NYC Catholic priest tells unvaccinated people they are NOT welcome at church for Christmas

A Catholic priest and cable TV contributor has said that unvaccinated parishioners should not gather in church for Christmas Mass because ‘we owe one another the gift of peace’ as the nation copes with the new wave of COVID cases fueled by the Omicron variant.

Father Edward Beck, who is a religious commentator for CNN, said on Friday during a segment of the network’s New Day, that he believes all churches should require proof of vaccination.

‘There’s no supply chain shortage of love and compassion. I think what we are trying to say to people is that ”you have a social responsibility if you do gather.” You know Christian churches, many are gathering this evening, and some are still not requiring vaccination, which I disagree with,’ he said.

Beck’s controversial statements came as the Omicron variant has sent positive tests skyrocketing – but has shown to be less dangerous than previous strains, with fewer hospitalizations and almost no deaths.

When asked by host Jim Sciutto if he was concerned by fewer parishioners going to Mass amid a resurgence in COVID infections, Beck insisted that even those who had medical reasons not to get the vaccine should still not come to church. 

Beck, who briefly co-hosted a religious segment with disgraced CNN anchor Chris Cuomo during their time at ABC News, penned an op-ed last year describing Donald Trump’s decision to open churches in 2020 when there had yet to be vaccines developed as ‘sinful and dangerous.’

Father Edward Beck said on Friday during a segment of the CNN’s New Day, that he believes all churches should require proof of vaccination. Above, People visit at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Christmas Eve, as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread, in the Manhattan borough of New York City

After voicing his stance during the show on Friday, Beck shared a clip of the segment on Twitter.

‘Yep. I said it. I don’t think unvaccinated people should be gathering in churches for Christmas Eve / Day Masses. ”Love thy neighbor,” says the Savior,’ he captioned the video.

Beck, a member of the Passionist community, added that following Jesus also meant complying with his lessons of love and compassion towards others.

‘I think that part of caring for one another, you know, the dogma of Jesus, [whose birthday we celebrate] is love one another, show compassion, show mercy to each other,’ he said.

‘So I think the message is that if we want to act like Jesus in these kind of times, we take care of each other. And If we are going to gather in celebration, we have to do so safely, confidently. And we have to gift to one another that gift of peace, and part of that is health and feeling like we are gathering in a healthy environment,’ he added.

Back in 2020, when Trump considered opening back churches just months after the onset of the pandemic, Beck wrote in an op-ed to the former president that parishioners didn’t ‘need churches to practice their faith’

A woman receives communion from a priest at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Christmas Eve, as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread

Children light candles at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Christmas Eve

Beck, who was ordained in 1985, does not work at specific churches, but leads workshops and retreats nationally and internationally, in addition to his contributions to CNN.

Beck, who was ordered in 1985, does not work at specific churches, but leads workshops and retreats nationally and internationally, in addition to his contributions to CNN

Last year, when Trump considered opening churches just months after the onset of the pandemic, Beck wrote in an op-ed to the then-president that parishioners didn’t ‘need churches to practice their faith.’

‘During this pandemic, I have buried the dead at cemeteries — with limited family members present. I have prayed with people via FaceTime and Zoom. I even heard a confession in a supermarket parking lot,’ he wrote.

‘What most of us have not done is put ourselves and our parishioners in danger by gathering in large groups for Mass or other religious services ‘as usual.’ That would have been — and would continue to be, in this time of contagion — irresponsible and sinful,’ Father Beck added.

On Friday, Beck seemed to support gathering in churches as long as those joining the celebration were fully inoculated.

He said: ‘And so I really hope there’s people who gather… to celebrate the birth of Christ, who is about mercy and compassion and love of one another.

‘You got to keep that in mind, you know, it’s not about us. I don’t think there is a reason to say ”I’m not going to get vaccinated today.” Maybe a health reason, but then you can’t come to church…We have a responsibility to one another.’

Three major studies in England, Scotland and South Africa confirmed Omicron is milder than Delta and far less likely to put someone in hospital.

One paper by ‘Professor Lockdown’ Neil Ferguson found the mutant strain was up to 45 percent less likely to lead to hospitalization than Delta, based on 300,000 people in England.

Amid the surge of coronavirus cases across the US, numerous churches have canceled in-person Christmas services, disappointing pastors. On Friday, New York shattered its COVID cases record for the third day running, recording an enormous 44,431 new cases on Christmas Eve

A visitor lights a candle at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Christmas Eve

Amid the surge of coronavirus cases across the US, numerous churches have canceled in-person Christmas services, disappointing pastors and churchgoers who consider them an annual highlight.

Other churches planned outdoor services or proposed a hybrid of online and in-person worship, often imposing tight restrictions for those in attendance. These included requirements to wear masks and show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations.  

New Governor Kathy Hochul blamed the huge spike on the Omicron variant, estimated to be behind 92 percent of new infections in the Empire State. 

Hochul also revealed that COVID hospitalizations rose by five percent from the previous day, and now sit at 4,744. But the governor highlighted that the figure is far fewer than the 7,000 who were hospitalized with the virus during Christmas 2020. 

The scene at the Harlem testing giveaway was markedly calmer

Frantic locals reached out their hands in the hopes of getting one of the 2,000 tests being distributed at the Brooklyn location

Among the prominent churches canceling some or all of their in-person Christmas services were Washington National Cathedral in the nation’s capital; St. John the Divine, the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York; and the historic Old South Church in Boston.

Omicron cases now make up 73percent of the US COVID cases 

The Rev. Nancy Taylor, senior minister of Old South, said the church – affiliated with the United Church of Christ – still hoped to hold in-person Christmas Day services on Saturday, but was shifting its popular Christmas Eve service to online-only.

‘The Christmas Eve congregation tends to be larger with a lot of visitors, some of whom have come from parties, and many of whom are not used to Boston’s mask mandate,’ she explained in her announcement.

‘While we cherish these guests under normal circumstances, these are not normal circumstances. We are prioritizing the health and safety of our volunteers and staff,’ she said. ‘We know how disappointing this is.’

There are currently more than 51 million COVID-19 infections in the US 

The Washington National Cathedral is seen at dawn in Washington on Friday, November. Many churches have canceled their Christmas Day mass amid a surge in COVID cases in New York City 

Leaders of Washington National Cathedral, which traditionally welcomes more than 15,000 people to its Christmas services, announced that all its services until January 9 would be offered only remotely, with no worshippers or visitors allowed in the cathedral.

Another major Washington church – National City Christian Church – also canceled its Christmas Eve service and will shift exclusively to online worship at least through January 16.

In New York City, which is experiencing record numbers of positive tests for COVID-19, leaders at St. John Divine said they were shifting all Christmas services to online-only, using its Facebook page and YouTube channel.

‘The time has come once again to put the needs and concerns of our wider community first,’ the cathedral said on its website.

Another historic New York City church, Middle Collegiate, was gutted by a fire in December 2020. After overseeing painstaking rebuilding efforts, the Rev. Jacqui Lewis was eagerly anticipating an in-person Christmas Eve service, but it has now been canceled.

Masked parishioners sing a hymn at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Christmas Eve

The US has reported more than 800,000 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic started, more than any other nation in the world 

The decision ‘is one of the hardest choices I’ve had to make as a pastor,’ Lewis told The Associated Press via email. ‘This was going to be the magnificent Christmas worship we’d longed for. But I love my people too much to risk their lives.’

‘My fabulous team pivoted on a dime, and we’ll be hosting a gorgeous online celebration,’ she added. ‘We’ll have stunning music and fiery preaching. But most importantly, we’ll be safe. And we’ll be together.’

Just north of New York City, Westchester County’s Bedford Presbyterian Church was among many churches nationwide planning to proceed with in-person Christmas services despite the spread of the omicron variant.

The Rev. Carol Howard Merritt, said the decision was made by a group that included parents, a school administrator and a physician.

‘It became clear that though the variant is highly contagious, the infections seem to result in milder cases, especially for those who are vaccinated and boosted,’ Merritt said via email. ‘In response, we decided to hold in-person services while making sure that we require masks, stagger seating, limit attendance, and shorten services.’ 

There are currently more than 51 million COVID-19 infections in the US. 

The US has reported more than 800,000 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic started, more than any other nation in the world.