Coronavirus scare in Chennai: Faithful will greet with ‘namaste’, won’t kiss Cross on Good Friday – Times of India

CHENNAI: For the first time in 20 years, Rosary Silviya will not be kissing the Cross at her Church on Good Friday. COVID-19, she’s been told.
Silviya and other members of her congregation were informed at church last Sunday that all parishes in the city have been asked to forego the traditional veneration this year due to the virus scare. “Instead we will be saying a quiet prayer,” says the 23-year-old. “It will feel strange, but this is for our own safety and therefore we must accept it.”
On March7, a mail was circulated from the desk of the Archbishop of Madras and Mylapore to various diocese in Chennai with the subject: “Coronavirus”, mentioning guidelines to be followed until the Easter service on April 12.
“Our first faith response is to turn to God,” said the letter addressed to parish priests. “I am recommending the following steps for the control of the virus.”
The letter instructs parish priests to encourage people not to shake hands at the sign of peace but to “greet each other with folded hands (namaste)”. It also states that Holy Communion should be received in the hand and not the mouth as is the norm.
Priests can suspend meetings
“On Good Friday, at the Veneration of the Cross discourage people from kissing the Cross. The blessing with a raised Cross would be adequate. Those who desire, could come in a queue and make reverence with a bow,” says the letter. The priests have also been asked to “purify their hands in a bowl of water/sanitizer” before distribution of the Holy Communion. The Holy water stoups, which people dip their fingers in before entering church, will now be kept dry.
The letter also mentions that if there is any indication that an individual in the community is infected, parish priests can temporarily suspend meetings.
Priests are taking other precautions as well. At Luz Church, for instance, Father Peter Thumma is trying to cancel trips to the Holy Land, which are usually organized for the members of the parish in summer. Short trips during the Lenten period have also been called off. “This letter is issued in the interest of the parishioners,” says Father Thumma. “For a couple of weeks now in church we have been advising people on preventive measures. We’ve been telling them to eat a healthy diet, have some vitamin C, maintain hygiene, and wear masks if necessary. Better to be safe,” he says. Last Sunday, he adds, one member of the parish was spotted in a mask.