Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
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| Archbishop Thomas Luke Msusa, ECM Chairman |
The Catholic Bishops in Malawi under their umbrella body Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) have opened churches which were closed for in-person worship for three weeks following the ‘lockdown’ directive issued by government mid last month.
On April 17, the High Court blocked a 21-day Coronavirus lockdown government directive made in view of minimizing further spread of Coronavirus after the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) backed by hundreds of protesters challenged it, arguing that more consultation was needed to prevent harm to the poorest and most vulnerable of the society.
“All Church gatherings and communal liturgical celebrations should resume forthwith in Churches and Small Christian Communities,” the bishops stated in their statement dated Friday, May 8.
“During such gatherings, the Presidential Decree made on 20th March 2020 which restricts congregants to not more than 100 while strictly observing social distance will be adhered to,” they added.
According to ECM Chairman Archbishop Thomas Luke Msusa, the resolve to resume liturgical celebrations has been taken after consultation with health experts.
“We invited a task force of experts from the Ministry of Health who are in the Covid-19 Committee to brief us on the state of the country concerning the pandemic so as to come up with a sound decision,” Archbishop Msusa explained in an interview with AMECEA Online.
“After the experts briefing, we realized that other activities were ongoing as usual in the country including political rallies for the forthcoming Presidential elections, so we opted to review our directives and reopen the churches but maintain a minimal number of 100 Christians at every celebration,” he added.
In situations where having 100 Christians may not be ideal the bishops have allowed priests to celebrate Mass in an open space for people to keep that social distance.”
The Prelates further outlined safety measures to be observed to avoid the spread of Coronavirus especially among the people during Mass.
“Wherever possible, everyone should use face masks when attending Church gatherings and funeral functions,” the Bishops stated, adding that the use of face masks does not only apply to Churches and funerals “but whenever one goes to public places such are markets, hospitals.”
“Pastoral activities which by their nature bring together large numbers of people such as Ordinations, Confirmations etc. should be suspended or postponed until the situation improves,” the bishops outlines concerning activities that may call for huge gatherings.
“In the event that an Ordination ceremony takes place, Presidential Decree on restricting congregants to not more than 100 should be strictly followed while observing social distance,” they added.
The Bishops further appealed to the Religious and clergy to take a key role in sensitizing the faithful on the danger of the virus and the importance of following the directives.
According to Archbishop Msusa, experts from the Ministry of Health have already sensitized the clergy and the Religious in every Diocese, “They have information about the pandemic which they must use to educate the others.”
The bishops have also insisted that elderly priests and those with underlying medical conditions are not “obliged to preside over the public Holy Masses, conducting funerals or anointing the sick.” Besides, “old people and all those with underlying medical problems are dispensed from Church attendance and funerals until the situation improves.”
In the statement, the Prelates also highlighted the role of Catholic media saying, “working in close collaboration with the Pastoral Commission, they should continue to broadcast live Holy Masses and other relevant pastoral programs for the spiritual nourishment of the faithful who may be physically impeded in attending the Holy Mass.”
As of May 15, 2020, the Worldmeter Covodi-19 data shows that Malawi’s total cumulative number of Coronavirus cases has reached 63 with 3 deaths and 24 recoveries. Though the number is low compared to the neighbouring countries, the graph shows a steady daily increase of new cases.