CNA Staff, May 8, 2020 / 06:00 am
A new "dial-a-Mass" service enabling Catholics with no internet connection to listen to Sunday Masses is proving a success, an English bishop has said.
Bishop Terence Drainey of Middlesbrough said that 100 people used the Mass-by-Phone service when it launched May 3.
Public Masses were suspended in England from March 20 and churches ordered to close days later. The government has not indicated when churches will be allowed to reopen.
The Diocese of Middlesbrough, in northern England, decided to introduce the phone line -- believed to be the first of its kind in England -- when it became clear that some Catholics were unable to follow livestream Masses because they didn't have smartphones or Wi-Fi.