Chris Lange, FISM News
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A California judge has ordered a San Jose Catholic church to pay $1.2 million for allegedly violating a COVID-19 mandate in 2020 and 2021.
Superior Court Judge Evette Pennypacker said in her ruling that the Calvary Chapel held religious services without requiring worshippers to wear face masks in direct violation of Santa Clara County health regulations, according to The Associated Press.
“It should appear clear to all — regardless of religious affiliation — that wearing a mask while worshiping one’s god and communing with other congregants is a simple, unobtrusive, giving way to protect others while still exercising your right to religious freedom,” Pennybacker wrote. “Unfortunately, Defendants repeatedly refused to model, much less, enforce this gesture. Instead, they repeatedly flouted their refusal to comply with the Public Health Orders and urged others to do so ‘who cares what the cost,’ including death,” she continued.
Mariah Gondeiro, an attorney for the Calvary Chapel, said the church plans to appeal the decision. She previously pointed out the glaring disparity in how places of worship were treated during the pandemic in comparison to secular industries.
“They exempted essential government entities, as well as personal care [businesses] like hair and nail salons, and entertainment studios,” Gondeiro said, per the California Catholic Daily. “There was no singing ban on entertainment studios, so they could continue their productions,” she added.
Santa Clara County Attorney James Williams praised the ruling, stating that the court “once again saw through Calvary’s unsupported claims and found them meritless.”
“The county’s response to the pandemic, including the health officer’s public health orders and enforcement against entities that refused to follow the law, saved thousands of lives and resulted in one of the lowest death rates of any community in the United States,” Williams added.
According to a Post Millennial report, Calvary Chapel closed its doors in March of 2020 in compliance with pandemic lockdowns. It reopened on May 31, 2020 without enforcing required capacity limits. A judge at the time found the church and its leadership in contempt of court. A state appellate court later reversed that decision, noting, much like Gondeiro, the disparate treatment of places of worship versus secular entities. The county nevertheless continued to pursue its case against the church over the mask violation.