on April 30.

The services would initially look quite different than usual. The exact requirements were currently being worked out, he said.

“In particular, rules must be made so that nobody can be infected by the singing,” said Juesten. It is conceivable that worshippers will sit far apart and wear face masks. Church leaders are also discussing whether the priest should distribute communion with a mask and gloves or with tongs or a spoon.

“It is crucial that the reception of communion remains dignified and at the same time takes into account the need to protect people from infection,” said Juesten.

Christenings and weddings will only be permitted in exceptional cases. Priestly ordinations and confirmations will be waived for the time being, said Juesten.

Meanwhile, the government of the federal state of Berlin has permitted church services with up to 50 participants from May 4 provided that hygiene and social distancing requirements are observed, state culture minister Klaus Lederer announced.

From April 22, family gatherings of up to 20 people are permitted if these are necessary for compelling reasons, such as visiting the dying, funerals, christenings and weddings.

Lederer said the limit of congregations to 50 people applied to large churches and that a minimum distance of 1.50 metres must be observed between worshippers. The names of participants must be registered. Lederer stressed that the state government was coordinating its decisions with the religious communities. He said he was aware that the archdiocese of Berlin and the protestant church in Berlin were hard at work developing protective measures. He noted that the states were not involved in the federal government's talks with the religious communities.

Berlin Archbishop Heiner Koch said he was pleased about the relaxation of restrictions in the state of Berlin which would allow church services to resume under certain conditions. “We will work out appropriate protection concepts to be able to do this responsibly,” he said. “We remain sustained by the hope of a further relaxation and that we will overcome the crisis well together.”

Other states in the east of Germany already allowed religious ceremonies with up to 20 people to resume at the start of this week.

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

The latest from america

I use a motorized wheelchair and communication device because of my disability, cerebral palsy. Parishes were not prepared to accommodate my needs nor were they always willing to recognize my abilities.
Margaret Anne Mary MooreNovember 22, 2024
Nicole Scherzinger as ‘Norma Desmond’ and Hannah Yun Chamberlain as ‘Young Norma’ in “Sunset Blvd” on Broadway at the St. James Theatre (photo: Marc Brenner).
Age and its relationship to stardom is the animating subject of “Sunset Blvd,” “Tammy Faye” and “Death Becomes Her.”
Rob Weinert-KendtNovember 22, 2024
What separates “Bonhoeffer” from the myriad instructive Holocaust biographies and melodramas is its timing.
John AndersonNovember 22, 2024
“Wicked” arrives on a whirlwind of eager (and anxious) anticipation among fans of the musical.
John DoughertyNovember 22, 2024