The Vatican urged the world’s Catholic bishops “to make prudent decisions” as they prepare for the second Holy Week they will observe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments, issued this reminder in a note on Ash Wednesday, February 17.

Sarah said the world is “still facing the drama of the COVID-19 pandemic,” and the usual rituals of the Catholic Church “are not entirely applicable in exceptional moments of crisis such as these.”

“For this reason, the Bishop, as moderator of the liturgical life of his Church, is called upon to make prudent decisions in order that the liturgy can be celebrated fruitfully for the People of God and for the good of the souls entrusted to his care, while respecting the safeguarding of health and what has been prescribed by the authorities responsible for the common good,” Sarah said.

He said the pandemic Holy Week guidelines issued by the Vatican on March 25, 2020, still apply.

For this year, Sarah also suggested that livestreamed Holy Week rites led by bishops “be facilitated and favored” by Catholics who cannot physically go to church.

“The use of social media has greatly aided pastors in offering support and closeness to their communities during the pandemic. Alongside these positive results problematic aspects were also observed,” Sarah said.

“For the celebration of Holy Week,” he continued, “it is suggested that media coverage of the celebrations presided over by the Bishop be facilitated and favored, encouraging the faithful who are unable to attend their own church to follow the diocesan celebrations as a sign of unity.”

The Catholic Church has modified many of its rituals, including the recent observance of Ash Wednesday, as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 109.42 million people across the globe. Religious services have been tagged as one of the causes of the spread of the coronavirus. – Rappler.com