Services will resume in Catholic and some Lutheran churches in Minnesota next week, despite Gov. Tim Walz’s announcement Wednesday continuing to prohibit religious gatherings of more than 10 people.
The Minnesota Catholic Conference and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod in Minnesota sent Walz separate letters Wednesday announcing they would resume worship services on Tuesday, May 26.
In their letter, signed by the archbishop and several bishops, Catholic leaders said they were “especially disappointed” that Walz’s orders don’t address “both the vital importance that faith plays in the lives of Americans, especially in this time of pandemic, and the fundamental religious freedom possessed by houses of worship that allows our country to thrive.”
In their own letter, the Lutheran leaders wrote: “We were disappointed to find that instead, you allowed retail and other non-critical businesses to open, setting a plan in place for bars and restaurants to reopen while limiting churches to meetings of ten people or fewer. In the absence of a timeline or any other assurances that churches will soon be able to reopen, we find that we must move forward with our religious exercise in a safe manner.”
In response to the letters, Teddy Tschann, spokesperson for Walz, released the following statement: “As the Governor has said, this is a challenging situation for him personally and a challenging situation for him as a public official charged with protecting the health and safety of Minnesotans. He remains in routine communication with faith leader across the state and understands the toll this pandemic is taking on the spiritual health of Minnesotans. Governor Walz and the Minnesota Department of Health will be meeting with the Archdiocese this week.”
The restrictions were started in March to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus. So far, the pandemic’s death toll has reached 777 in Minnesota. There are 17,670 laboratory-confirmed cases statewide.
THE RISKS OF LARGE GATHERINGS
At an afternoon briefing Wednesday, reporters asked Walz about the apparent discord between allowing up to 50 people to gather to dine outside beginning June 1, but not expanding the worship limitation from 10 — inside or out.
He said the distinction was predictability. Restaurants will only be allowed to operate by reservation. It’s unclear whether Walz entertained some sort of parallel for religious occasions.
State health officials have repeatedly emphasized that the predictability of a situation — in addition to the closeness of people and the duration of that exposure — are an important set of factors as they consider which activities to allow. Walz specifically noted that several outbreaks have been tied to choir singing, although it wasn’t clear how closely that played into his decision. Some governors have suggested they will allow churches to reopen but without singing. (Scientists increasingly believe that full-throated singing can expel droplets containing the virus.)
But Walz acknowledged the touchiness of the topic and even the tenuousness of the distinction.
“We struggle,” he said. “It’s not a perfect answer. … I think there is a very strong sense of urgency for us to figure this out around churches.”
CHURCHES VOW TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS
In their letter to Walz, the Catholic leaders said they will take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while allowing parishes to decide on their own whether to resume Mass. The bishops said they believe they can safely resume services by following “strict protocols … for sanitation and social distancing and will have to limit attendance to one-third of the seating capacity of the church,” noting that the proposed protocols are based on the work of national medical experts and theologians and are also being followed by other dioceses in the country.
Some parishes might not be able to meet the “extensive and stringent diocesan protocols,” the Catholic leaders said. This might mean that some churches stick with the cap of 10 people, that some don’t resume services at all, and that depending on how the pandemic continues, those that resume, might later cease doing so, the letter said.
The bishops said “the obligation of a Catholic to attend Sunday Mass remains suspended and we have uniformly encouraged those most at risk to stay home,” noting that they are still asking parishes to continue to livestream services.
Also on Wednesday after the briefing, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty sent its own letter to Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison saying the state is violating the First Amendment by not allowing the churches to resume regular services.
“Governor Walz’s latest re-opening order allows the Mall of America to open its doors to those seeking retail therapy but disallows churches from providing spiritual healing to their congregations,” said the Becket Fund, noting that the two churches are legally represented by the law firm Sidley Austin LLP in this assertion.
