Churches in Kerala see fewer faithful turning up

Thiruvananthapuram, March 15 (IANS) With 19 corona positive cases and over 7,600 people under observation in Kerala, the Sunday mass saw a poor turn out in churches across the state.While the Syrian Mar Thoma Churches decided not to have the holy mass and restrict it to a short prayer session, most of their churches saw a poor turnout.But the Syrian Orthodox Churches, however, decided to have their regular Sunday mass.The holy bread and wine, for all those who have confessed during the week, was given as usual, when the priests served it direct into the faithful's mouth.At Kottayam, the numbers were also less on Sunday in the otherwise crowded Catholic Church.In the state capital city, one parish attached to the Latin diocese decided not to have the Sunday mass, other churches had their routine prayers, but with lesser number of the laity turning up.Incidentally, all the Church heads in the state soon after the Kerala government had cautioned, that crowding of people should be avoided, came out with advisories to see that the directives of the state government be adhered to.
--IANS sg/dpb