VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican said Saturday it was “necessary and urgent” to return to in-person Masses as soon as anti-coronavirus measures permit.
The head of the Vatican’s liturgy office, Cardinal Robert Sarah, said in a letter to bishops conferences that virtual liturgies, while useful, were no replacement for the real thing.
He said physical presence by the faithful in churches was “vital, indispensable, irreplaceable.”
While some Catholic priests claimed coronavirus lockdowns that shuttered churches infringed on religious liberties, Pope Francis adhered to Italy’s strict lockdown.
