‘Reckless to go to the funeral of person who’s not a loved one’

ANYONE attending a funeral who is not immediate family or close friends to the deceased is ‘entering the realm of recklessness’, the Bishop of Limerick has warned as religious services shut down across the country.

In a message read at the end of yesterday’s midday Mass and streamed live from St. John’s Cathedral, Bishop Brendan Leahy advised people to stay away from funerals and said that special memorial ceremonies will be arranged when the coronavirus danger has passed.

‘No one should attend funerals unless they are immediate relatives or friends. To do so could enter into the realms of recklessness. And, of course, in keeping to the HSE advice, there should be no hand-shaking or hugs regardless,’ he said.

‘Phone-calls, texts and social media can be used to convey support at this difficult and extraordinary time.’

Many dioceses have shut down all Masses, while mosques are also stopping Friday prayers.

Some churches are streaming Mass live on the internet but some services have crashed because of high demand.

An online Mass crashed the website of Newbridge Parish in Co. Kildare at the weekend.

The 6pm mass at St Conleth’s Parish Church was broadcast via webcam, due to the Department of Health’s ban on indoor gatherings of 100 people.

A spokesperson said: ‘Due to the unprecedented demand on our webcam, the system crashed. Apologies for the inconvenience.’

The parish team contacted the suppliers of the service and the problem was rectified for the 11am Mass yesterday.

On Friday, the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin diocese Denis Nulty announced that there will be no public Masses across the diocese over the next two weekends and on St Patrick’s Day.

In an online message to the diocese he said that Masses will be transmitted via webcam from 26 parishes.

The Bishop of Waterford, Phonsie Cullinan, asked people to stay away from the traditional cathedral bell ringing for St Patrick’s Day and said it would now be a ‘call to prayer’.

‘To celebrate our national patron, bells in the cathedral in Waterford and across the diocese will be rung at 11am on March 17,’ he said.

‘Due to the coronavirus, Mass is being celebrated without the congregation being physically present so the ringing of church bells is a call to prayer – wherever you are – and a reminder of the faith that has sustained the people of our island throughout the centuries,’ he said.

Ireland’s largest Muslim community, in Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, has scaled back religious ceremonies.

The traditional Friday Jummah prayer in the local mosque, which attracts up to 500 people, has been cancelled until further notice.

However, daily prayer sessions, which attract fewer numbers (fewer than 100) will continue.

Abdul Sharique, a member of the Ballyhaunis Islamic and Cultural Society, told Midwest Radio that the community is happy to comply with the new government regulations.

‘We pray [in the mosque] five times a day, seven times a week,’ said Mr Sharique. ‘We have cancelled Friday prayers because there is such a large gathering’.

The Muslim population in Ballyhaunis has been growing since the 1980s when industrialist Sher Rafique started a meat slaughtering operation which grew into the United Meat Packers (UMP) firm.

‘Some churches stream Mass live’