THE Catholic Church has yet to receive approval from the National Security Council to open its premises to the public for worship, despite Putrajaya’s announcement yesterday that non-Muslims can gather at houses of worship next month.  

“As of this morning, we have yet to receive confirmation from the authorities concerning this, apart from what was released to the public yesterday,” said the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur in a statement today.

A list of churches from several dioceses under the Bishops Conference of Malaysia was previously submitted to the National Unity Ministry.

“We have no news with regard to churches that have been selected, and neither are we privy to the criteria for selection apart from the requirement that the church must be located in a green zone.”

The Catholic Church urged its members to be patient, adding it will continue to provide spiritual support through various initiatives, particularly the live-streaming of masses.

The archdiocese also said it must weigh different considerations before deciding to reopen the churches.

The considerations include complying with the restrictions imposed by the government, current developments of the health crisis that remain volatile and the advice of medical and public health consultants.

Also to be taken into consideration is the capacity of the identified parishes to meet the demands of the standard operating procedures and other public health protocols.

“Let us continue to pray for our frontliners, especially those who are in healthcare and let us never abandon our trust in God to bring about a resolution to this crisis.”

Since the start of the suspension of public masses, the Catholic Church has dispensed the obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days of obligation.

Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced yesterday non-Muslims can gather in houses of worship in green zones from June 10 onwards, subject to social distancing rules.

He said the 174 places of worship nationwide that are allowed to open their doors next month comprise 84 Hindu temples, 15 Chinese temples, 67 churches and eight gurdwaras.

He, however, said only Malaysians are allowed in, and the congregation is limited to 30 people.

“The limit of 30 people is also subject to the size of the place of worship.

“If the premises are small and cannot accommodate 30 people (safely), there must be fewer people,” Ismail had said.

Those aged above 70 and below 12 are barred from participating, due to their vulnerability to Covid-19. – May 22, 2020.