Diocese in Europe Swine Flu Guidelines


On 22 July the Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote to the bishops of the Church of England concerning the pandemic “swine flu” in England and recommended that those presiding at the Holy Communion suspend the sharing of the chalice. The Archbishops’ advice was based on UK Department of Health information. Our situation in the Diocese in Europe where we serve in 44 countries is not so straightforward. I therefore asked our Archdeacons and Area Deans to seek details of current public health advice in the countries under their oversight and to instruct the clergy if and when the diocesan guidelines must come into force as a consequence of that advice.
The diocesan guidelines can be found here
To date the guidelines have been put into place in our congregations in Russia, Gibraltar, and Tenerife South.
The Church of England has published prayers for individual and church use pertaining to swine flu which can be found here.

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