The suit charges that the city is violating the rights of the 650,000 Catholics in the archdiocese, which includes the District and its Maryland suburbs. The D.C. archdiocese’s filing late Friday also cited the caps on tighter new restrictions put in place last month as cases began to climb. In late November, the new rules said houses of worship can have only 50 attendees, no matter the size of the room. Half of the city’s Catholic parishes, the suit says, can seat more than 500 people. The city’s limit for outdoor gatherings was 50 people, but the church’s suit noted that Bowser had tolerated and even encouraged large anti-racism marches all summer.

Source: Washington Post December 12, 2020 05:15 UTC