Father Romeo Dionisio of Tempe's Church of the Resurrection recently took exception to those who believe lock downs and other restrictions that have limited access to the Sacraments and left millions jobless are an overreaction.

“There are some people who have directly criticized bishops and priests who decided to close down churches temporarily during the pandemic, believing that in doing so, the Church leaders deny parishioners access to the Sacraments,” Dionisio said in the church's Aug. 30 bulletin.

However, the sacraments were not denied to parishioners, he said. Rather, general dispensation was granted for Sunday Mass attendance, and other church leadership found ways to administer Sacraments such as Communion while continuing to minister to the faithful through technological solutions.

“The Sacrament of Reconciliation has been available for those who need it by making an appointment, and they are never denied," Dionisio said. "In our parish, we continued celebrating Confirmation and First Communion even when we were on lockdown mode. Therefore, we did not stop ministering to our people during this pandemic—although it is true that we had to be creative in finding a way to minister to our people.”

Dionisio also took issue with the assertion that people have been paralyzed with fear, instead discussing the ways people have adapted in order to continue in their day-to-day lives while exercising caution through wearing masks and regularly sanitizing their hands.

While he did not address the millions of low-income workers left unemployed by the economic crisis created by restrictions related to COVID-19, Dionisio did criticize some of the materialistic concerns such as being able to pay car loans or credit card debt.

“We always need to keep the cash registers ringing to maintain the lifestyle that we have been accustomed to,” he said. “We cannot imagine ourselves not being able to afford our monthly payments for home loans and cars— and our credit card balances. I understand that. I just believe that the economy is for the people, not people for the economy (after all, we are not communists, are we?) We take care of people first, and people will take care of the economy.”