Dom Orani closes Catholic churches in Rio.

By Marcelo Auler, on your blog and for the Journalists for Democracy

Following a recommendation from the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rio de Janeiro (MP-RJ), the Cardinal Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Dom Orani João Tempesta, ordered the closure of all Catholic churches in his archdiocese on the afternoon of Friday (March 20).

In a note from the Curia to priests, signed by the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, Dom Juarez Delorto Secco, the cardinal's order is that "Masses should continue to be celebrated daily, but without the participation of the people."

However, Dom Orani was not the first to take this stance in the current crisis. At least 56 bishops from archdioceses and dioceses in various states, without being asked, decided to follow the example of Pope Francis, who has been celebrating masses in closed churches. They suspended public activities in their churches, contributing to reducing the movement of the faithful and even in the name of the safety of their priests.

But the decision by the Cardinal of Rio gains some prominence because it comes at a time when evangelical churches, such as that of Pastor Silas Malafaia – the Assembly of God Victory in Christ Church – are refusing to close their temples. They criticize the restrictive measures that impede the circulation of the population. The Public Prosecutor's Office appealed to the Rio courts, but Judge Marcello de Sá Baptista, of the Duty Court, refused to prohibit the services.

"The Executive Branch has not ordered the interruption of religious services to date. The Legislative Branch has not created a law to that effect. The Judiciary cannot assume the role of Positive Legislator and regulate an activity in conflict with the rules established so far by the bodies managing the existing crisis," the magistrate justified.

The Public Prosecutor's request to the Cardinal of Rio was for the "immediate closure of churches and the immediate suspension of in-person activities for the faithful for the duration of the state of public health emergency in Rio de Janeiro, due to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)".

The Public Prosecutor's Office of Rio de Janeiro highlighted the need to "prevent gatherings, to practice social isolation, and also mentioned the risk of collapse in the public and private health systems, the situation of community transmission of the virus in the city of Rio de Janeiro, and the displacement that the performance of religious activities implies."

Dom Orani had already determined the limitation of religious activities in his archdiocese, having prevented the holding of processions and festivities during the celebration of Saint Joseph's Day (March 19).

Several bishops anticipated this.

In a rather superficial survey – therefore subject to omissions – the Blog identified 12 Archdioceses and 44 Dioceses where churches were closed. In Caxias do Sul (RS), the measure was adopted on March 20, that is, one month before the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro.

According to information gathered by the Blog, the bishops who ordered the closure of the churches were the bishops of:

Archdiocese of: Campinas (SP); Campo Grande (MS); Goiânia (GO); Londrina (PR); Maringá (PR); Niterói (RJ); Paraíba (PB); Porto Alegre (RS); Porto Velho (RO); Pouso Alegre (MG); Salvador (BA); Vitória (ES).

Diocese of (by States): Rio Branco (AC); Iguatu (CE); Colatina (ES); Uruaçu (GO); Campanha (MG); Divinópolis (MG); Januária (MG); Mariana (MG); Patos de Minas (MG); Sete Lagoas (MG); Uberaba (MG); Naviraí (MS); Três Lagoas (MS); Olinda and Recife (PE); Ponta Grossa (PR); Umuarama (PR); Caxias do Sul (RS) from March 20th; Erexim (RS); Frederico (RS); Montenegro (RS); Novo Hamburgo (RS); Pelotas (RS); Blumenau (SC); Caçador (SC); Chapecó (SC); Criciúma (SC); Florianópolis (SC); Joaçaba (SC); Joinville (SC); Lages (SC); Rio do Sul (SC); Tubarão (SC); Piracicaba (SP); Marília (SP); Assis (SP); Barretos (SP); Campo Limpo (SP); Franca (SP); Itapetininga (SP); Itapeva (SP); Jaboticabal (SP); Registro (SP); São José dos Campos (SP); Ji Paraná (RO).