Dear brothers
and Sisters in Jesus Christ
In his
Address to the Nation the Prime Minister outlined the necessary steps that we
must now take to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. The Government has
mandated the ‘closure of all shops
selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores, and
other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of
worship.’
This means
that, until further notice, and with immediate effect, all the churches and
chapels within the Archdiocese of Southwark, together with their associated
halls, must now close their doors to the public. This policy must be
implemented without exception. It is imperative that we, the clergy,
consecrated religious, and laity of the Archdiocese of Southwark, comply fully
with these directives. This is an essential component of our contribution to fighting
the corona virus and living out the Lord Jesus’ commandment to ‘love our neighbour.’(Mk 12:31)
Given that
our priests live adjacent to their churches, there will still be the private
celebration of Mass each day, but there must be no additional people present other
than the priest himself. The doors to all our churches and chapels must remain
permanently locked until these restrictions are lifted.
The Prime Minster (sic)*
also stated that all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies,
but excluding funerals, must cease. The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales
have already put in place restrictive measures in relation to baptisms,
marriages and funerals which must continue to be followed.
Although we
are socially isolated from each other, we are not isolated from Christ. Now is a
time to strengthen our spiritual bonds of connection through personal prayer and
the intensification of our inner relationship with Christ. We will continue to
use social media to sustain our communal online presence, with the live-streaming
of Mass and devotions from different churches within our Archdiocese and
beyond. For the time being, our buildings must close; but our hearts must open
wider, expanding with love for Christ and others.
Dear friends,
the yearning in our hearts for the Eucharist and for fellowship with one
another must sustain us until we come, once more, to gather at the altar to offer
together the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We take inspiration from the Apostle
St Paul writing to the first Christians in Rome: ‘...hardship develops perseverance, perseverance develops character, character
produces hope and hope does not disappoint, since the love of God has been
poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us.’ (Rom 5:3-5) We are people
of profound hope. We will remain firm in faith and generous in charity, through
Christ the ‘hope of glory,’ alive
within us. (cf. Col 1:27)
Let us pray
for all those working to overcome the effects of the Corona virus and all those
affected by it. Please also be sure of my prayers for you, for your families
and for your loved ones. And, please, pray for me and all your bishops,
priests, and deacons, who hold you in their hearts and prayers.
With every blessing
Yours devotedly in
Christ
The Most Reverend
John Wilson
Archbishop of
Southwark
Given at Archbishop’s
House, Southwark, 23 March 2020
+++
* Hello. I usually do not comment text I publish in the blog, but I will make an exeption with this one. The mistake of change "Minister" for "Minster" urged me to it. Catholic faith survive without masses and sacraments, as we know through History e today's papers in places where persecution agaisnt Christianity in general are hapening, but what are we seeing in England and other places is a voluntary lockdown based in human fear and what is worst, a surrender to government. The bishops made Human fears more powerfull than Divine law.
The Church of Christ will survive but I wonder what price will be requested for such surrender.
The Church of Christ will survive but I wonder what price will be requested for such surrender.
J. Thiesen
