Italian Catholics have launched a petition asking bishops to restore Masses and the other sacraments to the faithful during the coronavirus lockdown, joining a similar movement in the United States.

“We appeal for the recognition of the personal need of every member of the Catholic faithful to participate in the Holy Mass so that each person can actively worship while respecting the current legislation,” reads a petition created by Save the Monasteries, a Catholic advocacy group, and signed by a number of clergy and laypeople.