Refuse to give the ostia in the mouths of the communicants, empty the giant clams: the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Michel Aupetit, asked the priests of the parishes of the capital to take measures against the spread of the new coronavirus.
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"A priest from the diocese of Paris, who returned in mid-February from Italy, was diagnosed positively on Friday," said the diocese of Paris in a press release published on Saturday. This priest resided in Rome and joined France by crossing Italy by car. This 43-year-old man was taken care of at the Bichat hospital in Paris and his condition is considered "very reassuring".
No longer dip your fingers in holy water
Mgr Michel Aupetit asked the priests to respect several measures during Masses and in churches "in order to contribute to the fight against the epidemic and to follow the latest recommendations" of the Ministry of Health. The priests must thus "propose communion only in the hands of the faithful and refuse to give it in the mouth". They are asked to "not offer a communion to the chalice for the faithful".
Priests must ask their concelebrants, who celebrate Mass at their side, to "commune by extinction", that is to say, to soak the ostia in wine rather than to drink from the chalice. To the faithful, the archbishop asked "not to exchange a handshake as a sign of peace during the masses". Likewise, they will no longer be able to dip their fingers in holy water to make the sign of the cross when they enter the church, Bishop Aupetit having given the instruction to "empty the holy water fonts".