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For “religious celebrations on a one-off occasion” such as baptisms, first communions, confirmations, or weddings, masks can be dispensed with if the 3G rule has been agreed as an alternative.
Due to the general Corona situation, the Austrian Bishops’ Conference adjusted its rules for public church services on Thursday. Thus, as of Friday, 25 March, it will be compulsory to wear an FFP2 mask at church services indoors throughout Austria in the Catholic Church. No mask is required in open-air religious activities. For “religious celebrations on a one-off occasion” such as baptism, first communion, confirmation, or marriage, the mask can be dispensed with if, alternatively, the 3G rule has been agreed in advance.
All other provisions of the church rules, which have been relaxed since 5 March, remain in force. Thus, there is still no minimum distance to be kept. Congregational singing can occur without restrictions, and state regulations apply to choir singing. Various hygiene measures remain in place, such as the provision of disinfectants and the airing of churches after services.
The greeting of peace continues to take place without touching. The holy water basins are to be filled as before, but the water must be changed regularly – at least weekly. Hand communion remains “strongly recommended,“ oral communion is also possible. Those are administering communion must disinfect their hands and put on an FFP2 mask before distributing.
For one-off celebrations such as baptism, first communion, confirmation, and marriage, the general rules of worship apply. The obligation to wear the FFP2 mask does not apply if the following conditions are met: On the initiative of the celebrating community, a decision is made in advance by the head of the celebration that instead of the FFP2 mask obligation, a 3G certificate is required for participation in the celebration. Furthermore, a suitable procedure for checking the proof must be agreed upon, and compliance must be ensured. A prevention concept is still necessary for these celebrations, but without measures for contact person management.
As before, confession should occur outside the confessional in a well-ventilated room. If it appears in the confessional, both must wear an FFP2 mask.
Personal responsibility and consideration
With this framework order, the bishops of Austria are reacting to the current epidemiological situation, it is stated at the beginning. “Personal responsibility, mutual consideration, and mindful understanding for one another remain essential prerequisites for celebrating divine services.”
The new framework regulation allows the dioceses, as in the past, a regionally autonomous approach to the fight against Corona. This allows for both tightening and easing in line with state regulations. In this sense, the Archdiocese of Vienna already reintroduced the obligation to wear masks at church services in Vienna a fortnight ago.
After the last Corona agreement with the Ministry of Culture expired at the end of June 2021, the churches and religious communities agreed to “continue to take precautionary measures to protect the faithful at their discretion.“ As a result, the Bishops’ Conference adopted a framework regulation on 1 July last year, adapted several times.
- source: bischofskonferenz.at/picture: hp
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