Dublin Archbishop appeals for public mass to be permitted

The Archbishop of Dublin has appealed for people to be allowed to attend mass, saying they are being deprived of their worship.

Speaking to Pat Kenny on Newstalk, Diarmuid Martin said Ireland is the only country in Europe with a blanket ban on public worship from level three onwards.

On Thursday, while speaking at an online gathering of the Dublin Council of Churches, he said “There can be a justification for the closing of churches, especially at crucial moments or to protect vulnerable people”. But, he warned that “such measures should however be limited to the minimum period necessary”

“For Catholics, the celebration of Mass and the sacraments is at the very heart of what it means for us to be a Christian community. These are not simply ‘gatherings’ of people, but profound expressions of who we are as a Church.

“For parishes and individual Catholics the loss of these spiritual supports can be a source of great anxiety and fear and can have a detrimental impact on their overall health and well-being,” the archbishop said.

The four catholic Archbishops wrote to Taoiseach Micheál Martin last week expressing concern at the ban on public worship. They requested a meeting with the Taoiseach and are still awaiting a reply.