Scottish Bishops to reinstate Sunday obligation

The Bishops of Scotland have said Catholics here will be expected to attend Sunday Mass from the 6th of March.

That date, the first Sunday in Lent this year, is just shy of two years since all public Masses were suspended in Scotland at the start of the pandemic on March 18th 2020.

In a statement from the Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Hugh Gilbert (above) said: “Given the easing of restrictions in every other walk of life, the Church looks forward to welcoming Catholics back to Holy Mass.”

The statement noted that the Sunday obligation does not apply to those ‘who are sick and their carers or to those aware of their greater vulnerability to the virus.’

Bishop Gilbert continued: “May the continuing recovery of our country bring new hope to us all especially those who are ill, those who mourn loved ones, those who are apprehensive and those who have sustained us in so many ways throughout the Pandemic.

“We, the Bishops of Scotland, take this opportunity to thank our clergy and our parish volunteers for all their efforts.

“May our Lenten journey this year lead us to a renewed appreciation of our Catholic faith, of the celebration of the Eucharist and of the presence of the Risen Christ who is always at our side.”

The Scottish Bishops had previously hoped to reinstate the Sunday obligation on the 2nd of January, but had postponed the move due to the Omicron Covid variant.

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