Lome, 15 July, 2020 / 9:30 pm (ACI Africa).
Members of the Episcopal Conference of Togo (CET) have, in a collective statement, announced the resumption of public worship in select parishes across the country in a bid to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infections.
The announcement follows the consultative meeting between religious leaders and the Togolese government during which an “experimental reopening of places of worship” was agreed.
“The partial reopening of the places of worship is scheduled for this Friday, July 17, 2020. The Catholic Church in Togo has taken steps to ensure that the resumption of Eucharistic celebrations takes place in strict compliance of the safety measures imposed by the Togolese government as part of the fight against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in our country,” the members of CET announce in their collective statement dated July 12.
They add, “For this first phase of the partial reopening of places of worship, a total of 146 Catholic parishes have been selected to serve the people of God through the nation.”
On July 7, the Togolese Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Local Authorities, Payadowa Boukpessi held a meeting with the country's religious leaders.