Catholic Bishop of Bathurst in NSW's Central Tablelands, Michael McKenna has called for churches to be included in the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in New South Wales next week.
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Bishop McKenna congratulated the Government for the way it has led the State through these days of pandemic and said he welcomed the careful new measures that will see pubs and other venues be allowed to serve up to 50 people at a time.
But, he said he is puzzled that, so far, there is no word on letting more people come to church.
"The NSW Catholic bishops wrote to the Premier at the beginning of May, outlining a step-by-step plan to safely re-open churches for worship," he said.
"It has been great to begin this with congregations of 10, and priests and parishioners have worked hard to follow all the rules necessary.
Church services are a truly an essential service.
- Catholic Bishop of Bathurst, Michael McKenna
"However, if it's safe to have 50 people in a pub, it's surely safe to have that number in a church. I've spent time in both, so I speak from experience."
Although the Government has so far been non-committal in responding to the bishops' call, Bishop McKenna is confident that churchgoers will not be forgotten as new regulations are rolled out.
"Church services are a truly an essential service," he said.
Since public gatherings, including church services, were banned under the strict COVID-19 laws, back in March many parishioners have been attending Mass online, with the Catholic Cathedral live streaming services.
Over 300 people watched the Easter Masses live followed by close to 5,000 views over the next day.
There are also many people joining the online Mass from outside the Diocese, as far away as Vietnam, the USA, Borneo and the UK.