Seniors' Lives Matter
The Issue
Saint Pius X Church, Mulund West, Mumbai is proactively encouraging senior citizens to regularly attend services in the church premises by linking it to consumption of holy communion, which will be only made available at home to those who are seriously ill or bedridden. The rest, including seniors are now encouraged to regularly attend church services for reception of holy communion.
There is a specific government resolution dated 14th November 2020 that advises in it's SOP of corona prevention; that all those above 65 yrs and below 10 yrs, are not to attend places of religious worship.
In addition, at the start of the pandemic the Archdiocese of Bombay gave a dispensation from Sunday Mass obligation which still holds. Also, though it is a good spiritual practice to receive holy communion regularly, the Church teaching requires you to receive holy communion at least once a year especially during the Easter season and frequent, even Sunday reception of holy communion is not mandatory even during normal times.
In the light of the above government resolution, Church dispensation and teaching, is it right for Saint Pius X Church, Mulund to proactively encourage senior citizens to attend church services on a regular basis, especially on Sunday, in a public gathering in the church, so as to regularly receive holy communion, when the government has advised that the seniors should not attend places of religious worship, for their own personal safety and that of public health.
By encouraging seniors to regularly attend church services, it appears, no law is broken, but the question remains who will take the responsibility in case of something untoward happening because Saint Pius X Church Mulund is proactively calling back to church a high risk group in relation to corona namely, senior citizens.
Corona is picking up in areas like Nehru nagar kurla, tilak nagar Chembur, Ghatkopar, vikhroli, bhandup, bandra, khar, jogeshwari east, Andheri areas etc. With a new spike in cases, proactively encouraging seniors to attend church services looks very irresponsible.
Seniors' lives matter. Requesting the authorities to make as their priority the protection of the health and safety of the seniors which should come before any other religious consideration.
The Issue
Saint Pius X Church, Mulund West, Mumbai is proactively encouraging senior citizens to regularly attend services in the church premises by linking it to consumption of holy communion, which will be only made available at home to those who are seriously ill or bedridden. The rest, including seniors are now encouraged to regularly attend church services for reception of holy communion.
There is a specific government resolution dated 14th November 2020 that advises in it's SOP of corona prevention; that all those above 65 yrs and below 10 yrs, are not to attend places of religious worship.
In addition, at the start of the pandemic the Archdiocese of Bombay gave a dispensation from Sunday Mass obligation which still holds. Also, though it is a good spiritual practice to receive holy communion regularly, the Church teaching requires you to receive holy communion at least once a year especially during the Easter season and frequent, even Sunday reception of holy communion is not mandatory even during normal times.
In the light of the above government resolution, Church dispensation and teaching, is it right for Saint Pius X Church, Mulund to proactively encourage senior citizens to attend church services on a regular basis, especially on Sunday, in a public gathering in the church, so as to regularly receive holy communion, when the government has advised that the seniors should not attend places of religious worship, for their own personal safety and that of public health.
By encouraging seniors to regularly attend church services, it appears, no law is broken, but the question remains who will take the responsibility in case of something untoward happening because Saint Pius X Church Mulund is proactively calling back to church a high risk group in relation to corona namely, senior citizens.
Corona is picking up in areas like Nehru nagar kurla, tilak nagar Chembur, Ghatkopar, vikhroli, bhandup, bandra, khar, jogeshwari east, Andheri areas etc. With a new spike in cases, proactively encouraging seniors to attend church services looks very irresponsible.
Seniors' lives matter. Requesting the authorities to make as their priority the protection of the health and safety of the seniors which should come before any other religious consideration.
The Decision Makers
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on 16 February 2021