The bishops of England and Wales have written to parishes urging a common sense response to the Coronavirus. What then should we do?
Firstly we should not get carried away with the hype and hysteria and over-react like many in the media seem to be doing. Let us not forget that, for most fit people, catching Coronavirus will not be fatal. And let us remember Christians throughout history have taken risks to hand on the Gospel, many entering disease ridden areas even in days before antibiotics. To my knowledge nobody ever grew sick from reception of the sacrament.
Nevertheless, for peace of mind and in the interest of safety, we do well to be prudent when a pandemic is upon us. For this reason communion will be distributed in one kind only from today. This practice is, in any case, the more normative historically.
Otherwise rest assured that clergy wash hands thoroughly before the celebration of Mass and most of us can therefore carry on as normal. Those who are particularly vulnerable, the very frail and those with breathing related issues, are free to make a spiritual communion if they deem it necessary and until the situation normalises. And do remember that, in truth, the risks are small.
Good call. A win-win situation.
As usual the media has blown it all out of proportion. We need to get a grip on reality.