Two liturgical services will be officiated at the Roman Catholic Cathedral “Divine Providence” in Chisinau, not one, as usual. The decision was taken in a move to avoid crowdedness during the COVID-19 pandemic. As last year, parishioners will not share out Christmas wafers called “oplatki”.

“As last year, we are preoccupied with the observance of all the rules to avoid infection with this virus. Therefore, we will organize more religious services where it is necessary. For instance, we usually held one solemn service in Chisinau on Christmas Eve, at 8pm. Today we will have two services – one at 5pm and this is intended for Romanian and English speakers as it will be held in both of the languages, and at 8pm, to which we invite the larger community, the Russian and Polish speakers,” Anton Coșa, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chisinau, stated for IPN.

In other parishes of the country, only one service will be held. The number of Catholics in Chisinau is higher and two services will be given here. Also, distance could be this way maintained between parishioners. The blessed “oplatki” will be distributed in the family only.

In Moldova, there are about 20,000 Catholics who celebrate Christmas on December 25. At the very start of the liturgical service on Christmas Eve, the bishop puts the statute of baby Jesus in the manger improvised in the church so as to stage the birth of the Savior. It is an old Italian tradition, dating from the time of St. Francis. It is made a kind of manger with straw where Jesus was born, with statues representing Joseph and Maria, with shepherds, sheep and angels, with three camels and the three Magi from the East.

There are 20 officially registered Catholic churches in the Republic of Moldova.