English bishops: ‘deep anguish’ at government order to cease public worship (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales)

“It is thus a source of deep anguish now that the Government is requiring, once again, the cessation of public communal worship,” the bishops of England and Wales said following the announcement of new national restrictions. “Whilst we understand the many difficult decisions facing the Government, we have not yet seen any evidence whatsoever that would make the banning of communal worship, with all its human costs, a productive part of combatting the virus. We ask the Government to produce this evidence that justifies the cessation of acts of public worship.”