Polish bishops say churches must remain open for Easter despite record Covid infections

Senior figures from Poland’s Catholic hierarchy have insisted that churches must not close over Easter despite the country currently experiencing its highest ever level of coronavirus infections. But they have again urged priests and parishioners to abide by tightened restrictions.

Their statements follow criticism from some quarters at the government’s decision to allow churches to remain open while closing many businesses, cultural institutions and schools. There have also been concerns that some parishes are not abiding by rules on masking, distancing and attendance limits.

Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, the head of the Polish Episcopal Conference, the central organ of the Catholic church in Poland, wrote to churchgoers and parish priests ahead of Holy Week.

In the letter, quoted by Gość Niedzielny, he stressed that “leaving churches open is extremely important, because a person is not only a body, but also a soul, and prayer – especially in moments of trials and hardships – strengthens us on the path to salvation”

However, he also appealed for “scrupulous abidance by sanitary safety rules during liturgical celebrations” and by the limits on numbers as well as to maintain social distancing and wear masks.

Despite noting that bishops have given dispensation for the faithful not to attend church ceremonies in person during the Easter period, he reminded them that “transmissions will never replace full participation in the Eucharist and taking the sacraments”.

Gądecki’s message was repeated today by Archbishop Wojciech Polak, the Primate of Poland. He said that there is no need to close churches, noting that many people have already been vaccinated or have immunity after previously having the virus.

But “it is necessary to absolutely abide by restrictions”, Polak told Wirtualna Polska. He also added that “if someone doesn’t feel up to it, is concerned for their health, or will not be able to participate as a result of the limits of faithful in a liturgy, they can experience the festivities at home”.

“Even a year ago, when lockdown took a more restrictive form, church buildings were not closed,” he pointed out.

Last year, restrictions at Easter time, the holiest Catholic holiday in Poland, were tighter than now, with religious gatherings limited to five people in addition to the person officiating. At the time, Poland was recording a few hundred daily new COVID-19 cases, contrasting with its current average level of more than 27,000.

Last week, the government announced stricter limits on numbers allowed to attend religious services. They must now not exceed one person per 20 square metres of space – a reduction from the previous limit of 15 square metres of space.

There was some criticism after it emerged that the health minister had met with a representative of the Polish bishops to discuss the details before announcing the new restrictions.

Szymon Hołownia, head of the Poland 2050 (Polska 2050) opposition party, said today that restrictions on church attendance should be stricter in the current situation.

In an interview with Radio Zet, he said they should be at least as tough as they were at Easter last year, particularly with the dominant strain in Poland now the highly infectious so-called British variant.

“It is a question of respect for human life, for the fifth commandment,” said Hołownia, himself a devout Catholic who last month presented a plan to ensure the separation of church and state in Poland. Churches should be treated “simply as buildings” where infections can take place, instead of asking parish priests to “kindly obey the law”, he added.

“For believers like me this is a difficult time, but we went through it last year, and this year we need to behave similarly. I am certain that everybody who practises…will find a way not to lose their faith and to practise in different ways to allow them to save their lives and those of others,” Hołownia told Radio Zet.

Meanwhile, there were concerns over the weekend that not all churches were keeping to sanitary protocols. An opposition MP shared a screenshot from one Palm Sunday service broadcast on public television channel TVP showing parishioners and the priest either not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly.

Main image credit: EpiskopatNews/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Ben Koschalka

Ben Koschalka is a translator and senior editor at Notes from Poland. Originally from Britain, he has lived in Kraków since 2005.