Posted on 05/28/2020 7:35:00 AM PDT by ebb tide
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 27, 2020 / 12:00 pm MT (CNA).- This story is developing and has been updated.
An executive order issued Tuesday in Maryland’s Howard County outlines public health rules under which churches may reopen. The order prohibits the distribution and consumption of any food or drink as part of any religious service, effectively outlawing the distribution of Communion and the celebration of the Mass.
Howard County Executive Order #2020-09 outlines the conditions and regulations that must be met for non-essential businesses--which in Maryland includes churches and other houses of worship--to resume operations. The order was released by Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.
“There shall be no consumption of food or beverage of any kind before, during, or after religious services, including food or beverage that would typically be consumed as part of a religious service,” the order says in a section delineating norms and restrictions on religious services.
The consumption of the consecrated species at Mass, at least by the celebrant, is an integral part of the Eucharistic rite. Rules prohibiting even the celebrating priest from receiving the Eucharist would ban the licit celebration of Mass by any priest.
CNA asked the Howard County public affairs office to comment on how the rule aligns with First Amendment religious freedom and free exercise rights.
Howard County spokesman Scott Peterson told CNA in a statement that "Howard County has not fully implemented Phase 1 of Reopening. We continue to do an incremental rollout based on health and safety guidelines, analysis of data and metrics specific to Howard County and in consultation with our local Health Department."
"With this said," Peterson added, "we continue to get stakeholder feedback in order to fully reopen to Phase 1."
The executive order also limits attendance at indoor worship spaces to 10 people or fewer, limits outdoor services to 250 socially-distanced people wearing masks, forbids the passing of collection plates, and bans handshakes and physical contact between worshippers.
In contrast to the 10-person limit for churches, establishments listed in the order that do not host religious services are permitted to operate at 50% capacity.
The order also states that “singing is permitted, but not recommended,” and that only the person leading the service or a choir may sing. Those who are singing without masks should, per the order, “maintain a 12-foot distance from other persons, including religious leaders, other singers, or the congregation.”
The sixth chapter of St. John's Gospel contains the well-known “Bread of Life” discourse, in which Jesus teaches at a Capernum synagogue that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”
Catholics believe that teaching constitutes part of Christ's revelation of the Eucharist.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore, whose territory includes Howard County, did not respond to requests for comment on the Howard County executive order by the time of posting.
The archdiocese announced its own phased reopening plans on Tuesday. While some of the policies outlined in the archdiocese’s plans are in line with Executive Order 2020-09, there is no prohibition on the distribution of food or beverages before, after, or during Mass.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore's reopening plans require that communicants observe social distancing while in line for communion, and is discouraging reception on the tongue--but the archdiocese has not instructed parishes to place any other restrictions on the reception of communion, apart from ordinary canonical norms.
In Phase I of the archdiocese’s reopening plan, churches will be open for private prayer, but Mass will still be celebrated without a congregation. In Phase II, which is expected to begin in some areas the weekend of May 30-31, churches may open to socially-distanced congregations up to one-third of the seating capacity, if local public restrictions permit the attendance of more than 10 people at Mass.
The Department of Justice has recently issued a number of letters concerning cases of state and local public health orders which affect churches and houses of worship. In the last week, the department sent letters to the governors of California and Nevada, emphasizing the need to respect religious freedoms while working to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
“Simply put, there is no pandemic exception to the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights,” Eric S. Dreiband, head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, said in a May 19 letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The DOJ has also filed statements of interest in cases involving conflicts between churches and local authorities, including a lawsuit against the Mayor of Greenville, Mississippi, after members of the Temple Baptist Church were fined $500 for attending a service in their cars in the church's parking lot. The mayor later rescinded the fines and amended the city’s stay at home order.
OMG!! You obviously are NOT Catholic!!
Allegedly, the restriction language has been removed. I just checked Howard. Co. website and its still there.
Clearly unconstitutional, since restaurants can distribute food, and schools are still distributing lunches to poor students.
Quit submitting to the tyrants. Your cowardice shames other Americans.
Yes, Mr Rogers, we’re fighting demonic forces. Defense is not enough anymore. I’m a 62 year old woman who has probably never once gone hungry, so I pray I have the strength for this persecution.
Thank you for your principled stand !!!
And it will always be flue season. That is how the world thinks, not God. Non the less they are going to try until the big slap down by His almighty hand. These people are atheist to the core, and thus are mad, i.e. insane.
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American People are learning that Banning Godless Leftists will be the REAL solution to all this arrogant stupidity.
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Certainly the county has shut down the muslim foot baths.
I mean, it’s so blatantly anti-Constitutional, anti-Establishment Clause, that the boohoo who runs the County ought to be sued individually and ruined.
The celebrant at least must partake in both species of the sacrifice which he is offering. An exception to this rule will be allowed if the celebrant should become so ill that he cannot consume the Species. I
Yup, nothing on their Twitter BUT apparently Ball-less backed down, and did so in the most convoluted ebonic newspeak imaginable, which boils down to advancing consumption in churches to "Phase II".
This is the Archdiocese of Baltimore posted response:
I'm not so sure about that. I went to a TLM in the '90s, and the priest, the only one available, announced he was so ill, he wasnt' sure he could keep the Blessed Sacrament down, thus he could not offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
An exception to this rule will be allowed if the celebrant should become so ill that he cannot consume the Species. In this case another priest must consume them, though he has already broken his fast, if no other, still fasting, be present.
Missed the last part. From Catholic Answers. Host (CANONICO-LITURGICAL)https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/host-canonical-and-liturgical
A ban on baptisms will be next.
Do we need to educate them?
Two parts to Mass
Liturgy of the Word
Liturgy of the Eucharist
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