Coronavirus: Four main churches say opening doors for private prayer would be safe

There were socially-distanced queues over the weekend as Father Paddy McCafferty of Corpus Christi in Ballymurphy was kept busy for an hour while parishioners waited in line.

His creative approach to the issue comes as leaders of the main churches in Northern Ireland urged government to allow the reopening of places of worship for individual private prayer.

Last week, Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots suggested that churches and garden centres could reopen during a gradual easing of coronavirus restrictions.

The Stormont Executive is set to publish its pathway to recovery this week following more than a month of lockdown.

In the meantime, on Saturday Fr McCafferty carried out a work-around by sitting outside in front of his church, behind the gates, while those making their confessions stood about two metres in front of him.

“I started hearing confessions at 11.40 and I was kept busy for about an hour with a constant stream of people, with everybody observing social distancing,” he told the PA news agency.

“As they came to me outside the church, there was a two-metre distance, maybe more.

“There was no one close to them to hear what they were saying and it was easy for me to hear what they were saying.

“Everything was observed, the sanctity and privacy as well as protecting people from the virus.

“I intend to do it again next week and so on until we are able to get people back into the church again.”

Fr McCafferty said previously he had been hearing confessions by appointment, meeting parishioners outside the church at a safe distance.

“Before Easter I did the same, I was outside the church and people were coming but I decided to stop that as we went into Holy Week because the worry at that time was the virus was going to peak, so I didn’t want anyone at all leaving the house unnecessarily,” he said.

“There is nothing to stop you hearing confessions from people provided you observe all the precautions.

“I am aware of other priests who are doing it too. We are not breaching any of the safety mechanisms and it does help people.

“A lot of people were very moved to be able to do it, and we have to comfort people and strengthen them in every way possible.

“They are deprived of the Eucharist at the moment on account of the situation, to be able to give any comfort and strength to people is so important.”

Fr McCafferty emphasised that despite his innovative approach, churches are still not open.

Leaders of the Church of Ireland, Methodist Church in Ireland, Catholic Church, Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the Irish Council of Churches issued a statement on the issue yesterday, after a video conference discussion on Friday.

In a joint statement they accepted it would “not be appropriate” at this time for traditional weekly gatherings.

“While we all look forward to the day when we can again gather together for collective worship in our churches, we accept that at this time it would not be appropriate to consider a full return to such gatherings, apart from the limited number of people who are able to meet for funeral services,” they said.

“At this time, we are not calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to remove the current general restrictions on gathering together for church services, but we are asking that the issue is kept under regular review, so that when it is safe to do so there can be an easing of these restrictions.”

However, they said individual visits to church buildings for private prayer is a “different and separate matter”, and could be done safely.

“Where the medical and scientific advice indicates that this limited step is possible, we would urge the Executive to consider easing this particular restriction sooner rather than later,” the statement said.

They concluded by urging people to support each other, saying: “Over the past number of weeks, we have seen the vast majority of the people embracing these challenging, but very necessary, restrictions – working together for the benefit and good of all.”

They gave thanks for this “demonstration of love and concern for all in our community”.