Northern Ireland

Some churches reopen for private prayer as lockdown restrictions ease

Priests prepare for the reopening of St Partick's Church on Donegall Street, Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann
Priests prepare for the reopening of St Partick's Church on Donegall Street, Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann Priests prepare for the reopening of St Partick's Church on Donegall Street, Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann

A SMALL number of churches were reopened yesterday in Northern Ireland as coronavirus lockdown restrictions were eased to allow for private prayer.

Five churches in the Catholic diocese of Down and Connor opened their doors for limited hours, including St Peter's Cathedral on Falls Road in west Belfast.

Plans for another five to reopen in the coming days were also published yesterday in a list on the diocese website which will be continually updated.

Diocesan officials said decisions were being made at a local level on a phased basis upon completion of risk assessments.

Down and Connor said each church "will open only when it is safe to do so and this may vary from place to place".

It urged all visitors to "strictly observe the social distancing regulations and good hygienic practices outlined at church entrances".

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An Armagh diocese spokesman said: "Parishes may now begin to open their buildings having carried out an evaluation and risk assessment re physical distancing and access, hygiene and availability of resources for cleaning.

"Parish priests will make this decision in the coming days and will make the decision at local level to re-open their church buildings on a phased basis depending on the results of these assessments.

"Parish priests can be assisted in this process by a team of experienced and competent parishioners."

The Derry diocese said Bishop Donal McKeown has asked parishes to make decisions locally on which churches should reopen in the first instance.

"Parishes have been asked to maintain the steps needed for social distancing and ensure that other public health advice is followed," it said.

A Dromore diocese spokesman said each parish is conducting a risk assessment and it hoped to provide a list of reopened churches online in the coming days.

In the south, many churches voluntarily shut during the pandemic while others have remained open for private prayer.

The Diocese of Clogher said that as a cross-border diocese dealing with two sets of regulations, it welcomed the re-opening of churches in Northern Ireland.

"Having safe access to our sacred spaces is very important to people," a spokesman said.

"In our diocese, parishes have made appropriate provisions for safety measures to be in place, including social distancing, and these are always being reviewed."