Big Les

another letter to the bishop…

I write in response to the Welcome Back! flyer that was sent out recently. Very specifically I write about the taking of one’s temperature upon entry to Mass. I am not certain whether this is a diocesan wide mandate or the prerogative of local parishes, but it is unwise. This is outside the Church’s purview and oversteps Her jurisdiction.

It goes without saying the only reason to take one’s temperature is to determine if the “patient” has a fever, and to assess one’s state of health is to offer a diagnosis. Only qualified medical personnel have this authority and only upon consent of the one being examined. The Church in Her loving care of the faithful does not have this type of authority as it falls outside matters of morals and faith.

While the Church does have jurisdiction over the faithful in matters of faith and morals, She does not have jurisdiction over the human person. That is to say no Church authority may require one to submit to medical examination upon entry to Mass however routine or benign the examination may be. Very specifically to deny one entry for having “a fever or symptoms” is to wrongly deny one access to the sacraments without some sort of canonical due process.

Canon Law (213) affirms the rights of the faithful to receive the sacraments et al, and these rights cannot be denied arbitrarily or at the discretionary prudence of the Church’s hierarchy. I respectfully demand this protocol be immediately rescinded.