First US bishop reinstates public Masses: ‘The greatest essential service’ By Lianne Laurence for Life Site News
GNN Note – *gasp* not following the orders of the pope-on-dope!!! Not that you care, but you just earned our deepest respect.
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Bishop Peter Baldacchino is the first American bishop known to lift a diocesan ban on public celebration of the Mass since coronavirus pandemic emergency shutdowns began
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico, April 15, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The bishop of Las Cruces, New Mexico has lifted a diocesan ban on public Masses, stating in a letter to his priests that “depriving the faithful of the nourishment offered through the Eucharist” cannot “become the ‘status quo’ for the foreseeable future.”
Bishop Peter Baldacchino advised his priests in the April 15 letter obtained by the Catholic News Agency that they can resume offering the sacraments as long as they abide by state-order health directives, which mandate that Masses in churches have no more than five attendees including the priest.
Baldacchino is the first American bishop known to lift a diocesan ban on public celebration of the Mass since coronavirus pandemic emergency shutdowns began in mid-March, according to CNA.
All American dioceses have cancelled public Masses, and a number of bishops have suspended Confession and restricted anointing of the sick – and even the Last Rites – as well as locking churches and chapels. Some bishops have also banned drive-in Masses and Eucharistic adoration.
But Baldacchino stated in his letter that “We [as priests] have been called by Christ and ordained to serve the people of the Diocese of Las Cruces, to bring them hope and consolation during this difficult time.”
The bishop ordered the suspension of public Masses March 16, “at the outset” of the pandemic, “as we assessed the situation and established a safe way to continue to bring Christ to the people, both through the Word of God and the Sacraments,” his letter stated.
