In a letter read out in all the churches of the archdiocese on Sunday, Nuzik explains that it is a "help for those who have a serious problem with attending Sunday Mass due to the shortage of priests".
According to the Archbishop, the faithful are encouraged to go to a neighbouring church or attend a liturgy of the word with a deacon if Sunday Mass is cancelled in their parish. It is also possible to attend an early evening mass. If this is not feasible for serious reasons - for example due to a lack of transport connections - permission will be granted until 31 December 2025 to replace attending mass with personal devotion, praying together as a family or following a service via radio, television or the internet.
Sunday obligation regulated in the legal code
The Sunday obligation obliges all Catholics to attend Mass on Sundays or the eve of Mass. Canon 1248 of the Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church (CIC) states: "The Sunday on which the Paschal Mystery is celebrated is to be observed throughout the Church as the original feast day required by apostolic tradition."
This rule also applies to church holidays such as Christmas, Easter, All Saints' Day and others.
Nuzik has been Archbishop of Olomouc since February 2024 and Chairman of the Czech Bishops' Conference since April.
The clergyman, who comes from Moravian Slovakia, was ordained a priest in 1995 and worked in rural parishes for almost two decades.
He is therefore particularly familiar with popular Catholicism in the Moravian Church Province.