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Due to state of emergency measures, which imply a curfew between 13:00 and 05:00 at the weekend in 121 high-risk counties, the Archbishop of Braga, Jorge Ortiga, advised the parish priests on Monday to spend the masses from afternoon to morning.
“From the archdiocese, we will adhere to government guidelines. Every pastor should consider the opportunity to spend Sunday afternoon Eucharist for Saturday morning, exceptionally and during this period of emergency ”, reads the text published on the archdiocese website.
“We cannot, therefore, have celebrations or other activities after 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition to what we might think is best for this period, we do not want to be the cause of direct or indirect contagion. We want to help society realize that tough measures are needed for the common good, even if not everyone agrees. Let us not be fooled. The situation is serious. We must be part of the solution ”, says the Archbishop’s note, warning of“ possible orientations ”from the Episcopal Conference which, he anticipates,“ will not be very different from these ”.
“We know that the pastoral life of our communities and of the Archdiocese has a unique relevance on Saturdays and Sundays. Weekend mornings, up to 1pm, have time for pastoral normality. On the contrary, Saturday and Sunday afternoons cannot be occupied by pastoral activities, be they celebrations or moments of formation. Everything must be rethought on the basis of these constraints to which we must adhere, at a high price but with a great sense of responsibility. We cannot accept exceptions or subjective interpretations ”, says the Archbishop, stressing that the new rules do not apply only in two municipalities in the district of Braga, Vieira do Minho and Terras de Bouro.
Jorge Ortiga believes that “imprisonment is a severe blow to the daily life of our communities”, but asks the faithful to “scrupulously respect all the guidelines of the health authorities”.
Partial confinement went into effect today in 121 municipalities in mainland Portugal, twelve of which in the district of Braga and six in the district of Viana do Castelo, where there is a “high risk of transmission of covid-19”, with the obligation to stay at home. , with the exception of authorized travel, such as shopping, work, education and physical activity.
In addition to specific measures for these municipalities, the resolution of the Council of Ministers published in the Diário da República extends the declaration of the disaster situation in the entire continental national territory until 11.59 pm on November 19.
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