San Francisco Catholics are facing some of the strictest restrictions on the celebration of the Mass, which has led many to follow Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone in protests, a release issued on CBS KPIX said.

Hundreds of protesters in San Francisco participated in three marches at the churches of St. Anthony of Padua, St. Dominic Church and St. Patrick Church, meeting with the archbishop at the City Hall. From there, they marched to the Cathedral of St. Mary the Assumption.

The City’s mayor, London Breed, is currently allowing Mass observances to be held outdoors only, with a limit of 50 individuals, but she stated that on Thursday, Oct. 1 she will begin to allow indoor Mass to be held with a 25-person limit. 

In an op-ed published by Archbishop Cordileone on the Washington Post's website, he decried the city’s response to public worship amidst the virus, calling out the inconsistencies that exist in current allowances for activities. 

“People can freely go to parks here, as long as they stay six feet apart," the archbishop said. "If they follow proper social distancing and wear masks, people can eat on an outdoor patio with no hard numerical limit. Indoor shopping malls are already open at 25% capacity. Catholics in San Francisco are increasingly noticing the simple unfairness. As one of my parishioners asked recently, ‘Why can I spend three hours indoors shopping for shoes at Nordstrom’s but can’t go to Mass?’”

Many Catholics are participating in signing a petition asking that the city government lift its current restrictions, under the title #FreeTheMass. 

At this time, singing and indoor services are banned throughout the state of California, a release issued on the Washington Examiner website stated.

There are similar conditions for worship limitations in California, New Jersey, Maine, Virginia, Connecticut and Nevada, Cordileone said.