A Federal judge has ruled that the restrictions on how many people may gather for church services in New York state cannot be enforced as it presently stands as it is far more stricter than the protocols for comparable secular gatherings.

Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison, Wis., has openly disagreed with local government's pandemic advisory of limiting the number of congregants at Masses as interfering with "our pastoral mission."

The church had argued that California Gov. Gavin Newsom's reopening orders violated the Constitution because they placed fewer restrictions on some secular businesses than they did on houses of worship.

Did the old “normal” way of doing things exhaust all possibilities for communal celebration? Is that what we want to return to, even if doing so were possible?

The Catholic bishops of Washington state, in a public statement, said that observance of the pandemic protocols in the suspension of Masses was done not out of fear but "out of our deepest respect for human life and health."

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles has announced plans for the reopening of churches within his archdiocese by the first week of June, provided safety protocols are observed.