The Catholic Bishop of Ho Diocese in Ghana, Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu SVD, has directed among others for Holy water receptacles in all Churches in the Diocese to be kept empty and dry until further notice as a measure against the spread of the Novel Coronavirus.
A statement signed by the Prelate and addressed to the religious and lay faithful in the Ho Diocese in the West African country, cautions individuals to be on guard amidst the outbreak of the virus.
The statement adds that Holy communion is to be given in the form of the body alone while celebrants at Eucharistic celebrations are advised to consume the blood of Christ by soaking the bread in the wine enabling the communicant to receive the two elements conjointly.
”I urge all of us to also follow the following directives in our Diocese as additional precautionary measures to prevent possible infection. Holy Communion is to be given only under the auspices of the body of Christ (bread only), Celebrants at Eucharistic celebrations are advised to consume the precious blood of Christ by intinction (that is, by soaking the bread in the wine enabling the communicant to receive the two elements conjointly), The invitation to offer the Peace of Christ can be omitted entirely., All the Holy water fonts or receptacles in use in the church are to be emptied and kept dry,” the statement said.
“As people of Faith, let us all pray that God may bring to an early end the spread of this infection. May we also remember to pray for those who have died from this virus as well as those who have lost their loved ones to the pandemic,” he added.
The Catholic Bishops of Ghana recently directed the Clergy and lay faithful of the Church to “avoid handshakes and embracing one another during Kiss of Peace.”
In a statement issued on March 3, 2020, President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Philip Naameh encouraged the faithful to receive Holy Communion in the hand during Mass while the Ministers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion should wash their hands or use sanitizer before and after distributing Holy Communion.
According to the statement, Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that are known to cause illness ranging from common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, directives are part of precautionary measures being put in place by the Prelates to curb the possible spread of the virus.
In the statement informing Catholics of Ghana about the Coronavirus, the Bishops noted that the prevention was key to avoid its spread and entreated the faithful to wash their hands often with soap and water or use sanitizers, wash fruits and vegetables well before eating and cooking and avoid physical contacts with people with suspicious signs and places of the outbreak.
So far, a total of 125,851 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide. Out of the number, 4,615 deaths have been registered with 66,998 people recovering from the virus as of March 11, 2020.
