Bishops postpone reinstatement of Sunday Obligation

The bishops of Scotland have postponed the planned reinstatement of obligations for Sundays and Holy Days amid concerns surrounding the Omicron Coronavirus variant.

In a statement, the Bishops’ Conference said:

“At the beginning of Advent the Bishops of Scotland looked forward to welcoming the faithful back to Holy Mass and anticipated that the restoration of the Sunday Obligation might be possible as we begin the New Year.

“Sadly, there has been a serious worsening of the situation and the restoration of the obligation will be postponed until a more favourable time.

“For us Sunday is always a Holy Day and we invite those who are unable to be with us in person to continue to join with us in prayer and spiritual communion either by personal or family prayers or by online celebrations of Mass.

“We ask everyone to continue to pray for a speedy end to the Pandemic and for the good health of you and your loved ones in 2022.

“We also pray for all those who passed during 2021 and those who grieve.”

The statement concluded: “May Our Lady Health of the Sick pray for us and may Saints Andrew and Margaret protect us.”

The Scottish Government today confirmed to the Scottish Government that churches will be exempt from the 200 indoor event capacity limit to be imposed on Boxing Day, stating:

“Places of worship are exempt from capacity limits.

“We strongly advise encouraging congregations and visitors to physically distance in places of worship where possible, unless this adversely impacts on fundamental aspects of           worship, and to undertake Lateral Flow Testing before attending services or gatherings.”

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