Mass, a basic necessity
: Catholics gathered again this Sunday, November 22 in front of churches and cathedrals in several large cities in France to demand the return of mass, banned during the confinement. This was particularly the case in the West, in the Pays de la Loire, at Rennes or Vannes.
Kneeling in the shade of Saint-André cathedral in Bordeaux, more than 300 worshipers recited a rosary and sang songs and recitations of prayers during a rally, under the watchful eye of a discreet police presence and between two banners Give us back mass
and Stop the health dictatorship
.
Gathering for mass in Bordeaux: there are still a lot of people on this second Sunday of the demonstration and “Hail Mary” are sung. @SO_Bordeaux @ tv7bordeaux pic.twitter.com/mkzaULI2rU
– Alix Fourcade (@AlixFourcade) November 22, 2020
For us, Mass is vital. We need it now and now. This ban is nonsense. Sanitary measures can be implemented and respected in churches
, explained Élisabeth Blanchet, a student who with four friends set up the collective For Mass Bordeaux
.
We’ll be there every Sunday as long as they don’t give us back mass
, she added. On November 15, more than 300 Catholics had already met on the forecourt of Saint-André Cathedral.
“Mass, a basic necessity”
Monday November 16, the government cautiously agreed to a resumption of religious ceremonies with the public from December 1 but on two conditions: compliance with a new sanitary protocol in places of worship and a favorable development of the epidemiological situation.
Before the collective prayer, one of the organizers asked the faithful to reach out to move away from each other, in order to respect social distancing.
Among the faithful, of all generations, some carried small signs like Less cathode ray tubes, more catholic masses
or Mass, a basic necessity
.
AT Toulouse also a few hundred Catholics, many of them families with children, gathered in front of Saint-Etienne Cathedral for the second Sunday in a row.
In Toulouse also a few hundred Catholics, many of them families with children, gathered in front of Saint-Etienne Cathedral for the second Sunday in a row. #AFP pic.twitter.com/LFhsZ8fzWX
– Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) November 22, 2020
Our freedom of worship has been taken from us. We need to go to mass to fully live our faith
, said Marie-Clémence Bourgeois, a 20-year-old design student.
Thomas Robesson, 42, came to demonstrate with his family, does not understand the logic
of the government : The buses are full, the subways are full, the supermarkets are full, but mass is prohibited?
They are waiting for Emmanuel Macron’s speech
AT Lyon, around 300 people, including many young people and families, gathered on Place Bellecour. Banners were hung at the foot of the equestrian statue of Louis XIV. Mass prohibited by order of the government, believers, traders, artisans all together against confinement
, could we read in particular. To restrict worship is to cut off a freedom
, commented a faithful, Véronique.
AT Little, around a hundred people, mainly young people and families, gathered on the forecourt of Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille in Old Lille and sang songs, including the Lord calls all his militants to the reconquest of Christendom
.
AT Paris, several hundred faithful prayed together in front of the Saint-Sulpice church at 5 p.m. The Eucharist is the summit of our faith
, Mass is food for the soul for us
, notably said the organizers at the microphone.
Several hundred people also present in front of the Saint-Sulpice church in #Paris, to demand the lifting of the ban on public masses because of the #confinement – #COVID19. #catholic #ForLaMesse #RendezNousLaMesse #messe pic.twitter.com/fuQcVXuqWl
– Charles Baudry (@CharlesBaudry) November 22, 2020
Hopefully the President of the Republic’s speech on Tuesday will bring good news
, added one of them.
– .
