St. Leonard church with history of defying COVID measures holds in-person Sunday service

MONTREAL -

Parishioners at Good News Chapel in St. Leonard gathered Sunday for morning services, despite COVID-19 regulations requiring churches to stay closed.

The service, led by Pastor Stefano Gesualdi, was broadcasted online.

“We got quite the welcome this morning, but that matters not,” said Gesualdi, refererring to the reporters who gathered around the church that morning. “It doesn’t change who we are, it doesn’t change what we do, it doesn’t change our motives for being here.”

“It’s wonderful to be together, in person."

People living near the church told CTV News they’re frustrated to see people gathering in the middle of a lockdown.

“Stores are closed for the next few weeks, kids are at home doing their schooling, [everyone is] working from home, not going anywhere and then I see this event happening,” said one woman, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal.

Current COVID-19 measures prohibit places of worship from offering in-person services, with the exception of funerals.

Although Good News Chapel was in direct violation of these rules on Sunday, police did not intervene.

However, a spokesperson for the SPVM said they’re gathering information, and that the Crown will decide to whether to proceed with fines or criminal charges.

Gesualdi said the government's attention doesn't mean anything to him. 

“I don’t want to get the attention of Francois Legault, I don’t want to get the attention of Justin Trudeau, they’re nothing to me,” he said during his sermon. “We surround ourselves against this one absolute truth, that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

A HISTORY OF NON COMPLIANCE

This isn’t the first time the Good News Chapel has defied COVID-19 rules.

In January 2021, a protest was held in front of the chapel, with demonstrators calling for the church to be reclassified as an essential service.

A month later, the church defied a public health measure which limited religious gatherings to 10 people per room. More than 100 people attended a service on Feb. 14.

Then, almost exactly one month ago, a 61-year-old woman named Diana died following an outbreak at Good News Chapel, according to her family.

Diana’s cousin, Fuoco, is a former follower of the church. She and other former attendees told CTV News that the church leadership foster a culture of vaccine hesitancy and resistance to health measures within the congregation.

“Her family, Diana, and her husband decided they didn’t need to be vaccinated based on what they were being told at church,” said Fuoco.

In a now-deleted Instagram video, Gesualdi addressed rumours that COVID-19 was spreading within the church.

“There are a few people who have called and said they have the symptoms of COVID-19, and they’ve gotten tested,” he said.

“The thing is, it has nothing to do with the church… we’ve seen God’s hand of protection on our church.”