Posted on 03/14/2020 7:23:51 AM PDT by ebb tide
Francis was inundated by phone calls of cardinals and bishops after he closed all Roman churches on Thursday evening for fear of the coronavirus.
According to LaNuovaBq.it, this was the last straw because many bishops were already angry about the suspension of all Masses.
A source in the Vatican called the measure a sign that the Church is no longer relevant.
The German bishops' KNA reported that many priests considered opening their churches secretly.
Bergamo, Milan, Florence, Naples and Palermo dioceses decided to keep their churches open under certain conditions.
Curia Cardinal Krajewski personally opened his titular church Santa Maria Immacolata all'Esquilino on Friday morning.
Hours later, Francis corrected his decision.
Antonio Socci published on Twitter a March 13 letter of the Roman Vicariate.
The letter starts with the sentence, With an unprecedented decision, after consulting our Bishop Pope Francis, we published yesterday, March 12, the decree establishing the closure of our churches for three weeks".
This means that Francis personally wanted the move. The decision was reversed only one day later.
Ping
Agreed. I am Catholic and will be praying at home- there is a service at 9 am on tv tomorrow. This is just sick to put people in harm’s way. Maybe the Cardinals and Bishops look at it as job security- more funerals and all that...
What is sad is the since the church is open and the services will be on as scheduled, many elderly parishioners will feel obligated to attend- the most vulnerable among us.
You’d think the church would understand they need all the living tithers they can hold onto.
My church is doing online services. We have a large congregation with plenty of older (and lots of younger) people. God is everywhere including in our homes when we invite Him. If you look at persecuted believers, they have to meet outside of church. As bad is this all is; God can use this to revive peoples hearts to Him. Non believers too. Many have been praying for a spiritual revival. Maybe good can come from all of this.
There are many older Catholics that do not consider their own health a priority. If they can be sick and pray away from others in Church, I applaud. Put a one person per pew and leave 4 pews empty between oneself and another. Its not rocket science.
If they have Corona virus many would rather be dying in Church than some medical place, especially if the deny treatment for the old.
Vatican is acting as irresponsibly as that South Korea cult church did.
Italy = Shared communion chalice???
I live across the street from church. It’s small, maybe 100 attend. Haven’t heard anything about not having Mass.
It strikes me as peculiar that Italy almost seems to be have been targeted with being the major European country with the most reports of this disease. Despite the fact that Francis made every effort to assure the Chinese Commies the church would work with that regime. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3787853/posts
Christianity was built on the sacrifices of martyrs. A Mass isnt supposed to be a social gathering, people.
They didn’t commit suicide and yes it is.
I went to the usual 6:30 am Mass in Southern California yesterday (Friday). Attendance was normal. Everything business as usual - except no shaking hands during sign of peace, and no Blood of Christ - Body only.
Probably not.
The consecrated host contains the Body and Blood, Souls and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Maybe an infiltration of Medusa into a church will cause the priest to return to the ad orientem posture.
Christianity would have ended before 100 A.D. if many of today's Catholics were around back then.
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