Catholic Archbishop of Detroit Allen Vigneron tests positive for COVID-19

The head of the Catholic Church in metro Detroit said he has tested positive for COVID-19 and has "very mild" symptoms.

Archbishop of Detroit Allen Vigneron, the religious leader of 1.2 million Catholics in southeastern Michigan, said Monday afternoon he tested positive in the morning.

"I am fully vaccinated and boosted, and grateful to report that my symptoms are very mild," Vigneron wrote on Twitter in a thread. "I would like to take this opportunity to offer my prayers for members of our community who have been affected by this virus – particularly those who have died, suffered serious illness, or lost loved ones."

Vigneron added: "I pray also for health care workers who continue to tirelessly offer their compassionate service and healing to those who need it. We entrust them and our entire archdiocese into the loving care of Our Lady of Lourdes, patroness of the sick."

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The Archdiocese of Detroit has 216 parishes as of December 2020. Like many other religious congregations, its churches implemented some restrictions after the pandemic started two years ago. The state of Michigan gave houses of worship an exemption to lockdown orders, allowing all churches to remain open.

In May 2021, the archdiocese ended its mask requirement for people who are vaccinated.

On March 3, the archdiocese updated its COVID policies, saying it will "encourage masking and social distancing for those who are at risk."

The archdiocese said in its update that "we continue to see different levels of risk across the counties within the Archdiocese."

The six counties that make up the diocese are Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne.

The Archdiocese is encouraging individual pastors to evaluate the needs of their parish and establish protocols, such as areas where people can social distance.

Initially, the Archdiocese allowed Catholics to avoid attending Mass in person because of COVID-19. That dispensation was later removed, but those "particular dispensations from the obligation to participate in Holy Mass remain in effect for people who are ill or who find themselves in other specific circumstances," the Archdiocese said on March 3.

Contact Niraj Warikoo:nwarikoo@freepress.com or Twitter @nwarikoo

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron tests positive for COVID-19