The Catholic Church has instructed its priests to henceforth suspend all forms of physical contacts during service, including the traditional sign of peace, which involves shaking of hands with other worshippers during service.
This directive was contained in a statement by the Catholic Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Adewale Martins, titled “The Outbreak of Ebola Virus – a pastoral approach.
“Taking into consideration the fact that this rite is optional, we shall henceforth omit it i.e. not invite people to offer the sign of peace. When you get to this rite, skip it,” Martins said in the statement.
Apart from calling for the discontinuation of placing of water bowls at the entrances of parishes of the church, the Archbishop encouraged the use of gloves when counting offerings as other means of stemming EVD’s spread.
The statement read in part, “The use of Holy Water Fonts at the entrance of the church should be discontinued forthwith until the virus alert is lifted. This does not preclude private use of Holy waters in homes and offices.”
“Priest are also advised to be cautious when visiting sick members, especially when they are to administer the sacrament of anointing for the sick. They are equally advised to avoid physical contacts when giving out the Holy communion to members.
“Priests should exercise caution when they go for sick calls, particularly when they have to administer the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. They should ensure regular handwashing after visiting patients in the hospital or homes.”
In Abuja, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Metropolitan, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, also called on members of the church to refrain from shaking hands during the sign of peace session.
Onaiyekan, in an interview with journalists on Sunday, explained that the church was taking necessary precautionary steps to avoid the spread of the disease.
Onaiyekan however clarified that the warning does not mean that the church had banned shaking of hands during mass.
He said, “We did not ban handshaking during mass. We are only discouraging it and it is going to be temporary until it is clear that Nigeria is no longer under Ebola threat.
“It’s a possible means to avoid the spread of Ebola virus and also prayers to keep the country safe. Many people are not comfortable with shaking people they don’t know during this period of Ebola, so there is need to take such steps.”
