Several churches in Hungary have cancelled their Christmas Eve midnight mass and Christmas Day worship service, while others are making attendance conditional on pre-registration or limiting the number of people allowed inside the church, due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Though the government鈥檚 decision to suspend the night curfew on December 24 gives churches the opportunity to hold a midnight mass, many have decided to move it online or cancel it altogether, Tam谩s T贸th, the secretary of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops鈥� Conference (MKPK), told MTI. Dioceses that have opted to cancel their midnight mass include Sz茅kesfeh茅rv谩r, Debrecen and 笔茅肠蝉, T贸th said, noting that the number of church-goers who regularly gather in those cities for service would make it impossible to comply with coronavirus-related restrictions. The diocese of V谩c is making attendance of the midnight mass conditional on registration, he said. Several dioceses will be holding their mass earlier in the evening and will be organising worship services on December 25 and 26, T贸th added. Church-goers are required to wear face masks and observe physical distancing rules, he noted.
The Hungarian Reformed Church said the decision to hold worship services will be left up to local priests. The Reformed Church鈥檚 synod asked church members to limit in-person worship services to the churches in which they can guarantee compliance with the restrictions. Churches that cannot adhere to the rules should hold their services outdoors or online, it added.
The Lutheran Information Service said the decision to organise worship services is up to the congregation boards. Several churches will organise their Christmas Eve service outdoors, it said. Many churches are requiring congregation members to register to attend the service, while others will hold online services.
hungarymatters.hu
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