Diocese blasts New York over Mass-attendance restrictions

The Diocese of Brooklyn has attacked the state of New York, charging that a new additional set of restrictions that further reduce church capacity violates freedom of religion.

Churches had been operating at 25% capacity and had reported no Covid outbreaks. The new rules mean that churches in some areas are reduced to 10 attendees, while others are reduced to 25.

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn said that the measures were “not reasonable.”

“We’re not asking for full capacity,” he said, noting that churches in the diocese “are very large” and can safely accommodate far more than the 10-or-25-person limit the state is effectively ordering.

The 10-person restriction is one of the lowest caps on religious services in the country. San Francisco had been limiting outdoor religious services to 12 people, with indoor services prohibited, until early this month when San Francisco’s mayor announced that places of worship will be permitted to hold services indoors at 25% capacity, up to 100 people.