Moncton archdiocese won’t require proof of vaccination for Mass

The Archbishop of Moncton has reversed his vaccination policy, eliminating the need for parishioners to provide proof of vaccination for Masses, baptisms, and prayer groups.

In a Sept. 23 statement, Archbishop Valery Vienneau said, “Last night, we received new directives from the Minister of Health concerning the sanitary measures to be implemented in our churches.”

As a result, the four bishops of New Brunswick have agreed on steps to make churches as safe as possible for the faithful, Archbishop Vienneau said.

The new rules include everyone being masked at all times during church services, with capacity at 50 per cent and physically distancing protocols.

“It is highly desirable for parish employees to be fully vaccinated,” the statement said. “If this is not the case, they will have to wear a mask at all times and undergo a COVID test periodically according to government policy.”

Names and contact information of all attendees will also be recorded, Archbishop Vienneau said. 

Proof of vaccinations will still be required for weddings and funerals, said a statement posted on the archdiocesan website Sept. 23.

On Sept. 17, Archbishop Valery Vienneau announced that anyone over the age of 12 must be doubly vaccinated to attend any gathering at a church, rectory, or community centre under its supervision.

Archbishop Vienneau said he was following the “wishes” of provincial Minister of Health Dorothy Shephard “to have gatherings of fully vaccinated people to keep people safe and to act as an incentive for the unvaccinated.”

“We would not want one of our places of worship to be the location of a COVID exposure due to our negligence. The Minister of Health is counting on our co-operation,” Archbishop Vienneau said.

The Diocese of Saint John, a suffragan diocese of Moncton, did not call for mandatory vaccinations. The Diocese of Edmundston briefly required double vaccination.

In a communique, Bishop Daniel Jodoin of Bathurst stated: “It should be noted that the situation in our province is evolving and that these regulations may change depending on the circumstances.”

“We understand the concerns of Public Health and continue to collaborate by following the guidelines issued to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. We are all concerned about the current situation in the province,” the bishop said.

New Brunswick announced a state of emergency and mandatory order over COVID-19 Sept. 24, citing three recent deaths and 78 new cases of the disease. New Brunswick’s population numbers over 750,000.

Under the mandatory order, “faith venues” must either “ensure all participants show proof of full vaccination and continuously wear masks”, or operate at 50 percent capacity.

Proof of vaccination is required at such venues as restaurants and movie theatres, but an accommodation was made for religious venues. Some members of the United Church of Canada, an ecclesial community, have requested that churches not be given an accommodation.

The CBC reported that the mandatory order will be lifted when there are 10 or fewer hospitalizations in the province, and that the province’s premier said there are now 31 persons in hospital.

Natasha Mazerolle, communications director for the Diocese of Saint John, told CNA Sept. 22 that “No person will be turned away from Mass, nor any other sacrament.”

“The Diocese of Saint John continues to do its utmost to protect both the physical and spiritual needs of its faithful,” said Mazerolle.

“It takes the directives of public health seriously and understands the need to make sacrifices to protect the common good, and to be prudent in slowing the spread of the virus. It also recognizes that the faithful are not to be excluded from the sacraments for any reason, and that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith (and indeed what is most needed to help us face these challenging times).”

Mazerolle said “worship services (including Mass) are not directly mentioned in the government regulation.” She added “an individual’s right to practise their religion is protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

“The regulations published on the Government of New Brunswick’s website do not mention worship services or Mass,” Mazerolle said. “While there can be many interpretations, the diocese defers to what has been officially written in the regulation under the Public Health Act and posted on the Government of New Brunswick’s website.”

In a December 2020 note, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said that “vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation” and therefore “must be voluntary.” It said that the morality of vaccination depends on both the duty to pursue the common good and the duty to protect one’s own health, and that “in the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic, the common good may recommend vaccination.”

The Archdiocese of Toronto released its vaccination policy Sept. 24, urging Catholics to be vaccinated and asking archdiocesan clergy, staff, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated or be subject to regular COVID testing.

“I very strongly urge every Catholic to become fully vaccinated, though we will make every effort to ensure places of worship remain open and accessible to all, regardless of vaccination status,” Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, said in a statement.

“The Church should serve as a respite, a sanctuary of peace, prayer, and welcome. We are heartened to see that the provincial government has not required proof of vaccination to enter a place of worship."

The cardinal also made a direct appeal to clergy who have not yet been vaccinated. “Due to requirements from the provincial government and organizational policies in many institutions, your ability to serve the faithful will be significantly impeded should you choose not to be vaccinated,” he wrote.

“This will restrict your ministry in schools, hospitals, long-term care homes and other settings requiring full vaccination. We know that these visits and your ongoing pastoral care in these settings are important aspects of your ministry.”

In Vancouver, Masses, parish meetings, and youth events can go ahead without checking participants’ vaccine status at the door, but masks are still the order of the day.

“In simplest terms, masks are required for all indoor events, meetings, and programs (by archdiocesan requirement) and proof of vaccination is generally not,” said a Sept. 9 notice from the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

Exceptions to this rule are the same as those outlined by B.C. health authorities: masks are not required for people with health conditions or a physical, cognitive or mental impairment that prevents them from wearing a mask, people who cannot remove a mask on their own, children under age 12 and people who need to remove their masks to communicate due to someone’s hearing impairment.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in August that proof of vaccination will not be required to access religious services, health care, retail or grocery settings.

She asked faith leaders to encourage “only immunized people” to attend services, although she hasn’t said the government has enforcement in mind.

“Those are decisions that faith leaders, communities, church groups, choirs, make for themselves; they don’t need an order from me to do that.”

Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller has voiced his support of getting the vaccine, calling it the “best protection” against the virus.

In Hamilton, Ont., Bishop Douglas Crosby has joined other faith leaders in the city in an ad campaign titled Faith in Vaccine to encourage people to be vaccinated.

In London, Ont., the diocese told CTV News: “Our priority is balancing the safety of our parishioners and ensuring access to the sacraments for the faithful.”

(With files from The B.C. Catholic and Catholic News Agency)