Open up places of worship

To re-open places of worship for Christians, Jews, Muslims and other religions. This can be done in a prudent manner in keeping with social distancing and the use of gloves and masks. Chairs and pews can be regularly sanitised by volunteers of which there are usually many at places of worship.

This could be done on a daily basis as some places have daily worship or could be just for the main days of worship.

Why the contribution is important

One of the most important aspects of many people's lives is being able to practice their religion as a community whether Jewish, Muslim, Christian or other. Whether one is a person of faith or not this is important for the mental and emotional health of those people. It also helps them keep connected with elderly and vulnerable people and to be encouraged to carry out acts of charity and kindness.

Many non religious people like to enter churches and other places of worship as they find there a place of peace.

It will look discriminatory if activities such as golf and tennis are allowed to resume and schools re-opened while places of worship are kept closed.

by dermot2105 on May 08, 2020 at 10:34AM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.3
Based on: 36 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Summer May 08, 2020 at 10:47

    So important in such troubled times. It’s a fundamental human right to be able to worship albeit with safety taken into consideration
  • Posted by dsbscot May 08, 2020 at 11:04

    Having the ability to enter places of worship and sit in peace would help.
  • Posted by Debi May 08, 2020 at 11:36

    You can worship at home safely rather than be at risk
  • Posted by Pauljscullion May 08, 2020 at 12:29

    Being able to spend time in a quiet empty church in front of the tabernacle would be heavenly. A great psychological help during the easing of the lockdown.
  • Posted by Gianna May 08, 2020 at 12:35

    If we can shop safely we can visit places of worship safely and in accordance with guidance regarding social distance.
  • Posted by Patkearns May 08, 2020 at 12:50

    I agree entirely
  • Posted by sw31877 May 08, 2020 at 13:19

    Faith is more important than ever in these times. To be able to visit places of worship in a safe manner with appropriate measures to facilitate health and wellbeing would be so helpful to faith communities.
  • Posted by Crawfoi May 08, 2020 at 13:31

    Our churches give us faith and hope which we need at the moment. With social distancing a priority I’m sure our churches would adapt.
  • Posted by Etienne May 08, 2020 at 15:29

    Excellent proposal.
  • Posted by gmb May 08, 2020 at 16:12

    I agree. The spiritual aspect of people's lives is an essential matter, not a trivial one, and as the original post notes, there are various measures that could be taken to ensure this is done in a prudent and safe way.
  • Posted by MHughes May 08, 2020 at 17:02

    The number of people that go to Church on a Sunday is considerable, more than a lot of other activities that people are involved in at a weekend. The ability for people to go to church and other places of worship would really help them to cope better with the on-going restrictions after the lock down is lifted. The leaders of the faiths are keen for places of worship to re-open and, therefore, would be very sensible and pro-active in ensuring that places of worship were safe, eg. social distancing, sanitising pews, no hymn books/bulletins, etc. The chance to pray in your place of worship is central to your life, so, please liaise quickly with the religious leaders about their plans for re-opening churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship.
  • Posted by eyeballs May 08, 2020 at 17:17

    This is the way to truly enkindle hope in our communities, each person clings to his religion and we have to respect this freedom
  • Posted by Paulinemarycct May 08, 2020 at 18:06

    It makes no sense to me to place so little importance on the ability to go to a place of worship. They provide vital therapy. Research reveals excellent mental health outcomes for citizens who follow a faith. Mental health directly affects physical wellbeing. Open the places of worship. they are crucial for coping.
  • Posted by RossC May 08, 2020 at 19:18

    There is no reason that Churches cannot be open for private prayer under the same terms as other establishments accessed by the public i.e. with hand hygiene stations etc. so that people may go there to sit and pray. I know from my experience as a Parish Priest that this would bring a measure of comfort to people who are unable to access the Sacraments and for whom the Church is a place which many regard as their own home.

    As for the resumption of Sacramental life, those in authority - both religious and civil - should refer to the work undertaken by the Thomistic Institute in Washington D.C. which brings together expertise from medical/canonical/liturgical points of view in their thinking about how to access Sacraments safely. Cf. https://thomisticinstitute.org/covid-sacraments
  • Posted by firehorse May 08, 2020 at 22:59

    Gods of any religion don't mind you praying at home alone. if need be. Surely if a god created the world they would apparently be everywhere, you don't need a specific building, time of day to have an extra link to them. Is religious devotion not more about your actions and deeds while you are here.
  • Posted by Edgar May 09, 2020 at 08:43

    In my community were doing well keeping social distance, disinfecting things and supporting each other in that difficult times, not only because of the material and psychological matters but also the spiritual. Lovely!
  • Posted by Chris20_20 May 09, 2020 at 12:11

    Re-opening places of worship would be a huge source of consolation for many people at this difficult time. I fully support this proposal.
  • Posted by Bernie May 09, 2020 at 12:55

    I ask that restrictions are removed and the ban on worship and closure of churches are lifted
    The receiving of the Blessed Eucharistic is the fundimental part of the Catholic Ethos. This can easily be done in accordance to government restrictions. As is done in large department stores.
    We need the family of the living Church more now than ever before
  • Posted by CatholicintheFerry May 09, 2020 at 13:00

    Even if we are not able to have services, it would be good at least to have the churches open so that people could make private individual visits - with all the social distancing measures in place, of course. For my own part, I know that this would be a great consolation to many Catholics. I am sure that others would appreciate it too.
  • Posted by Tedeum May 09, 2020 at 13:59

    Spiritual food is essential for health and hope. Open places of worship with safe social distancing.
  • Posted by ChristianBeliever May 09, 2020 at 14:33

    Spread out the seating, roping off 2 of every 3 pews to keep people well apart. Wear masks for singing, or don't sing at all. Take all necessary precautions to keep it safe but open it up.
  • Posted by triumphherald May 09, 2020 at 21:16

    I fully support this idea, if social distancing advice is followed. The risk involved in attending a church service where guidance is followed, is probably lower than when visiting a supermarket.

  • Posted by M800 May 09, 2020 at 23:13

    Attending the Mass is an integral part of the practice of our faith and something that as a Catholic Christian is of extreme importance to us. Indeed the absence of it is a source of grief and loss to our community of faith. We are fortunate and thankful that many of our priests are streaming Masses over the internet. However in common with the population at large many people are not able to access these because of lack of technological capability.
    I would therefore appeal to you to make the availability of Mass a priority by reopening churches. In these anxious times it is even more important to keep moral and mental health from deteriorating. Personal prayer can be performed in all places at all times but the prayer of Holy Mass is a gathering of a faith community united in worship. This dimension is not possible over the net. It is intolerable for us to be deprived of our places of worship, our prayer communities and the sacraments that give us life. There is much to be done to heal the great pain in our society caused by the death of so many . Whole families who’s only contact with their loved ones at the end of their lives was over the phone at best. Let us begin that healing.
    I’m sure , having shopped at several supermarkets over the last weeks, that we can handle social distancing and good hygiene more effectively.
  • Posted by Dbarbosa May 10, 2020 at 21:25

    I also strongly believe that churches should be open.
    I don't think it is ok to just simply say that the people that attend church are in the vulnerable group... I attend church and I am 30 years old..... most of our congregation is not at the high risk group ...People who are shielding can continue to do so but churches should be open for all other people to attend.
    There is plenty of space for us to social distance.

    I believe that many people are struggling emotionally and mentally and Faith can help them through this time as it provides comfort!
    Even if it is done by allowing a smaller number of people at a time I believe that we should not be denyed by the government our right to express ourselves and to practice our faith in this time when it is most needed.

      Please open up churches so people can pray and find comfort in practicing thei faith collectively.
  • Posted by RavelCat May 11, 2020 at 10:50

    Before Churches were closed, all surfaces in our Church were being cleaned regularly and all items such as books and hymn books had been removed. Once public Masses had been stopped and the Church was open for private prayer, people were coming in and being very mindful of social distancing, hand sanitation etc. Therefore, I cannot see any good reason to continue to keep Churches closed especially at a time when people value the opportunity for private prayer in a familiar place of worship.
  • Posted by Stargazer1960 May 11, 2020 at 15:22

    This would require careful planning to ensure social distancing is maintained. Hand sanitizer dispensers would be essential.
    Many churches now use church owned hymn books etc that are issued at the start of every service. This would not be appropriate. Churches would have to risk assess and manage any identified risks appropriately before being allowed to reopen.
  • Posted by waxwing May 11, 2020 at 16:53

    Yes, definitely. Social distancing would be easy to maintain in most church buildings.
  • Posted by Bethany18 May 11, 2020 at 17:03

    A vital step - measurements could be taken to insure we stay as safe as possible but in times like these people need the community and hope found in churches and need to be able to replenish their faith
  • Posted by Jem May 11, 2020 at 17:20

    I completely agree. Faith is such an important part of our lives and with measures in place like social distancing and effective cleaning, there would be very little risk to people.
  • Posted by Bek2020 May 11, 2020 at 21:10

    Social distancing is possible in places of worship and as it is social distancing that keeps people safe, I 100% agree with this post. This aspect of life is very beneficial to people.
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