Harare, Zimbabwe, Oct 20, 2020 / 14:01 pm
In a statement announcing directives to guide the expansion of public worship in Zimbabwe last week, the nation's bishops encouraged the people of God to attend Mass.
"We now discourage live-streaming of Holy Masses and other relevant pastoral programmes except for the spiritual nourishment of the faithful who may be physically impeded in attending Holy Mass," the members of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference said in their Oct. 12 statement "The Joy of Coming Together for Public Worship".
They added that Catholics have "the obligation to attend Holy Mass if there is no major reason to absent oneself", and emphasized that "physical attendance together is more rewarding than live-streaming."
Public worship resumed in Zimbabwe in June under a revised guidance that allowed a 50-person congregation after President Emmerson Mnangagwa eased COVID-19 restrictions that had been in place since March.