The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland has released the following statement on the Scottish Government’s decision not to allow places of worship to open for communal worship until 23 July at the earliest:
“The Scottish Government’s decision not to allow places of worship to open for communal worship until 23 July at the earliest, while allowing pubs, restaurants and cinemas to reopen on 15 July is both disappointing and perplexing.
The Catholic Church has responded positively to government requests from the very beginning of lockdown and submitted detailed protocols for infection control and staged reopening to the Scottish Government over three weeks ago, without any objection from the government.
The church has continued to engage with government and the reopening of churches for personal prayer since Monday (22 June) has allowed time to assess the procedures in place to assure public safety. With these considerations in mind, further delays to communal worship appear unjustified. The Bishops’ Conference will convey these views to the Scottish Government as a matter of urgency.”