CNA Staff, May 29, 2020 / 16:46 pm
Churches in New South Wales will be allowed to open with the same restrictions as other buildings, after Australian Catholics complained that religious services were being treated unfairly.
Over the past few days, 20,000 Catholics signed a petition by the Sydney Archdiocese asking Premier Gladys Berejiklian to offer churches the same treatment as other NSW venues.
When coronavirus restrictions begin to lift on June 1, bars, restaurants, and clubs will be permitted a maximum capacity of 50 people present. Churches, however, were only to be allowed 10 worshipers at any one time.
"I am at a loss to explain to Catholics in Sydney why our reasonable requests to the government are not being granted," said Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, according to the Catholic Weekly.