BHUBANESWAR: Even as the State Government starts ground work for opening of places of public worship, churches and mosques are in a moral dilemma - whether to open the gates for worshippers or to wait for some more time till the Covid-19 situation improves.
All public places of worship including temples, churches and mosques are closed since March 22 when the first lockdown was clamped following the coronavirus pandemic. In its Unlock 6 guidelines which came to force from November 1 to 30, the state government left to the local authorities, the collectors and municipal commissioners, to take a call on allowing worship with appropriate restrictions based on assessment of the situation and in due consultation with relevant stakeholders.
Though they are eager to reopen, church leaders are hesitant to jump into any decision at a time when the pandemic remains a major concern. Paresh Das, Secretary of Church of Christ (Union Church), Bhubaneswar, said “everyone in our church is eagerly looking forward to the day the churches can function normally again. But it carries a huge risk as it will involve a congregation.”
The problem, clearly, is physical distancing. Churches hold mass every Sunday at a fixed time which is attended by hundreds of men and women. The worship includes corporate prayer, singing by choir and worshippers and exposition of the Bible.
Rev. Samuel Somalingam, Pastor of the Mount House Church of God, Cuttack, said “the question of reopening of churches involves a huge moral question. Our eagerness to reopen should not contribute to the spread of Covid-19.”
Das said the Church of Christ (Union Church) administration, however, had taken a decision to wait for at least a month from the day the government allowed the places of worship to function and then take a considered decision depending on the situation. Rev. Chittaranjan Nayak, Pastor of the Assembly of God Church, Bhubaneswar, feels that the situation is ‘not yet conducive’ to consider opening of churches.
Father Dibakar Parichha, spokesperson for the Archbishop, also said that maintaining social distance will be a huge problem. “We will, no doubt, ensure distancing inside the hall but once outside, people will again mix among themselves. How do we regulate that? We feel we should not invite danger. Worshippers are not getting sacrament but we are in a fix. If the government decides, we will reopen,” he added.
Similarly, Sheikh Shakilur Rehman, president of the Unit 4 Jama Masjid said that the administration is yet to reach out to them. He said that social distancing can be maintained on days other than Fridays. “On usual days 100 to 150 people do Namaz. But on Fridays, the number swells to more than 1,500 and the mosque does not have space for maintaining safer distance for many people,” he said.
Rehman said, a decision has been taken to allow Namaz twice on Fridays with 400 people each time. All gates will be closed till the Namaz is over, he said and added that people will also be asked to do “Waju” which is part of Namaz and come to the mosque. All toilets will also be closed. A blue print has been prepared which will be submitted to the administration once the discussion starts.
Meanwhile, Municipal Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary said that no decision has been taken yet on reopening of places of worship. “We have started consulting health officials regarding the Covid scenario in the city. Decision regarding reopening of religious institutions will be taken as per their feedback,” he said.