Fr Jeremy Palman, the parish priest of Holy Family Parish, Te Atatu, Auckland, labels compliance as discriminatory saying he will not refuse anyone's presence at any Mass on the basis of their vaccination status.

Citing skin colour, race, ethnicity, religion, genetics and disability as examples, Palman says that throughout history, too many times the Church has found "good reasons" to exclude people on the basis of "some natural bodily condition".

"Given that the Vaccine Certificate System requires monitoring for Mass attendance and discrimination against the unvaccinated, Holy Family will not be segregating Masses.

"And we will not be refusing anyone's presence at any Mass on the basis of their vaccination status", Palman says, writing in The Daily Examiner and on his parish website (last accessed 11:50, 29 November 2021).

However, in charity, he is offering special consideration to the vaccinated to sit in the Crying Room and the Choir Loft.

The vaccine status of people accessing either place will not be checked.

Both places will be administered "on trust".

Palman says that people's vaccination status is part of their private medical information and his parish will not be ascertaining it for the purposes of Mass attendance.

"We will not be a pawn for the State... and we will not be asking some parishioners to act as vaccine-policemen towards other parishioners.

"Every Mass is a public liturgy, and any Catholic has the right to attend.

"All Masses will be "open" Masses at Holy Family parish. We are all in this together. Let us not be divided nor allow others to divide us along the lines of a medical status", writes Palman.

Later in the article Palman says the parish will provide a booking system for Mass, have areas in the Church roped off, keep a 1m distance and celebrate 11 Masses throughout the week allowing, in total around 300 people to attend Mass at some point during the week and respect the number-restrictions of the traffic light system!

"The Sunday Mass obligation remains suspended, therefore, in these strange times, given the limitations, especially at traffic Light RED, we all have to accept that we may not be able to go to Mass every day, nor every week, nor every Sunday.

"These are trying times indeed as we all know well," writes Palman.

In a similar move, Sunday, Wanganui parish priest, Fr Vaughan Leslie told parishioners that Parish Pastoral Advisory Team supports the "Trust" model of entry into parish Masses and gatherings.

"When you enter the church you are declaring you are vaccinated, but this will not be checked at the door.

"In light of this, people are asked to attend those events which their vaccination status allows them to, respecting the choices everyone has made."

The parish is offering two types of Mass, a "Vaccine Pass Mass" operated on the "Trust" model and an "Open Mass" with much fewer numbers and physical distancing. Both events will respect Government number restrictions.

While the parish requests masks are to be worn at all gatherings, it is also looking to reintroduce some singing and music!

The Parish Pastoral Advisory team comprises Leslie (Chair), Mr Justin Harper, Mr Kieran Udy, Mrs Marianne Vine, Mr Michael Coleman, Mrs Joan O'Neill-Fong and ​Mrs Ruth Ockey.

The diocese of Palmerston North has advised Leslie not to proceed with the parish plans and that he will be liable for any Government fine.

On November 23, all the New Zealand Catholic bishops, acting together, published a pastoral letter, "Living, Caring, Worshipping and Ministering in a Covid-19 World".

The pastoral letter, in line with the Government's Traffic Light System, set out a range of responses to the current circumstances including providing Masses for fully vaccinated and non-fully vaccinated.

Sources

• The Daily Examiner
• CathNews
• Whanganui Catholic Parish

Their support of the government's Covid measures is contingent on and only justified by, "the emergency situation as it exists at this point in time."

While all the bishops are fully vaccinated, they are concerned about others, particularly the most vulnerable while they adapt to the Covid world.

Moving forward, the bishops are keen New Zealand adopts rapid antigen testing.

Rapid antigen testing could offer non-vaccinated people less restrictive options within the employment, social, hospitality, religious and recreational sectors, they say pastoral letter issued last week.

Acknowledging the Covid restrictions, the bishops invite Catholics to embrace creativity in meeting the need to be unified as the Body of Christ.

"One of the things we have learnt over the past 20 months is that our identity as communities of faith is not ultimately defined by an inability to physically gather."

In their statement, the bishops note, with concern, the intolerance for Covid restrictions - especially the lockdown created ones - that give rise to the possibility of divisions developing in the community; they ask people to show ‘restraint and discipline': showing love, care and respect to people whose decisions are different from ours is in line with Gospel values.

"We know that the tensions emerging around vaccine mandates and the My Vaccine Pass are creating lines of division within families, faith communities, friendship circles and places of work," they say.

To ensure people can attend Church gatherings safely, feel connected, welcome and included without prejudice while remaining within the confines of the current legal requirements, the bishops have decided:

• In line with the traffic light system, Masses will be provided for fully vaccinated people using the My Vaccine Pass.
• Parishes, perhaps in conjunction with neighbouring parishes will provide opportunities for Mass, subject to Government-mandated number restrictions, for those who are not fully vaccinated.
• All those involved in public-facing ministries relating to church services and parish ministries need to be fully vaccinated at fully vaccinated Masses.
• Priests who are not fully vaccinated or who do not wish to declare their vaccination status will not be able to preside nor attend vaccinated-only Church events.
• When asking a fully vaccinated priest to preside at a service open to both vaccinated and non-vaccinated, parishes and priests need to give due consideration to any specific health conditions a priest may have which could make him more susceptible to the health consequences of being infected by Covid-19.
• Similarly, all church workers (whether paid or voluntary) involved in home-based pastoral care visitations need to have regard for the vaccine status of those they are visiting, along with their own health conditions which may make them more susceptible to the health consequences of being infected by Covid-19.
• Current restrictions on holy water, social distancing, Holy Communion in the hand etc remain.

Source

• NZ Catholic Bishops