Some churches confront virus restrictions on Easter services
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — At the holiest time of year for Christians, churches are wrestling with how to hold services amid the coronavirus outbreak, and in some cases, that has set up showdowns with local governments over restrictions that forbid large gatherings.
Many churches are offering parishioners livestreaming options so they can observe Good Friday and Easter on TVs, smartphones and computers. Others are sending worshippers to drive-in movie theaters for services.
Governors in several states have deemed church an essential service, allowing Easter worship to proceed even as public health officials warn that large gatherings could be a major setback amid a pandemic that has killed more than 16,000 people in the U.S.
The restrictions have created conflicts with state and local authorities. Kansas lawmakers on Wednesday threw out an order by the governor that limited church gatherings to10 people. A Georgia church where more than 30 people congregated inside a small building on Palm Sunday, prompting a visit from state troopers, plans to move forward with normal Easter worship.
The Rev. John Greiner said the Glorious Way Church in Houston initially moved services online after the county limited large gatherings, but his congregation will hold in-person services on Easter.
“We can’t do what God called us t o do on livestream,” Greiner said.
The church has installed hand-washing stations and rearranged the 1,000-person sanctuary to hold about 100 people with 6 or more feet between them, Greiner said. They plan to hold two abbreviated Easter services to accommodate everyone who wants to attend.
The pandemic has upended other rituals. Easter egg hunts have been canceled in favor of virtual events where children go on the internet to find eggs. Families are reconsidering whether to invite grandparents and other relatives to dinner.
Meanwhile, religious leaders around the globe Thursday also urged people to celebrate Good Friday and Easter from the safety of their homes as governments warned that the hard-won gains against the scourge must not be jeopardized by relaxing social distancing over the weekend.
Across Europe, where Easter is one of the busiest travel times of the year, authorities set roadblocks and otherwise discouraged family gatherings.
Pope Francis will celebrate Easter Mass in a nearly empty St. Peter’s
Basilica instead of the huge square outside. In England, the Archbishop of Canterbury will deliver his Easter sermon by video.
The British government is running ads urging people to “Stay Home, Save Lives” over the weekend. German Chancellor Angela
Merkel emphasized that “even short trips inside Germany, to the seaside or the mountains or relatives, can’t happen over Easter.”
Greece also tightened restrictions ahead of next week’s Orthodox Easter, increasing roadblocks, doubling fines for lockdown violations and banning travel between islands.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggested mass gatherings may be barred through the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which runs from late April through most of May.