Online Mass and Suspended Pilgrimages—How the Faithful Manage

In Milan, churches sit empty as the faithful follow Mass on television. And with five months to go before Islam’s most sacred pilgrimage, it’s unclear if Saudi Arabia will reopen holy sites to millions of foreign Muslims. Able-bodied believers are required to make the 10-day hajj, set for late July and August, once in their lives. Visas for the umrah, a shorter pilgrimage that can be made throughout the year, have been suspended.

Religion asks people not only to gather together, but often to touch and share food. Now everyday rites and traditions are being interrupted. Some synagogues in the U.S. have discouraged hugging or kissing to greet one another—one in New Jersey suggests a slight bow at the hips or a friendly wave when saying “Shabbat shalom.” In Hong Kong, some churches took away hymnals to minimize contact with possibly contaminated surfaces. Others stopped singing, to limit the expelling of droplets. Some Catholic dioceses in the U.S. told parishes to suspend offering wine for communion.