‘Total and Complete Victory’: Governor Withdraws Worship Restrictions

The governor of Illinois has withdrawn restrictions on religious services amid the coronavirus pandemic following lawsuits from the Thomas More Society.

The nonprofit law firm hailed Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Thursday announcement as a victory after the governor said he would remove mandates on Illinois churches requiring no more than 10 or more people to be present at services. . .

“This guidance does not obligate or encourage places of worship to resume in-person activity,” health officials said, according to NBC Chicago. “Indeed, it is strongly recommended that places of worship continue to facilitate remote services, particularly for those who are vulnerable to COVID-19 including older adults and those with co-morbidities.”

“This is a total and complete victory for people of faith,” said Thomas More Society Vice President and Senior Counsel Peter Breen in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. . .

“Illinois’ governor and his administration abused the COVID-19 pandemic to stomp on the religious liberty of the people of Illinois. By issuing guidelines only and not the previously announced mandatory restrictions, he has handed a complete victory to the churches in Illinois,” Breen said.

Today, the Thomas More Society declared total victory for all of its #Illinois church clients, after multiple lawsuits against Governor JB Pritzker, who had imposed various limits on church activities as part of his coronavirus #StayAtHome orders. pic.twitter.com/5kvv4x754o

— @ThomasMoreSoc (@ThomasMoreSoc) May 28, 2020