Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said in prepared remarks Thursday: “We need to think about what is truly the most important thing. Is it the worship or the building? For me, God is wherever you are. You don’t have to sit in the church pew for God to hear your prayers.”

On one level, Northam is obviously right: God can always hear our prayers. On another level, it seemed like Northam was giving his own, possibly sectarian, theology (he is a Baptist) from the governor’s pulpit, implying that buildings and communal gatherings don’t matter. This upset plenty of people, including me. Catholic churches are consecrated places. The Mass is the center of Catholic worship, and Holy Communion, which must be administered physically, is the center of Mass.