The Catholic Church has suspended all public masses in the Archdiocese of Perth including Sunday services.

Archbishop Timothy Costelloe announced the change due to new Federal Government directives on non-essential gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These directives apply to the clergy, religious and the lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Perth,” he said.

“I commit the Archdiocese of Perth to the support of, and compliance with, both of these government directives and the associated and instructive public health advice.”

The changes, which will initially be for two weeks, come after previous directives to remove holy water from churches and the introduction of strict rules on the serving of holy communion to stop the spread of the virus.

Only the 105 parishes under the Archdiocese of Perth umbrella, which covers an area up to Cervantes and east towards Southern Cross, will be impacted.

Baptisms, weddings and funerals will continue as long as they are limited to 100 people as per the Federal mandate.

The Anglican Church said it would release a statement on services on Thursday afternoon.

Minster for Health Roger Cook said earlier today he did not think it was time for people to stop attending at religious institutions.

“We certainly don’t think it is time for people to stop worshipping but obviously we want them to worship understanding the social context within they’re undertaking those activities,” he said.

“Practice good social distancing, stagger your services so you don’t have to have too many people in one venue.”

Catholic priests in Perth will continue to practice the Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as confession, as a suitable social distance can still be kept in the one-on-one situation.

There will still be access to mass online and the television for Catholics.