Some California churches hold indoor services after ruling
Los Angeles, USAP Some California churches opened their doors to worshippers on Sunday, after the state revised its guidelines for houses of prayer following a US Supreme Court ruling that lifted a ban on indoor services during the coronavirus pandemic. “This morning we declare that this house will be a house of freedom,” announced Pastor […]
Nevada church presses US Supreme Court on COVID-19 limits
Reno, Nevada, USAP A rural Nevada church wants the US Supreme Court to weigh in on a legal battle over the government’s authority to limit the size of religious gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic even after the church won an appeals court ruling that found Nevada’s restrictions unconstitutional. Attorneys general from 19 other states recently […]
Greek Church tells priests to ignore pandemic closure order
Athens, GreeceAP Greece’s powerful Orthodox Church is rebelling against a government order to briefly close places of worship under a weeklong drive to tighten virus restrictions before the planned reopening of schools. The conservative Church’s ruling body issued a statement Monday directing priests to admit worshippers during indoor services for Wednesday’s feast of the Epiphany. […]
US court upholds religious challenges of NY pandemic limits
New YorkAP A US federal appeals court on Monday upheld challenges to New York state’s attendance restrictions at houses of worship to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that Governor Andrew Cuomo’s order limiting attendance at places of worship with fixed capacity in hotspots “discriminates […]
French Catholics protest for end to lockdown on Mass
Paris, FranceAP With banners reading “Let us Pray” and “We Want Mass”, Catholic protesters held scattered demonstrations around France on Sunday to demand that authorities relax virus lockdown measures to allow religious services. In the western city of Nantes, hundreds gathered in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary, some kneeling on the rain-soaked […]
Sight-Seeing: Our church suspended in-person worship until 2021. This one question sealed the deal
ANDY STANLEY, founder and senior pastor of North Point Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia, looks – in an article published by Religion News Service, writes about why his network of churches decided to keep the doors closed in Atlanta until next year…
Coronavirus in Brazil: Catholics drawn to worship despite downsized services
TATIANA POLLASTRI and MAURICIO SAVARESE, of the Associated Press, report on how Roman Catholics in Brazil are weathering the coronavirus…
US court rules Washington DC church can hold outdoor services for now
RNS A district court has temporarily granted a request from a Washington, DC, Southern Baptist church to gather for outdoor worship services that violate the city’s rules for public gatherings. Capitol Hill Baptist Church argued that the District of Columbia’s COVID-19 restrictions had violated its constitutional rights and was causing “irreparable harm” to its congregation. […]
Adapting church: US churches hit home run with services in ballparks and stadiums as COVID-19 cancels sports
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, writing for Religion News Service, looks at how, in a time of social distancing, a number of US churches are using sports stadiums for worship services…
In Uganda, church lockdown is lifted but bans stay on Sunday schools, night prayers
The Ugandan Government has banned Sunday school and night prayers even as it lifted a lockdown imposed on places of worship six months ago to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Updating the nation on COVID-19 on Sunday evening, President Yoweri Museveni said prayers and fellowships would be allowed to resume inside places of worship for […]