Priest risks jail to f lout ‘ignorant’ restrictions on Massgoers
A CAVAN priest has said he will continue to open his church doors f or Mass, in breach of Covid guidelines, despite being visited by gardaí.
Fr PJ Hughes, the parish priest in Mullahoran, was visited by gardaí briefly last Sunday, after he said Mass in the local church with up to 50 parishioners present.
He was told he could face up to six months in prison or a fine of up to €2,500 if he continued to open the church to parishioners for Mass.
Currently, churches are allowed to open for private prayer, but not public Masses.
Despite this, Fr Hughes is adamant he will continue to say Mass while the church doors are open, although he said he will not be ‘broadcasting’ what time the ceremony is at. The cleric has not held a public Mass since last Sunday.
He told RTÉ Radio 1’s Today With Claire Byrne show: ‘I’m going to continue saying Mass. The living need it. People come in and pray for their cattle, children. They have their faith in God. I’m taking the precaution that people don’t know what time Mass is at. I’m not broadcasting the time of the Mass.’
The cleric later told the Irish Daily Mail the decision to ban public Mass is ‘ignorant’ and said people should ‘not interfere’ in the Church’s business.
Fr Hughes said telling people they cannot go to Mass is a breach of their ‘constitutional rights’. Since October 6, places of public worship have been closed for Mass, with services now streamed online.
However, Fr Hughes remains adamant that he did not break the law by holding a public Mass in his church. Last Sunday, he said, between 45 and 50 people were in his local church – which can cater for up to 500 people – when gardaí arrived.
They informed him that he was in breach of both Government guidelines and the law by allowing members of the public to congregate.
Defending his decision to hold a public Mass, Fr Hughes said: ‘Every church in the country is open. Is there a law saying I can’t say Mass? The current restrictions are not balanced.
‘My church holds 500 people normally. The only people who will understand what I’m talking about are people of faith. That’s why I don’t listen to people who disagree with me.’
He continued: ‘They don’t understand the importance of Jesus Christ and faith and Heaven and Hell. If people don’t understand this, it’s hard for them to see any point in what I’m saying. I’m not saying people aren’t making sacrifices. I’m just saying that God can help us in our lives.’
When asked was he worried about facing prosecution, Fr Hughes insisted that he was ‘not breaking the law’.
He argued that ‘guidelines are guidelines’ and that they are ‘not law’. He was also adamant that the Government cannot bring in a law forbidding people to go to Mass.
The Cavan priest defended allowing elderly and vulnerable people into the church and said that it was ‘their choice’.
Fr Hughes added: ‘I didn’t go down and tell them to come to church; it was their choice. [How can] the Government tell them they’re not entitled to be there? That’s their choice. They’re not children; they’re very wise people.
‘The old people know they’re going to die. They might not die of Covid, but they’re going to die and they want to be ready to meet the Lord.’
Reacting yesterday, health expert Dr Gabriel Scally said: ‘Bringing together up to 50 people is just wrong.
‘ Being i nvolved in f aith doesn’t provide immunity to the virus. It spreads from the 50 people. I would urge him to listen to his bishop and the authorities. It’s irresponsible.’
A Garda spokesperson confirmed to the Mail that mem
‘Not broadcasting the time of Mass’ ‘Want to be ready to meet the Lord’
bers of the force visited Fr Hughes’s church on Sunday and ‘explained the Covid-19 regulations in detail to the organiser’. They said no further investigation is taking place.
In a pastoral l etter, the Archbishop of Tuam, Michael Neary, noted that it is ‘deeply disappointing’ that public Mass cannot be held and said Covid19 is ‘a challenge to faith’.
However, the archbishop also highlighted t he Church’s ‘responsibilities of co- operati ng with the public health authorities and their efforts to suppress the virus’, as he confirmed that pubic worship is ‘not possible for now’.