Archbishop ‘disturbed’ by uneven handling of worship, restaurants

This story was updated Nov. 23 with details of Archbishop Miller’s Nov. 22 homily.

Catholics across British Columbia are angry and confused by Thursday’s provincial health order banning public worship in B.C., with no one more perplexed than Archbishop J. Michael Miller. 

In a video interview released Saturday, the archbishop said he was caught off guard by the government’s announcement, particularly after he and other faith leaders spoke with government officials a day earlier.

“I was prepared there were going to be further restrictions,” the archbishop told archdiocesan senior director of communications Makani Marquis.

What he didn’t anticipate was churches being shuttered to services for two weeks while everything from restaurants and bars to cinemas and dance classes would remain open.

“It’s just puzzling that . . . no evidence was offered at the press conference about why religious gatherings were in some ways singled out,” he said. “That is a little disturbing.”

The archbishop has received “a mass of emails” from Catholics expressing everything from confusion to anger over the inconsistency of banning public worship while allowing secular gatherings.

The announcement was particularly surprising since establishments that have had COVID outbreaks remain open while the archdiocese’s 78 churches, which are blemish free, are prevented from offering public Mass, said the archbishop.

Parishes have been “scrupulous” about following health protocols by sanitizing, limiting worshipers, and marking off physically distanced pews, he said. “We have an exemplary record, and it’s disappointing that that wasn’t acknowledged.”

He noted the incongruity of allowing 12-step and other programs to continue in churches, while banning worship services. “It’s a little odd that there could be an AA meeting downstairs … and  upstairs we couldn’t be offering Holy Mass with an equal number of people in a very large space,” he said. “I don’t quite understand the logic of it.”

The latest restrictions appear to be at odds with the religious freedom guarantees of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, he said, and while there might be “very serious reasons” for overriding charter rights, “it would be nice to know the real reasons.”

He stressed the archdiocese is committed to doing its part to protect public health and has made great sacrifices by limiting Mass attendance to 50 people. “I do understand the need to beat this pandemic.”

He also recognizes the difficult job the government has in battling the pandemic and expressed appreciation for how health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix, and Premier John Horgan have managed the crisis so far, adding the government has been “very good about reaching out to faith communities, and I assume the dialogue will continue.”

He said there has been no follow-up clarification from health authorities and the archdiocese will be seeking “further clarification of the mandates.”

The archbishop addressed the restrictions in his homily at Holy Rosary Cathedral Nov. 22, echoing the themes raised in his video interview. 

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