BY MARY KUYE
As the fear of coronavirus has become the beginning of wisdom, the Catholic Church in Lagos has announced the suspension of holy water sprinkling and handshakes in the church.
Alfred Martins, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos in a statement said the decision to indefinitely suspend some of the church practices is in the light of this present circumstance.
According to him, the stations of the cross which is usually done in public will now be done privately to reduce the number of gatherings in churches.
”Church members should have handy sanitisers because communion will now be received on the palm,” Martins said.
His statement: “The shaking of hands during the time for the Sign of Peace during Mass is suspended for the time being.
“During this season of Lent, in order to reduce the number of gatherings in Church to the barest necessary, we encourage people to do Stations of the Cross privately on Wednesdays while public celebrations will take place only Fridays especially as it is often followed by Mass.
“Communion, for the time being, shall be received on the palms. People are encouraged to have Hand Sanitizers handy to be used as and when needed.
“The use of Holy Water fonts in churches and public places should be suspended till further notice. May the Lord deliver us from this plague and all evils.”
