Masses are set to resume on the weekend starting on 13 June, Archbishop Mgr Charles Scicluna said today.

There will be a limit to the number of people who will be allowed inside churches according to social distancing parameters.

Holy Communion will be administered by the priest, wearing a visor, in the hands of the faithful, who are advised to wear visors, not masks for the celebration.

Scicluna said that the dispensation from Mass to whoever does not feel comfortable going is still in place. 

Masses had been stopped in March as part of measures to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

Since then, the faithful had been asked to follow Masses on television, with Scucluna saying that these will continue to be held every day for people who cannot make it to church.

“The Eucharist will be celebrated for the community in all Maltese and Gozitan churches, in the weekend of Corpus Domini, 13-14 June 2020,” Scicluna said. Corpus Domini is the Latin term for ‘Body and Blood of Jesus’.

He said that he is pleased that the Eucharist will once again be celebrated, and that the people of Malta and Gozo can once again meet together and celebrate the word of God. He said that the Maltese and Gozitan Churches will be following the three principles to ensure the safety of the public: social distancing, use of face mask/visors and hygiene. 

Archbishop Scicluna explained that individuals should remain in their place whilst waiting to receive Holy Communion, and they must be wearing a face mask or a visor. “The priest will place the Eucharist in the hands of the individual, not touching them whatsoever.” He said that there will be no dialogue between the priest or the individual and that ideally individuals wear visors, which are easier to lift up to take the Eucharist and then place back down. 

Regarding social distancing, he said that the Church is calculating how many people can be present in the different churches and urged the faithful to respect the regulations of social distancing. “Depending on the size of the Church, there will be a number cap of how many people can be present for that mass.”

He said that there will also be a meeting next week with parish priests to ensure that there is constant dialogue on such measures and restrictions. “We want to ensure that the Church is a place that takes care of health, spiritually and physically. We want to give this strong message of responsibility and charity.”