London, England, Nov 19, 2021 / 13:00 pm
The bishops of England and Wales urged Catholics on Friday to renew their commitment to Sunday Mass, but acknowledged that the pandemic still posed obstacles to regular church attendance.
In a statement approved at their fall plenary assembly in the northern English city of Leeds, the bishops appeared to stop short of restoring the Sunday obligation, which was removed when the pandemic broke out in March 2020.
“The pandemic is clearly not over. The risk of infection is still present. For some, there is legitimate fear in gathering together,” they said.
“As your bishops, we recognize that these prevailing circumstances suggest that not everyone is yet in the position to fulfill the absolute duty to attend freely Sunday Mass.”