THE Catholic bishops in Northern Ireland have announced a return to worship from next week.
Other Christian churches are also expected to make a similar announcements in the coming days.
The news comes following ongoing consultation between representatives of the churches, the Executive Office and public health authorities.
The announcement does not apply to weddings and funerals which "continue to be subject to the relevant state regulations in terms of the numbers that can attend".
The Catholic Church in the north yesterday announced 'a cautious return to public worship for the faithful from 26 March, in time for the celebration of Holy Week and Easter."
Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin, Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor, Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown; Bishop of Clogher Larry Duffy; and Bishop Michael Router, Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh, issued a joint statement calling for "the need for continued caution and a rigorous application of all mitigations and safeguards required to ensure the safest possible return to public worship in our churches."
The statement also stressed that public worship "should only begin again after a thorough risk assessment, in consultation with those Covid-19 Support Teams in our parishes.
That means it may be decided it is not possible for some parishes to return to public worship until a later date.
The bishops also asked people to "consider carefully if returning to collective worship is the safe and appropriate step for them, at this time" and suggest, where possible, to take part in events online.
They said that guidelines for the Liturgies of Holy Week in a time of pandemic would be issued separately to parishes over coming days.
The statement added: "Given the ongoing uncertainty about the public health situation and the gradual lifting of restrictions, it will be necessary for every parish and school to give careful consideration to how the sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion and Confirmation can be celebrated in a safe and appropriate manner over the coming months.
"This includes ensuring that all the necessary catechetical preparations are made, rigorous risk assessments are undertaken and, where necessary, ceremonies are significantly reduced in scale".
