Cork diocese lifts remaining covid restrictions but changes to funerals set to remain

In message to parishes, bishop asks for removal of 'covid notices and stickers in relation to social distancing and the wearing of face coverings'

Bishop Fintan Gavin: 'Covid notices and stickers in relation to social distancing and the wearing of face coverings should be removed from church seats, notice boards etc.' Picture: Dan Linehan

While the last covid restrictions are being lifted in parishes across the Cork and Ross diocese, changes to funerals are set to remain.

Bishop Fintan Gavin has issued a message to parishes, advising of a lifting of restrictions, including wearing of a face mask while distributing Holy Communion and the taking up of offertory and second collections. The faithful will now also have the option of receiving the Holy Communion host on the tongue, if preferred.

“Covid notices and stickers in relation to social distancing and the wearing of face coverings should be removed from church seats, notice boards etc,” added Bishop Gavin.

“As we continue to live with covid, we have to find new ways of rebuilding our communities. Therefore, it is important that all ministries such as Minister of the Word, Minister of the Eucharist, choirs, cantors, altar servers are restored and refreshed. 

I hope that the removal of these last few remaining restrictions will enable us to celebrate together as welcoming faith communities.” 

Fr Tom Hayes, spokesman for the diocese, said the lifting of restrictions would not impact on funeral policy, which asks that people do not have a public removal to the church on the night before burial.

Fr Hayes said: “The diocesan protocol around funerals changed to basically put the focus of the church part back on prayer.” 

He said the diocese was asking people not to use the church as a sympathising venue and to keep it as a place for worship.

He said: “The church had become like a funeral parlour and people were saying we need to recover the fact that the church is really the place for worship, and the funeral parlour or the home is the place for sympathising.” 

Fr Hayes added: “It doesn’t mean that people can’t overnight in the church. The difference is that it is not a public arrival into the church accompanied by wholesale sympathising.” 

He said while there was room for pastoral flexibility, “the central emphasis on the diocesan policy is to not use the church as a sympathising venue".