At the dawn of the reopening of places of worship on Monday, the bishops of Quebec are asking the government to quickly reassess the imposition of the vaccination passport at the entrance to churches.
In a letter addressed Thursday to the Catholics of Quebec, the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of the province writes that it accepts “for a time […] that the vaccination passport is required to access a place of worship, even if this measure upsets us deeply. »
In interview at Duty, the Secretary General of the Assembly, Mgr Pierre Murray, says he recognizes that the pandemic represents an “exceptional circumstance” which imposes “a compromise to be made on this question [du passeport vaccinal] for a time “.
But he wants the government to quickly explain what criteria it will use to lift the vaccination requirement at the entrance to places of worship – a measure which had already been briefly imposed in December. “We face a lot of arbitrariness in these decisions,” he notes.
The measure will be respected at the door of the churches, assures Bishop Murray, but “reluctantly”. “It’s unnatural for us. We are here to say that God welcomes everyone, but if you are missing a piece of paper, you cannot enter, ”he laments.
Since the closure of places of worship on December 31, the Table interreligious de concertation du Québec has multiplied its efforts to obtain from the government the reopening of places of worship. But without the vaccination passport being imposed.
In its letter, the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec mentions that “many believers believe that this requirement constitutes an intolerable discrimination which deprives unvaccinated persons of the right to their religious freedom”.
A situation where a volunteer will have to refuse access to a believer who does not have his vaccination passport could quickly become “very uncomfortable”, worries Bishop Murray.
“We want to contribute to the social effort for public health, we are present for that, sums up the secretary general of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec. But we seriously question the effectiveness of the measure and we ask that it be lifted as soon as possible. »
An essential service?
Imam Hassan Guillet, the representative of the Muslim community at the Table interreligious de concertation du Québec, agrees. He assures that the measure will be applied to the door of mosques. “But our role is to bring people to places of worship, not to push them away,” he says. We don’t want to experience these frictions [en refusant l’entrée à des croyants], especially as social support for health measures is eroding in the population. »
Imam Guillet believes that places of worship should be considered “essential services” by the government. “People who are alone need a shoulder, someone who takes their hand, who advises them, comforts them. That’s what places of worship provide: an oasis of social peace and spiritual, emotional and mental rest. »
As for Rabbi Reuben Poupko, who represents the Council of Rabbis of Montreal at the Table interreligious de concertation du Québec, he says he does not object to the imposition of the vaccination passport at the entrance to places of worship.
“We believe this is a reasonable measure to create a safe environment. It is a measure that is used in restaurants and some stores. For me it is not discriminatory. »