CNA Staff, Jan 14, 2021 / 12:00 pm
The Catholic Church is resuming public Sunday Masses in Iceland after the government raised the number of people permitted to gather in churches from 10 to 20.
Bishop David Tencer of Reykjavik, the country's sole Catholic diocese, has encouraged priests to increase the number of Masses offered at their parishes and to apply for an exemption from the health authorities to allow for more than 20 people to attend Mass.
"We hope that those responsible for epidemic rules understand that as long as 100 people can attend Mass (funerals) … it should be possible to allow 100 people at a regular Mass in the same space," Bishop Tencer said in a statement on Jan. 12.
Earlier this month, the bishop announced the suspension of all Sunday Masses in the Diocese of Reykjavik until the government lifted the 10-person limit. He also called for COVID-19 restrictions to be changed, arguing that there was an "unfair discrepancy" within the coronavirus measures.