With the signing of a special protocol of cooperation by the Italian government and the Synod of Bishops in the Catholic Church of the country, it is stipulated that from May 18 services will start again in all the churches of Italy.
Believers should wear a mask and the capacity of the churches will be limited. The Holy Communion will be given in the hand and not in the mouth by the priest, who will approach the faithful so that no queues are created. At the moment, no holy water will be placed in the special, marble containers.
At the same time, the churches will be constantly disinfected and the faithful will not be crowded outside the entrances of the temples nor will they come in close contact with each other at the end of a service and before the beginning of the next. “With this agreement, services can resume with all the necessary conditions of safety in place,” Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said.
“In determining the protocol, both the need to protect public health and the adoption of measures that can be implemented by any ecclesiastical community have been taken into account,” the Catholic bishops of Italy added.
Source: ANA-MPA