As Religious institutions across the state gear up to open their doors next week, the Archbishop of Bombay Oswald Cardinal Gracias has permitted Sunday Mass to be celebrated from Saturday morning till Sunday evening. He has also allowed parish priests to increase the number of Masses “if necessary”.

“The dispensation from the obligation of attending Mass on Sunday is still operative, but to enable more to participate in the Sunday Liturgy, I am permitting the Sunday Mass Liturgy to be celebrated from Saturday morning till Sunday morning,” the Cardinal said in a press release late on Tuesday night. The announcement comes after he held a meeting with the Deans on Monday to decide on protocol and standard operating procedures (SOP) for reopening of churches.