Judge rules against Brooklyn Diocese in Covid-19 lawsuit
CNNCNN — An Eastern District of New York judge has denied a motion by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn seeking a preliminary injunction to reopen dozens of churches across New York City’s Queens and Brooklyn boroughs. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio said in a statement that the diocese would “continue to advocate for places of worship to be classified as essential, for there is nothing more necessary today than a community of believers, united in prayer, asking the Lord to end this pandemic.” The Diocese of Brooklyn has 26 churches in the state’s “red” and “orange” zones. In his statement, the bishop said that the diocese would voluntarily continue to keep its churches in red zones closed, “because we never want to turn away worshippers.” In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis praised the diocese’s response to the pandemic, including shutting down its churches during the initial virus wave, ahead of the state’s order, and delaying reopening. But if the new order were not enforced, “the enormity of the potential harm to the entire public, including to the parishioners of the 26 relevant churches, is overwhelming,” Garaufis said in his ruling.
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