DC Archbishop Sues Mayor Muriel Bowser For ‘Arbitrary, Unscientific And Discriminatory’ Restrictions Ahead Of Christmas

[Tis_Bearself]

It’s great for lawyers. That’s part of why we have too many, and some think we have had too many since the country was founded.

It may well be that the Archbishop did attempt to chat with the mayor and was rebuffed and thus resorted in a suit, but it’s also just the way the game is played. It’s fairly cheap for an entity like a big corporation or the Archdiocese to file a complaint, since they usually already have attorneys on staff and/or on retainer. Where it gets expensive is when you’re a “little guy” who doesn’t have his own in-house counsel staff or a regular lawyer at a law firm, and doesn’t know much about the legal process, and doesn’t have a lot of money or a case that brings pro bono helpers out of the woodwork.

Anyway, I hope for a quick resolution to all this so that more people can go to Mass in person in DC. I will likely be going in the Archdiocese here that has not had any hassles with the mayor’s office about percentage of folks in the churches, thank God.

 

[neophyte]

Presumably you have reasons for adopting such a negative interpretation.

I do, and they predate the pandemic by many years.

 

[1Lord1Faith]

I can’t help but think there is some correlation between that predisposition and the poor response to the pandemic, and the terrible toll it has taken, in the USA.

Just to be clear, there is no reason to say that there was a poor response to the pandemic in the US, other than possibly in NYC during the first weeks. Saying so is a talking point of the opposition to the current administration. I have yet to hear any reasonable justification for that particular opinion.

There is also no “terrible toll” in the US. The US is doing about the same as any other place.

I’m guessing that you are not even from the US. Whether you are or not it never ceases to amaze me when people from other countries cannot help themselves from telling the people who live here what is really going on.

 

[goout]

Unfortunately yes, there are many churches that are not practicing the recommended health practices. We have an evangelical church in town that has practically abandoned masking and distancing.

Another reason to be Catholic. The Church can act as a unified body in these kinds of matters. And the Church respects just civil authority.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Hey, all I know is we were promised a vaccine by December.

It’s December, and the vaccine shipments just dropped.

Mission accomplished, good work men!

File that one under “Promises Kept”.

 

[whatistrue]

I have yet to hear any reasonable justification for that particular opinion.

Nearly 300,000 dead Americans.

There is also no “terrible toll” in the US. The US is doing about the same as any other place.

Nearly 300,000 dead seems pretty terrible to me. And no, we are not “about the same” as any other place. Our case and death rates are extraordinarily high. And yes, I mean rates, as in percentages, not just raw numbers (which are also shockingly high).

 

[Rau]

I’m guessing that you are not even from the US. Whether you are or not it never ceases to amaze me when people from other countries cannot help themselves from telling the people who live here what is really going on.

Anyone with access to published statistics accessible via Google can compare how various nations are doing. There is no need to be amazed.

 

[phil3]

Nearly 300,000 dead seems pretty terrible to me. And no, we are not “about the same” as any other place. Our case and death rates are extraordinarily high. And yes, I mean rates, as in percentages, not just raw numbers (which are also shockingly high).

We have a population of 320,000,000 people. We have a lower death rate vs confirmed cases than most of europe. Our death rate is 1.80%

 

[ProVobis]

I would give the Brits some credit for approval of the vaccine first.

 

[pnewton]

There is also no “terrible toll” in the US. The US is doing about the same as any other place.

Math is not something that is a matter of opinion. This is a lie, false, fake, etc. We are in the top ten by rate, and number one by numbers.

Name one other country with 300,000 dead from COVID.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Deaths - Our World in Data

 

[Rau]

We have a population of 320,000,000 people. We have a lower death rate vs confirmed cases than most of europe. Our death rate is 1.80%

I think you are quoting the case fatality rate (approx 1.8% for USA). That’s a measure of effectiveness of treatment. One would hope a superpower advanced economy could treat the seriously ill well.

Deaths per “100,000 of population” in USA is 12th highest in the world. This is driven by the high infection rate - reflective of less effective (health-wise) response to the pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic death rates by country - Wikipedia

 

[Odilon]

Why sue at all? Just go ahead and worship as one sees fit in accordance with the guarantee of the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. How and when we worship is not the business of any Mayor, Governor, or President.

 

[Canvas]

Instead of using an arbitrary number for capacity, use a percentage of capacity. Having 10 people allowed in a small space is quite different than 10 people in a large space.

In my area, Catholic Churches are at 1/3 capacity right now and parishoners are masked for the entire service excepting Communion. Only people who come together are grouped together. Everyone else spreads out. I do not know of any outbreaks in any area Catholic Churches.

The Church I most frequently attend is quite large, and even with more than 100 people allowed per Mass, there is no crowding. It is not difficult to maintain at least 10 feet of distance from other people. If you feel someone has gotten to close, you can always go to the back, because there are no crowds of people with standing room only back there.