SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – A San Francisco Catholic Church is facing scrutiny after being caught trying to host a large indoor wedding and it’s not the first time Saints Peter and Paul’s Church has been accused of violating city health orders.

On the Fourth of July, the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office got a tip that a hundred person wedding was set to be held inside Saints Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco.

It was particularly disturbing information because just five days prior they had sent the San Francisco Archdiocese a cease and desist letter because of numerous complaints about similar violations of the health order, including at Saints Peter and Paul Church after learning about the Independence Day affair and finding the couple’s wedding website.

A representative from the city attorney’s office was sent out to investigate.  

To the second violation notice sent to the Archdiocese, the city investigator found the front doors closed and a sign posted acknowledging that indoor services were not allowed, while the wedding guests entered the church through the garage.

That city staffer then found a photographer and others inside the church setting up the ceremony.   

The representative then got the pastor to agree to move the wedding outside, have the guests wear face coverings, and maintain social distance.  

UC Berkeley infectious disease expert John Swartzberg calls this disregard of the public health order egregious.

“Even larger gatherings outside are risky and we know that because there are so many outbreaks associated with gatherings. of all the things that you can do to exacerbate the problems of a pandemic, this was one of them,” Swartzberg said.

After media reports that some of the guests may have contracted the virus the city attorney issued this statement which says in part:

“The reported COVID-19 outbreak that resulted from the archdiocese’s failures has hopefully shocked its leadership into taking responsibility of the life and death consequences of what’s happening in its churches.”

A spokesperson for the archdiocese says after getting the first cease and desist letter back in June, they sent a memo to all 90 of their parishes letting them know they have to follow the rules of the counties their churches are located in.

KRON4 reached out multiple times to the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul, who has yet to respond.

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