Nairobi, 25 March, 2020 / 6:32 am (ACI Africa).
The Catholic Bishops in Kenya have, in a collective statement Monday, March 23, officially suspended the celebration of public Mass and other Church gatherings in line with the government’s directives to control the spread of COVID-19, including a ban on all forms of religious gatherings.
“We suspend the public daily and Sunday Masses, and other liturgical and pastoral activities involving the gathering of the Faithful,” reads part of the March 23 statement by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) seen by ACI Africa.
In the statement, the Bishops in Kenya instruct Priests to “continue celebrating daily Mass privately without the Faithful for the intentions of the Parishioners and the Nation.”
In order to ensure that the faithful are spiritually nourished during this time, the Bishops have, in the two-page statement, invited Priests to be available “to creatively accompany the individual Faithful pastorally, including the Anointing of the Sick, Communion outside the Mass, and other spiritual nourishment, while observing the social distance and high level of hygiene.”
In their collective statement, the Prelates have also urged Priests to avail their contacts to the Faithful for easy reach when necessary.
