Our churches must stay closed, but clergy or a lay leader may now enter for private prayer or to stream worship, writes Bishop Nick.
“These are extraordinarily demanding times for us all,” writes Bishop Nick, in a letter to our clergy sent today..png)
“Please be patient and kind to all, as we continue to navigate this uncharted territory together.
“Our aim is to love our neighbour as ourselves and to look to the interests of others, not just our own preferences.
“Our church buildings must remain closed for public worship.
“However, clergy or a lay leader can enter the church (with a member of their household) for streamed worship or private prayer – on condition that all necessary hygiene and distancing precautions are taken.
“This will involve hand-washing or sanitising on entry and departure, at the very least.
"Clergy must make it clear that their being in a church building does not open the door to others to join them.”
Bishop Nick notes that church buildings – unlike supermarkets – cannot be deep cleaned every day.
“I do not want the Church to be the locus or cause of infection transmission, even when the motives for action were understandable.”
Looking to a positive future, he writes:
“Now is the time for preparation.
“This whole experience, unique in our lifetime, might be a surprising source of growth for all of us.
“It will raise pastoral, spiritual, ecclesiological, organisational and theological questions for the Church.
“That is all to the good.”
Responding to the Government’s 50-page Recovery Strategy, Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, chair of the national church’s recovery response said:
“We note from the Government’s Covid-19 Recovery Strategy that churches could be open from July as part of the conditional and phased plan to begin lifting the lockdown. We look forward to the time when we are able to gather again in our church buildings.
“We are examining what steps we will need to take to do so safely and are actively planning ahead in preparation.
“We strongly support the Government’s approach of continuing to suppress the transmission of the virus and accordingly, we recognise that at this time public worship cannot return in the interests of public health and safety.”
National church advice on the re-opening of church buildings and other resources can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches