How big of a deal is attendance at places of worship in restarting the economy?

You will likely find signage upon entering your church instructing people about keeping safe distances and other guidelines to minimize the chance of covid spread while in there.

The article linked in the post you replied to is troubling. The picture shows people who are NOT 6 feet apart. Further, their prayer posture places their faces on the ground. The next group of people will do the same, as will all subsequent groups. Plastic lining on the floor is a barrier to the underlying carpeting, but once people place their faces on the floor, the plastic then harbors whatever microbes and viruses were on the worshippers’ faces. And the next, and the next.

PS: Don’t invite the media to visit your church. Nor dare them to. Given that it’s a Christian establishment, you can be sure they’ll be looking for reasons to cast aspersion on the fact that your church is open.

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Yes, there is plenty of information on doors and bulletins (plus no holy water fonts) about the current situation. There is an outdoor Stations of the Cross, and personally, I choose to remain in that area most of the time, anyway. Everyone seems to be careful of what they touch. While some seem to have no trouble handling books, I notice a lot of us use our cell phones to call up the daily readings.

You are right–no one should call the attention of the media. Even should they, I doubt they would find anything inappropriate. It is a fairly large church, plenty of space for a few people to drop by as the day goes on.

Ditto my church. Has remained open throughout. Difference here (unlike the ones that have made headlines) is that there are no formal services or large gatherings.

I suspect the use of the word “attendance” in the thread’s title is really asking about formal services and other gatherings. I look forward (for personal reasons) to resumption of mass at my church.

Apparently attendance in restarting the economy will remain strong in liquor stores if not churches:

I am personally of the opinion many stores that are closed could have remained opened, leaving it for people to decide if the risk was acceptable to them. For example, a jewelry store. I have very little reason to go to a jewelry store, and seldom have. When when I have, there have been very few people inside. The same with furniture stores. I wanted to replace some recliners before Easter, and once again these stores are not ever crowded when I stop by, yet they are all shut down now.

Hindsight is everything–and I am not objecting to the path we took. However, I do wonder whether instead of such a tight lock down restaurants could have operated at one-third capacity (reservations only) and the rest take-out or delivery.

If malls were open 24-hours a day, would people just naturally choose to shop during the off hours making it less crowded during what was known as peak hours?

It does seem wise that crowded places such as theaters, schools, stadiums and the like be closed until we can get a handle on this. The same with nursing homes. But I do wonder if we closed down businesses that would have been okay to have remained opened.

As for Church…I wish we could have continued with daily Mass. Plenty of room for social distancing, unless, of course, everyone started crowding into my 6:30 a.m. daily Mass! :slight_smile:

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He will live like a king for life so his salary and pension are irrelevant.

When he tears down the Walls of Vatican City and gives back the Churches wealth that exceeds that of most countries to the people it was taken from he’ll cease being a hypocrite over his dictates as to what the developed world should be providing “the less fortunate” who of course exist mostly in primarily Catholic Countries.

Our Diocese have shut down all large gatherings but I see regular attendees at small daily masses in our area Churches.

To the defense of the Pope he still maintains vast spiritual and religious power.

In Europe alone - Norway, Spain, Britain and Sweden, the royal positions are purely ceremonial.

And unlike the Bishop of Rome, these figurehead monarchs often have their living grandparents, parents, siblings, spouses, aunts, uncles, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. living a charmed life as well.

My only issue with him is his hypocrisy. I have never questioned is faith and devotion or even his “good intentions”.

Yes there are some ironies in the lockdown rules. Abortions clinics are considered “life-sustaining” and can remain open, but knee and hip replacements are considered “elective” and therefore no longer allowed in many states.

The government closed the state liquor stores in Pennsylvania, but they allowed local distilleries to remain open and sell liquor:

I believe that the coronavirus lockdowns have been an extreme overreach by government, especially if they continue for long periods. A reasonable alternative would be to allow church services and businesses to reopen, but simply require adequate distance between people and other reasonable safety measures. Having services outside may also reduce the risks.

Ultimately freedom comes with risks. 100,000 people die each year from air pollution and 36,000 die from traffic accidents according to US figures. Logically the government could make the lockdown permanent based on saving lives from air pollution and traffic accidents; Greta Thunberg would be overjoyed.

In reality, the government has the requirement to minimize regulations that interfere with constitutional rights. The right to worship freely is one of those rights.

Give back to whom?

Here is an article of Pope Francis’ viewpoint on hypocrisy:

If only His Holiness was a Trump supporter . . .

Try reading the post you replied to where I spelled it out.

That neither excuses nor relieves him of the responsibility for his own hypocrisy.

Current death total in the USA is in excess of 45,000.

That is a fraction of the estimated deaths from air pollution in a single year.

An argument is that extreme measures are required for an extreme risk, but government actions have been inconsistent. For example, about half of the US deaths have occurred in the New York area. The city shutdown businesses and churches, but it keep the subway and buses running at a severely reduced schedule that resulted in overcrowding.

The result was effectively a giant pox party. At least 68 transit workers have died. Countless more workers and passengers have been infected. The lockdown with crowded subway cars has made as much sense as a submarine with a screen door.

Mitt Romney during impeachment was a textbook hypocrite using faith in God as his stated rationale to ultimately decide how to vote.

The Pope is the chosen one to lead as a role model in accordance with the churches moral code and values. Religious hypocrisy is the contrivance of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, while concealing real character traits or inclinations.

His hypocrisy isn’t religious, it is is economic and political in his demands that the developed world redistribute it’s wealth and tear down it’s borders while refusing to do the same with The Vatican’s wealth and Walls.

It is the single richest Non Governmental Entity on the planet and far richer than most countries.

I have few religious disagreements with him I don’t have with The Church in general and have had since my own confirmation studies.

So living according to a moral code and values is ok unless you vote against President Trump? You are going to have to connect the dots better than that unless Mitt Romney’s hypocrisy was not doing it sooner.