In a significant move on the part of the Catholic church in the wake of more coronavirus cases being reported in the state, the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) has issued a circular with guidelines to be followed in churches.
It was recently announced that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Kerala increased to 12.
The circular was issued by Archbishop Cardinal Oswald Gracias on Friday to all churches under the archdiocese.
In one of the most important guidelines, devotees are being asked to receive Holy Communion, considered a significant sacrament for Christians, in the hand and not on the tongue. Usually, in the sacrament a priest places the blessed bread on the devotee’s tongue. This guideline will help reduce the risk of possible transmission of the virus. Priests are also advised to sanitise their hands before distributing the Holy Communion.
As of now, the guidelines will be in place till the Easter celebrations in mid April.
The guidelines also discourage devotees from kissing the holy cross in the church during the ceremonies on Good Friday. “On Good Friday during the veneration of the cross, discourage people from kissing the cross. The blessing with a raised cross will be adequate. Those who desire, they could come in a queue, make reverence with a bow and go back,” the circular states.
Devotees are asked not to greet each other by shaking hands while making the ‘sign of peace’ in between mass in church. Instead, they can greet each other with folded hands like saying ‘namaste’. Churches are also asked to keep the stoops, where blessed water is kept, dry as a precaution to prevent people from dipping their hands in it.
The circular advised people not to panic, adding that the government was doing its best to deal with the rapidly spreading disease.
Meanwhile, the Malankara Catholic Church directed its congregation to avoid public functions and retreats.
“We have decided to postpone the Pathanamthitta Catholic convention which was scheduled to be held from March 13 to 16 at the Pathanamthitta Municipal stadium due to the five new coronavirus positive cases confirmed in the district. We should avoid all big gatherings,” said Malankara Catholic Church Pathanamthitta bishop, Samuel Mar Irenios.
KCBC official spokesperson Fr Varghese Vallikkat told TNM, “We have already directed our churches to cancel large public retreats and gatherings. Diocese heads have been directed to take a decision at the local level to cancel public meetings and huge vacation meetings.”
“The church has not cancelled mass and other prayer meetings. But if needed, the bishops in each diocese can take a decision. KCBC is monitoring the situation and if needed we will issue more strict guidelines to stop the spread of the virus,” the priest added.
“Presently most people are receiving the Holy Communion in the hand. We have also directed devotees to follow the health department directives,” said Vallikkat.