Monsignor supports shutdown of churches in Riverside County

Indoor operations at places of worship in Riverside County are now forced to close for a second time.

Monsignor Howard Lincoln says he supports the closure.

"I think our right to worship has to be tempered with a little practical wisdom and a clear responsibility to all people," Lincoln says.

Coronavirus has changed more than mass for the church.

"We do Facetime last rites now, I've done a wild guess about twenty, in fact I did one this afternoon," he says.

Now that the church is being closed, he's concerned about the re-opening of Sacred Heart School.

"At this point, we're opening on the 24th, with a host of precautions," Lincoln says.

He is willing to change the plan for re-opening the school on August 24, if guidelines from the state or the county change before then.

Monsignor Lincoln says Sacred Heart did not get any loans from the payroll protection program that helped many churches.

"We are so blessed, and were just very blessed and financially we're okay….we felt it was the right thing to do," he says.

Monsignor Lincoln says the annual cost of operations for his church and the school is about $10.5 million dollars.