July 7, 2020 News Religious Liberty
San Francisco shuts down Catholic Masses. In a letter to Archbishop Cordileone, the city of San Francisco demanded that the Archdiocese cease offering indoor religious services, except for funerals with up to 12 attendees; and that the face covering and social distancing requirements will be followed at all outdoor services.
Father Joseph Illo, pastor of Star of the Sea parish in San Francisco, commented that, “Clearly some people in the city government and the news media find religion intolerable. They hate religion. “They may hate religion, and they may hate religious persons,” he added. “They may not restrict our rights as free American citizens.” This became personal after he found a nail stuck into the tire of the motor scooter that he uses to get around.
Father Illo blogged, “The free exercise of religion is an essential activity in America, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution…Fifty people crowd onto city busses…several hundred times a day…. Groups of twenty people gather in Golden Gate Park without masks…. Hundreds gather in Costco from 9-9 every day. Dozens of people eat at restaurants on the streets around my church, without masks. The mayor addresses hundreds of people in a protest at City Hall, many of whom wear no masks. And the city is telling my church that we cannot have a gathering of more than 12 people, outside, for an activity that is specifically protected by the Constitution?”
See http://www.frilloblog.com and https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/san-francisco-archdiocese-threatened-with-restraining-order-for-offering-indoor-masses
Links to these and other articles can be found by clicking here on the St. Raymond’s parish website: https://straymonds.org/religious-liberty-blog/. Check it often during the week for updates.