- Feb 5, 2002
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Q: I’m one of the parents on a new “safety committee” for our local parish school. One of the parents’ main suggestions is that, for our school Masses, we lock the church doors and keep the Mass private. To us, this seems like basic common sense. However, our pastor says we can’t do that. Is there any way to explain his thinking?
A: My thought is that your pastor is probably aware of the requirement in canon law that churches be open to the public for liturgical celebrations, such as Mass. As Canon 1221 of the Code of Canon Law states: “Entry to a church at the hours of sacred functions is to be open and free of charge.”
Some canon lawyers believe that this law can be dispensed by the local bishop, who might in theory give special, limited permission to lock the doors of a church during Mass for an appropriately serious reason.
But other canon lawyers would argue that this requirement cannot be dispensed, not even by the local bishop, because it pertains to the heart of what a church building is most essentially.
Canon 1214 tells us that: “The term ‘church’ means a sacred building intended for divine worship, to which the faithful have right of access for the exercise, especially the public exercise, of divine worship.”
Continued below.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
A: My thought is that your pastor is probably aware of the requirement in canon law that churches be open to the public for liturgical celebrations, such as Mass. As Canon 1221 of the Code of Canon Law states: “Entry to a church at the hours of sacred functions is to be open and free of charge.”
A sacred space
So in light of this, closing the doors of a church to the faithful while Mass is being celebrated in that church is straightforwardly against the law.Some canon lawyers believe that this law can be dispensed by the local bishop, who might in theory give special, limited permission to lock the doors of a church during Mass for an appropriately serious reason.
But other canon lawyers would argue that this requirement cannot be dispensed, not even by the local bishop, because it pertains to the heart of what a church building is most essentially.
Canon 1214 tells us that: “The term ‘church’ means a sacred building intended for divine worship, to which the faithful have right of access for the exercise, especially the public exercise, of divine worship.”
Continued below.
Can parishes lock doors after a school Mass begins for safety?
Why can’t churches lock their doors during school Masses? Canon law, pastoral care and Church tradition offer some answers.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
