OTTAWA -- The Diocese of Ontario has cancelled all Sunday services at Anglican churches in Ottawa and across Ontario.
In a letter released late Friday, the Anglican Church of Canada’s Ontario office says the decision to temporarily suspend all public worship services until further notices is due to the outbreak of COVID-19 across Ontario.
“Gathering as a people of faith is important, but God also summons us to seek the welfare of the cities in which we live and move and have our being. This extraordinary measure is consistent with the measures put in place by other civic institutions within our province, in an effort to impede the transmission of the coronavirus from person to person.”
The letter is signed by Archbishop Anne Germond, Ottawa Bishop John Chapman and other Bishops across Ontario.
Each diocesan bishop will enact further measures which are appropriate for their particular ministry context and unique circumstances.
Ontario health officials have called for all public gatherings with 250 people or more to be cancelled to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
