Safety and Reverence: How Roman Catholic Liturgy can Respond to the COVID-19 pandemic

28 Pages Posted: 23 Nov 2020 Last revised: 25 May 2021

Date Written: September 21, 2020

Abstract

The current COVID-19 pandemic is a major challenge for many religious denominations. The Roman Catholic Church strongly depends on physical communal worship and sacraments. Disagreements grow concerning the best balance between safety and piety. To address this issue, I review the major transmission risks for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and list certain measures to enhance the safety of the Roman Catholic Liturgy without compromising its intrinsic beauty and reverent spiritual attitude. I emphasize that religious leadership and decision-making should be transparent and base on inclusiveness, pluralism, best scientific evidence and voluntary cooperation.

Keywords: COVID-2019, SARS-CoV-2, airborne transmission, sacraments, Mass

Suggested Citation

Budaev, Sergey, Safety and Reverence: How Roman Catholic Liturgy can Respond to the COVID-19 pandemic (September 21, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3734524 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3734524

Sergey Budaev (Contact Author)

University of Bergen ( email )

Thormøhlensgate 53B
Bergen, 5020
Norway

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