A Dublin parish priest has appealed to the Catholic bishops to advise that all Masses in Ireland at Christmas take place online.

“The best and safest solution is for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses to be online only, with churches open after for people, families,” Fr Adrian Egan said. This is contrary to the position of bishops’ conference all over the world which have campaigned for the right to a safe return to public Masses, with French and US bishops taking legal cases.

Fr Egan, the parish priest at Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Ballyfermot, said “I know these things can be decided locally, but it would be better coming from the bishops.”

On Monday evening, the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP), of which Fr Egan is a member, tweeted it had received a “significant volume” of phone calls and messages from priests articulating anxiety and concern about the return to worship following the ending of Level 5 restrictions and the difficulties faced by parishes in mustering stewards and volunteers for churches and car parks at Christmas time.

Ireland was unique in Europe in stopping public worship at mid-level restrictions.