in the United States, recalcitrant pastors challenge confinement

Contrary to the wish of the American president, who, from the end of March, had anticipated a restart of the country, the churches will not be " crowded »For Easter Mass, Sunday 12 April. Most of the religious leaders, Catholic and Protestant, asked their followers to follow the celebrations online, in order to respect the containment and distancing measures now in force in 45 out of 50 American states.

Across the country, some churches also organize ceremonies to follow in "drive-in", allowing the faithful to go by car to the place of worship. In Texas, a pastor pledged to hold several services in the morning so that the faithful could attend while respecting the measures of social distancing. " We cannot answer the call of God, in livestream ", He told ABC.

But across the country, zealous pastors or those in search of notoriety, are working to defy the rules. In Louisiana, one of the states particularly affected by the Covid-19, Tony Spell, head of the Life Tabernacle Church, continues to think that " God will protect (the ill) of all evil and disease " The repeat offender, already arrested on March 31 for violating confinement rules, after celebrating a mass crowded by hundreds of worshipers, repeated on the eve of Easter to the Reuters news agency that " Satan and the virus do not (the) Stop(have) not And promised a celebration on Sunday.

Registration of license plates

In Kentucky, where at least six religious leaders have called their congregation, the pastor at the head of On Fire Christian Church is suing the mayor of his commune " in the name of protecting religious freedom " He assured that his followers would attend the service of their car, but the Democratic governor ordered the police to raise the license plates of cars parked in the parking lots of places of worship in order to impose a quarantine to offenders. A measure deemed exaggerated by the two Republican state senators, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul.

In California, law enforcement has ordered the owner of a place of worship to change the locks so that the pastor cannot hold his office there. The latter summoned his followers to a secret location, according to Reuters.

In some states, the authorities themselves are causing confusion. In Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, and opposed to measures of containment of the population for economic reasons, finally decreed it on April 3. But he excluded places of worship, believing that they provided services " essentials " A pastor had however been arrested by the sheriff of his county for having gathered more than five hundred of his followers, putting public health at risk, according to local authorities. Invoking " death threats Without demonstrating them, Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne finally gave up Easter Mass.

Complicated instructions to decipher

The same uncertainty reigns in Texas where the governor, also republican, authorizes religious gatherings on condition that they respect the measures of distancing, that is to say in the United States, 1.80 m between two people. South Carolina, the last state on the east coast to have declared confinement on April 7, allows believers to meet for Easter, in the name of religious freedom.

The instructions are even more complicated to decipher for the faithful of Kansas: the Democratic governor, who since March 30, has prohibited gatherings of more than ten people, has been contradicted by a legislative body of the state dominated by the Republicans who judged this measure " unconstitutional "

In the few states that have no containment measures, such as North Dakota, no ban should prevent believers from gathering. In this context, the American president did not bring more clarity, Friday April 10. He both expressed his " great respect For pastors wishing to celebrate masses in person and called on them to exercise restraint. He himself will follow on his computer the ceremony celebrated by Rev. Robert Jeffress of Dallas, Texas, a regular speaker on Fox News and known for his controversial protests against the Catholic Church, Islam or Judaism.