Covid-19: Irish Catholic Church leader meets government over Mass ban
Published
image captionArchbishop Martin accused the government of acting in a draconian manner
The leader of the Irish Catholic Church has met with the Irish government to discuss what he calls a draconian ban on public Mass.
Archbishop Eamon Martin said he shared his concerns over the criminalising of leading public worship.
It comes as the Irish Department of Health confirms that three cases of the Indian Covid-19 variant have been detected in the Republic.
At least two of those were related to travel, reports RTÉ.
image copyrightPacemaker
image captionA priest celebrating an online Mass in an empty church during the first lockdown last year
Ireland adds Bermuda to high-risk list royalgazette.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from royalgazette.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The vaccine is currently only used in the USA, under an emergency use authorisation.
It was authorised in the EU last month, but the rollout of the vaccine has not started yet in any EU member states.
It is expected to begin in the next few weeks, with Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly revealing earlier this week that just over 40,000 of the vaccines are expected to arrive in Ireland this month.
The EMA s statement read: It is currently not clear whether there is a causal association between vaccination with Covid-19 Vaccine Janssen and these conditions.
Janssen Pharmaceutica is a Belgium-based division of Johnson & Johnson.
Health Minister Robin Swann ‘blindsided by Republic s AstraZeneca vaccine move Health Minister Robin Swann. Picture from Pacemaker David Young, PA 15 March, 2021 17:20
Health Minister Robin Swann has expressed disappointment that he only learned of the move to suspend AstraZeneca vaccines in the Republic of Ireland through the media.
Robin Swann has asked for a review of a memorandum of understanding between health authorities on both sides of the border that was supposed to enhance information-sharing on Covid-19 issues.
Mr Swann said the lack of advance notice on the decision to temporarily pause the rollout of the jab in the Republic came amid ongoing difficulties securing passenger locator data from the authorities in Dublin.
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