AMERICA/BOLIVIA - Bishops: "do not confuse religious practice with any recreational activity"

Friday, 12 June 2020 eucharist   coronavirus   bishops   popular worship  

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La Paz (Agenzia Fides) - The public celebration of Corpus Christi (Corpus Domini) is a very popular feast in Bolivia. In some communities this celebration is so important that the organization is not managed by the parishes, but by the municipality or civil authorities.
The Bolivian Bishops’ Conference (CEB) has published a press release entitled "Cuidar a los Ciudadanos" (Taking care of citizens) in which it reports some aspects of social life that involve every citizen in the Bolivian national community.
After urging to avoid Covid-19 contagions, the CEB reminds everyone that religious celebrations with the participation of faithful are suspended throughout Bolivia. The CEB stresses that the priority in this pandemic time is to preserve the health of Bolivians, both for the CEB and for religious congregations, missionaries and lay people who work in the Church of Bolivia.
The document continues by inviting to listen to experts in the health field in order to be able to make decisions that concern the country's community of believers. It therefore urges us to reflect on the Bolivian reality and not to confuse religious practice with any recreational activity.
"The analysis of the reality is also a recommended practice for some political ideologies that are blinded by interests of power and induce the people to make mistakes and put their health and life at risk", says the text of the CEB.
The text concludes: "According to prudence and responsibility and within the framework of compliance with the norms in force, as a Catholic Church, we reaffirm our mission to accompany the faith and spiritual life of our people. In this context, priests will continue to celebrate the gift of the Eucharist for each of the faithful, of the communities, of families, of the sick and of the brothers who need the strength of the Lord". (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 12/6/2020)


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