Dear brothers and sisters in the Archdiocese of Tokyo:

 Re: 2020 Christmas Mass

Advent is fast approaching and the Church is about to enter the season to prepare for the coming of Christmas. Every year, Christmas is a time for all people to gather at Mass, including those who cannot usually come to church and even those who are non-Christians. However, as the third wave of COVID-19 gathers momentum, the record-breaking number of infected people reported in many prefectures continues to rise.

Taking the cue from the theme of Pope Francis’ visit to Japan last year, “PROTECT ALL LIFE,” the Catholic Church has implemented many restrictions in carrying out church activities giving priority “to protect ourselves from infection and to protect others from the spread of infection.” As for the Christmas Mass this year, the following precautionary measures will be implemented. Thank you for your understanding.

1. Registered members of the parish, baptized and catechumens (those preparing for baptism), may attend the Christmas Mass.

2. For all the baptized and catechumens, please attend the Christmas Mass in the parish where you are registered. Kindly refrain from attending the Christmas Masses in other churches.

3. Please take note that matters such as restrictions on the number of persons allowed to enter the church, the mass schedule and the number of masses, the acceptance of registration for mass participation, and specific measures against COVID-19 infection differ from each parish. For details, please check the website of your parish.

4. Depending on the situation of infection in the future, the above measures may be revised. Kindly check the website of the Tokyo Archdiocese and the respective parishes for updates and announcements.

 Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, SVD
Archbishop of Tokyo