A church in Argentina has turned into a bar for one night in a show of protest against coronavirus restrictions.
Pastors at the evangelical church of Comunidad Redentor in the city of San Lorenzo dressed up as waiters and put Bibles on trays during a mock service on Wednesday.
“We are standing here today dressed like this, carrying a tray, because it seems this is the only way we can serve the word of God,” said pastor Daniel Cattaneo, who was wearing a black vest and a bow tie.
“So, apart from the breaded steak headed for table four, here goes the word of God from the house of the Lord to all nations.”
Photos from the event, held to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the church, show that several dozen parishioners sat at the tables, which were set up about two metres apart from one another to comply with social distancing rules.
The defiant service was protesting against what religious leaders decried as an uneven easing of the coronavirus lockdown in the province of Santa Fe, where the church is located.
Omar Perotti, the governor of Santa Fe, this week authorised religious gatherings with no more than 10 participants. Bars and restaurants received a larger indulgence and were allowed to work from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., at up to 30% capacity, provided that they maintain social distancing rules and a register of all customers in case any of them later tests positive.
“We want to exercise our constitutional right to practice our faith,” Cattaneo told worshippers on Wednesday, expressing concern that their rights “are being curtailed”.
“Bars can open, shops can open, why are they discriminating against us?” he inquired.
Pastoress Damita Cattaneio tweeted: “Can we open the temples now, governor?“
Ahora si podemos abrir los templos gobernador? @omarperotti #NoSoloDePanVivo #QueAbranLosTemplos pic.twitter.com/jbtYGC5xlZ
— Damita Cattaneo 💙 (@CattaDamita) June 11, 2020
According to local media, the church now plans to organise a drive-thru service on Sunday so that parishioners could listen to the pastor from their cars.
Este domingo en San Lorenzo se realizará "Auto-culto" en Iglesia Redentor. A las 15 hs en las hectáreas -detrás del cementerio- se reunirán los fieles en autos unicamente, donde podrán escuchar la palabra del Pastor @CattaneoDani pic.twitter.com/nwVXOcGUIO
— Pablo Gato Gavira (@pablogavira) June 12, 2020
On 7 March, Argentina became the first Latin American country to confirm a death from the new coronavirus, but has since fared much better than its neighbours.
Argentina on Friday reported 1,391 new coronavirus infections, the highest daily figure since the onset of the pandemic. The area of Buenos Aires continues to be the country’s most-affected region, whereas Santa Fe has registered no deaths and just 284 cases.
There have been 28,764 cases and 785 deaths confirmed in the country as of Sunday, according to John Hopkins University, compared with 828,800 cases and 41,828 deaths in Brazil, and 160,846 cases and 2,870 deaths in Chile.
