In the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision lifting the pandemic ban on religious services indoors in California, some Bay Area religious leaders embraced the renewed opportunity to worship indoors, but others said they will continue to keep services at bay .
Salvatore Cordileone, the Archbishop of San Francisco and an outspoken enemy of the closure of back office services, called the decision a “very important step forward for basic rights” and a “relief in dark times.” Worshipers, he said, were now free from “harassment by government officials.”
However, health officials urged caution.
Santa Clara County said it would continue to ban indoor worship despite the Supreme Court ruling, explaining that with transmission speeds still high, “it remains critical to avoid potential superspreader events, including in-house gatherings.” The county said its orders were structured differently from California’s purple rules and were therefore consistent with the Supreme Court’s order. “All indoor gatherings at this point remain banned because of their risk,” the province said. The county did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday evening, explaining how its orders differed sufficiently from those of the state.
Dr. Susan Philip, acting health officer from San Francisco, also said the risk remains high, not least because of the spread of new, potentially more contagious variants.
“I … especially urge seniors and other people with chronic conditions or a compromised immune system – and those living with seniors and those with such conditions – to defer and defer participation in religious services indoors at this time. find safer alternatives to practice their faith, such as joining field services or streaming services remotely, ”Philip said in a statement.
The conservative majority of the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to overturn lower court rulings that upheld the ban on religious gatherings indoors as the number of virus cases increased. The decision late Friday said meetings could resume at 25% of a building’s capacity. The court upheld the state’s ban on singing or chanting indoors during services.
All but four counties in California are subject to purple tier restrictions, which previously meant that religious services were banned indoors. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said Saturday it plans to issue revised guidelines for worship services following the Supreme Court ruling.
Health experts have said that multi-household indoor gatherings are a high risk, and outbreaks have been linked to places of worship in Sacramento, San Diego, New York, Massachusetts, and elsewhere.
Few houses of worship were likely to reopen on Sunday. The weather is fine and many religious leaders only heard about the decision on Saturday. A phone call to the rectory of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco produced an audio recording reporting an “outbreak of COVID here in the rectory” and asking for prayers. The church will be closed until February 13, the rapture said.
The head of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco said the gigantic stone building on Nob Hill would remain closed for indoor worship. The cathedral reopened for one service in November, but closed when infection rates rose in the fall.
“We try to follow science, and we try to be patient,” said Dean Malcolm Clemens Young. The Supreme Court “is not doing anyone a favor” by lifting the ban, he said.
“We are grateful that no one has been exposed to COVID because of everything we’ve done,” said Young.
Cordileone viewed the matter differently.
“As Catholics, we know that our worship cannot be broadcast live,” he said in a statement.
“There is no way to give Communion or any of the other sacraments over the Internet,” he said, adding that churches would protect public health by using masks and social distancing.
Calvary Chapel, a church in San Jose that has defied the county’s orders and held services for months, will hold services on Sundays at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM, according to a recorded message. A Santa Clara Superior Court judge convicted the church in contempt of court orders and issued fines in December, which did not stop the church from holding Christmas Eve services. The church did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
At Temple Beth Shalom in San Leandro, cantor Linda Hirschhorn said she welcomed the court’s ruling because, she said, “if it’s okay to allow indoor gatherings with 25% capacity, it should be across the board. “
Her congregation of about 300 members had not decided when or whether to resume the back office.
As a cantor, or singer and chanter of Jewish prayers, Hirschhorn said she didn’t care much about the continued ban on singing and singing.
The temple has no plans to make changes to its online services.
“We are now getting a lot more visitors to Zoom,” she said.
Chronicle staff writers Michael Cabanatuan and Lauren Hernández and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Steve Rubenstein is a staff writer at San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]