Service with conditions: no singing, host with tongs

Despite Corona, services will soon be allowed again, but under strict conditions. Much of what believers associate with going to church will not be possible for the time being.

Hanover / Bonn (dpa) - It should not be sung anymore or at most quietly, the host is handed with a pair of tongs or plastic gloves, and the hymnbooks have to be brought along - this is what church services in Corona times should look like in the future.

The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) have now published corresponding recommendations for the congregations.

The Corona cabinet plans to discuss this on Monday. The ban on worship, which has been in force since March, will be lifted shortly - however, strict rules against the spread of the corona virus should apply. This is how the number of participants should be limited and the faithful must keep a safe distance.

There are differences in details in the recommendations that the two churches have submitted to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. For example, the EKD "urgently (...) wears mouth and nose protection during the service". The bishops take the line that masks are to be worn on your own responsibility - "if necessary" is the wording.

For the time being, Protestant services are also to take place without singing. "Singing together poses a particularly high risk of infection, which is why, like wind instruments, it should be avoided until further notice," says the EKD paper.

The Catholics are not quite as strict on this point: "If the distance rules are observed, there is no reason to do without singing altogether. However, loud community singing should be avoided because singing represents a risky behavior." A spokesman for the DBK explained that everyone should be allowed to sing, but only quietly.

There are also differences in the sacrament celebration. The EKD reminds that even a service without the Lord's Supper is full: "If the Lord's Supper is to be celebrated anyway, the chalice communion should be avoided or should only be performed with single chalices."

According to the Catholic understanding, the celebration of the Eucharist with the distribution of hosts is of great importance. It should therefore be possible again in the future, but subject to conditions: "Communion is handed to the faithful at a reasonable distance, for example with a pair of pliers, or priests and communion helpers wear gloves," the recommendations say.

In addition, the priest should no longer say "The Body of Christ" when the host is handed over, and the measurement visitor receiving the host should forego the usual "amen".

Both churches have developed many other recommendations. The Catholic faithful are asked to bring their own hymnal with them. The paths in the church "are marked as one-way, if possible to prevent them from coming together". Also no collection basket should be passed through.

The usual greeting of peace, in which people shake hands, was abandoned in the early stages of the corona pandemic. The requirement for Catholics to go to church on Sunday does not apply.

Recommendations of the German Bishops' Conference

Key points of the EKD