Mass only for the vaccinated: Catholic Church in Malaysia bends to gov’t orders
… The order came via a chancery note dated September 28
… “Full vaccination is required for all those who wish to attend public Masses”
… one-third capacity “to allow adequate distancing.”
… “Pre-registration” would also be used along with seat numbering, in order to conduct “contact tracing.”
… “name, contact details, temperature reading, time of visit, places visited in the Church/chapel compound,” either via an app or on paper
… Confession is left to the “discretion” of the parish priest
… infant baptisms and first Holy Communions be “suspended until further notice,”
… “Vaccination is proving to be the best way to reduce the spread of Covid-19”
… “The worship of God and the celebration of the sacraments are the paramount activities of the Church. We must, however, balance this priority with the safety that must be accorded to our members. One cannot be promoted at the expense of the other.”
… Malaysia, a country of 32 million people, has seen under 26,000 deaths with COVID-19 since March 2020
Chancery note
