Irish primate protests ban on public Masses (Irish Independent)

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh criticized a “blanket restriction on public worship” in Ireland, after a meeting with the country’s prime minister Michael Martin. The archbishop lamented that the ban had been imposed “without any meaningful consultation with religious leaders,” and observed that there is no evidence that the Covid virus has spread through churches. He argued that religious worship would be viewed as an essential activity. “It is fundamental to what we are as a Christian community,” he said.