The nation’s highest court temporarily locks limits on the number of people that can gather in places of worship, in red and orange zones, set in early fall by Governor Cuomo.
For some Washington Heights parishioners, it is more important to be cautious.
This is what Anery Ramos thinks:
– “I disagree because if it is for our health it is very good that I do it because if we are going to get sick from coming to church, God will not want that I think haha” ..
The Catholic Church and Orthodox Jewish synagogues came together to sue the state after Governor Cuomo imposed tougher restrictions in the highest contagion areas.
Specifically, in the red zones it imposed a limit of 10 people in temples and prayer centers.
In the orange ones, that limit was 25 people.
The lawsuit alleged a violation of the first amendment.
This Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the religious centers with a vote of five to four.
– “I think we should be cautious, but if God can be praised in their homes or with fewer people, it would be more something we could do to control the pandemic,” said a resident.
For his part, the Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio offered his reaction to the lawsuit.
“Very grateful … it is very important because the United States is founded on religious rights, very important today that we have these rights, from the application of the United States constitution.”
The decision represents a victory for religious centers like this one that currently operates at 50 percent of their capacity.
Parishioners of this church like María Hernández affirm that they feel safe since the protection measures are reinforced when entering the temple.
– “It is always with a very good restriction so far and I hope that we will cooperate, one with the other because if we do not take care where we are going to go”.
Governor Cuomo called the court ruling “irrelevant” when it comes to any practical impacts because the zone restrictions that were being considered in the lawsuit expired last week.
In Manhattan, Doris Bardales, NY1 News.
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