San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone
In San Francisco, believers protested the rule which only allowed one person inside the church.
Believing the act goes against the 'first amendment', Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone spoke at the 'Free the Mass' protest with his fellow believers. The protestants proclaimed that the church is 'essential' as they were holding banners of 'we are essential'. Announced by the San Francisco's Mayor, the new guideline of the City now allows 25% of capacity, up to 100 people to be allowed inside the church for in-person service. The petition also surpassed 35,000 signatures on Tuesday.
Christian Post announced, The Department of Justice sent a letter to Breed warning her that San Francisco's limitation on religious services was "Draconian, out of step with the treatment afforded other similar indoor activities in San Fran, wholly at odds with this Nations' traditional understanding of religious liberty and may violate the first amendment to the constitution"
The ArchBishop, Salvatore J. Cordileone stated, "I am grateful that the Mayor and other government leaders in San Francisco acknowledge the importance of mental and spiritual health to the overall well-being of our people, in addition to physical and economic health. I am therefore calling on the Mayor and her public health officials to, at a minimum, remove the excessive limits on outdoor public worship." "No government authority has the right to tell us how we are to order our worship services, and no government has the authority to say that Christian churches or other religious gatherings can be uniquely discriminated against."
