Catholic leaders urge bishops to increase access to sacraments during pandemic
'Something is terribly wrong with a culture that allows abortion clinics and liquor stores to remain open but shuts down places of worship,' the open letter pointed out. 'We should certainly not voluntarily deprive ourselves of the sacraments', they suggest. Picture shows Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, carries the Blessed Sacrament at a busy street corner on March 21, 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A great number of prominent and well-respected Catholics has urged the bishops “to do everything you can to make the sacraments more available to us” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The open letter, titled “We Are An Easter People,” was released on April 1.
Spearheaded by Janet Smith, a former professor of moral theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, “We Are An Easter People” has been endorsed by other notable Catholics. Names include pro-life activist Abby Johnson; Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire; Phil Lawler, editor of Catholic World News; and LifeSiteNews columnist Peter Kwasniewski.
The open letter states: “While safety and cooperation with civil authorities is necessary, we must do everything we can to have access to what is essential for our spiritual lives. We should certainly not voluntarily deprive ourselves of the sacraments.”
Every single diocese in the United States has canceled public Masses, often also restricting access to other sacraments, including confession. In some cases, those limitations were not even mandated by the government, but only by the bishops.
LifeSiteNews, were you also can find the rest of the article is collaborating with the initiative as well, launching an “urgent appeal to bishops” on the LifePetitions platform.
