Friday, May 22, 2020

TRUMP DEMANDS THAT CHURCHES, SYNAGOGUES, MOSQUES AND PLACES OF WORSHIP IN AMERICA BE OPENED 

Trump declares houses of worship essential and claims he will override governors if they disagree
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-declares-houses-of-worship-essential-says-hell-override-governors-2020-5

WHAT COULD GO WRONG?


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The head of the religious sect that has been at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea has apologised to the nation for the disease's spread.
The country has reported 3,730 cases and 21 deaths so far. More than half of all infections involve members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a fringe Christian ...
Mar 9, 2020 - South Korean soldiers spraying disinfectant in front of a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu last week. Some people are ...
Mar 25, 2020 - From the movements and contacts of the first people with confirmed cases of covid-19 in South Korea, we get a real-life picture of how a ...


Feb 27, 2020 - A former member of the religious group tied to South Korea's coronavirus outbreak says worshipers had to attend mass when ill and couldn't ...
Mar 16, 2020 - A new coronavirus cluster linked to a South Korean religious group emerged on Monday, with 46 cases at a church near Seoul that defied calls ...
Mar 2, 2020 - Health workers at the Shincheonji church in Daegu, South Korea, on ... Why a South Korean Church Is Accused of Spreading the Coronavirus.
Trump declares houses of worship essential and claims he will override governors if they disagree
Grace Panetta and Eliza Relman
7 hours ago

Parishioners wearing face masks at a Mass at Christ the King Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas, on May 19. San Antonio parishes have begun reopening their doors for in-person services. Eric Gay/AP Photo

President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would move to designate churches and other houses of worship as essential services.

Trump said he would "override" governors who did not open up their houses of worship for in-person services, though he likely does not have the authority to do so.

"I call upon governors to allow our churches and places of worship to open right now," Trump said. "If there's any question, they're going to have to call me, but they're not going to be successful in that call."


President Donald Trump announced at the White House on Friday that he would designate churches and other houses of worship as essential services.

Trump added that he would "override" governors who don't open up their houses of worship for in-person services, though he likely does not have the authority to do so because of the 10th Amendment, which delegates all powers not explicitly delegated to the federal government in the Constitution to the states.


"I call upon governors to allow our churches and places of worship to open right now," Trump said. "If there's any question, they're going to have to call me, but they're not going to be successful in that call.

"These are places that hold our society together and keep our people united. The people are demanding to go to church and synagogue, go to their mosque."

Trump argued that businesses like liquor stores and medical services like abortion clinics shouldn't have been reopened before religious institutions.

"The ministers, pastors, rabbis, imams, and other faith leaders will make sure that their congregations are safe as they gather and pray," Trump said. "I know them well. They love their congregations. They love their people. They don't want anything bad to happen to them or to anybody else.

"The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important, essential places of faith to open right now."

He added, "If they don't do it, I will override the governors."

The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, dismissed reporters' questions about the legality of forcing governors to reopen places of worship as a "hypothetical."

"You're assuming that governors are going to keep churches shut down and keep mosques shut down and keep synagogues shut down — that is a hypothetical question, and we'll leave it to these faith communities to reopen," McEnany said, adding, "We can all hope that this Sunday people are allowed to pray to their gods across this country."

McEnany said it was safe to reopen house of worship as long as they followed the new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The White House had rejected the CDC's draft guidelines for reopening places of worship, as some officials found them too restrictive and others didn't want to release any guidance, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The rejected draft CDC guidance recommended that houses of worship temporarily stop using shared materials including prayer books, hymnals, and collection trays for donations. It also suggested not having musical groups perform.

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