In the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that violated the pandemic ban on indoor religious services in California, some Bay Area religious leaders accepted the renewed opportunity to worship indoors, but others said they would continue to provide remote services. to keep.
Salvatore Cordileone, the Archbishop of San Francisco and a staunch enemy of the closure of indoor services, called the decision a “very important step forward for basic rights” and a “fresh air in dark times.” Worshipers, he said, are free from “harassment by government officials.”
However, health officials have insisted that they be careful.
Santa Clara County said it will continue to ban indoor worship despite the Supreme Court ruling, stating that it is still critical to avoid potential events in the distributor, including indoor gatherings. The province said the orders are structured differently from the rules of the California press and that they therefore comply with the Supreme Court’s order. “All indoor events are currently banned because of their risk,” the country said. The province did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday night, explaining how the orders differed sufficiently from the state.
San Francisco, acting health officer, dr. Susan Philip, also said the risk remains high, not least because new, potentially more contagious variants are spreading.
‘I strongly urge the elderly and other people with chronic conditions or affected immune systems – and those living with the elderly and people with such conditions – to participate in religious indoor services at present and find safer alternatives to them. to practice faith. , such as participating in outdoor services or streaming services remotely, ”Philip said in a statement.
The Supreme Court in Conservative majority voted 6-3 to prevent rulings in the lower court that bans on indoor religious gatherings were imposed as virus cases increased. The decision said late Friday the rallies could be resumed with 25% of a building’s capacity. The court upheld the state ban on indoor singing or singing during the services.
All of the counties in California except four counties are under press restrictions, which previously meant that indoor religious services were banned. Gavin Newsom’s government office said on Saturday it was planning to issue revised guidelines for worship services following the Supreme Court ruling.
Health experts said indoor gatherings of several households are high risk, and outbreaks have been linked to houses of worship in Sacramento, San Diego, New York, Massachusetts and elsewhere.
Few houses of worship are likely to reopen Sunday. The weather is nice, and many religious leaders learned of the decision on Saturday. A call to the parsonage at St. Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco has released an audio recording of an “outbreak of COVID here at the parsonage” asking for prayers. The church is closed until February 13, according to the survey.
The head of the Grace Cathedral in San Francisco said the giant stone building on Nob Hill would remain closed for indoor worship. The cathedral reopened for one service in November, but closed when infection rates rose during the fall.
“We try to follow science and try to be patient,” Dean Malcolm Clemens Young said. The Supreme Court “did no one any favors”, he said.
“We are grateful that no one was exposed to COVID because of anything we did,” Young said.
Cordileone views the matter differently.
“As Catholics, we know that our worship cannot come to life,” he said in a statement.
“There is no way to give communion or any of the other sacraments on the internet,” he said, adding that churches would protect public health by using masks and social distance.
Calvary Chapel, a church in San Jose that has been challenging the orders of provinces for months and holding services, would hold services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday, according to a recorded message. A judge in the high court in Santa Clara found the church in disregard of court orders and issued fines in December, which did not prevent the church from holding Christmas Eve services. The church did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Office Linda Hirschhorn said at Temple Beth Shalom in San Leandro that she welcomed the court ruling because she said: “If it’s okay to allow indoor events with a capacity of 25%, it should be across the board. “
Her congregation of about 300 members has not decided when they will resume indoor services.
As a cantor, or singer, and a hymn of Jewish prayers, Hirschhorn said she did not care much for the continued ban on singing and singing.
The temple does not intend to provide its online services.
“We’re getting a lot more attendance on Zoom now,” she said.
Chronicle Staff Writers Michael Cabanatuan and Lauren Hernandez and Associated Press contributed to this report.
Steve Rubenstein is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]