Catholic priest threatens mother of seven with arrest if she enters church without a mask

Rare case when you might say the county is more forgiving than the Church.

Cook County, where the parish is located, has no mandatory masking policy. The county’s public health guidelines issued in July urge, but do not demand, that “everyone should wear a cloth face cover in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.”

The county allows for exceptions to this policy for children under two and “anyone who has trouble breathing.” The Archdiocese of Chicago, where the parish is located, goes further than the county, telling the faithful in guidelines issued in May that they are “required to wear masks during any services/ceremonies.”

We may hope, at least, that the cardinal is in touch with the pastor, and that he was not in touch with him on the matter before the pastor…