This is interesting, but theologically tricky, and I think the priest's arguments are a bit all over the map. First he is citing appeals to the symbolic signification of hiding one's face, and by the end he is appealing to the psychology of depersonalization. To me, you either need to stick with a theological argument here or a scientific one, and given the subject matter, the former is probably the better bet. In order for me to see mask-wearing as a sin, I need to first be convinced that this disregards the person's intentions completely. In the case of most people, this is not a scenario in which they become modern Adam or Eve, hiding their bodies from God in the garden. These people are doing this because they believe it protects them. Do I tell a welder that he is approaching his task sinfully by wearing a shield because he doesn't believe God is enough to protect his eyes? It doesn't matter that we think the virus is a scam. A person who approached mask-wearing with a false belief (albeit a legitimately held belief) that it will protect them is not sinning, in my opinion. If it's possible to make a case for this being anti-Christian, it needs to be more precise. I can think of two contingencies immediately. 1. A person does not authentically believe in the virus or the masks, but wears the mask anyway. 2. A person has not performed due diligence to research the situation so as to gain an informed opinion. Instead, he/she takes the word of authorities which the church typically advises against. I immediately find problems with both. In the first, I don't know of any scripture that clearly and distinctly says a person cannot wear a facemask to a church service. Again, this also seems to rely on the component of intention. What if a person had done so strictly for fashion? In the second, I don't think we can permit the conditional determining whether or not there is a state of sin to rely on specialized scientific knowledge. Also, I could find scriptural examples of Christ advising people to adhere to secular authorities in certain contexts. I just don't think there is a universal argument here for mask-wearing to be anti-Christian. If it were truly the case there was a pandemic, would any of us be calling church-goers sacrilegious for wearing masks at that point? God doesn't punish people for wearing life jackets when they're on a boat. Human practical reasoning exists for a reason. This whole thing hinges on the fact that the priest believes the pandemic is made up. About the best case I could make to support him would have to ride on *fear*. If one does not believe in the pandemic, then to capitulate to a state authority on matters of faith with respect to one's health is not Christian. Still, Christ told the Jews to render to Cesar what was Cesar's. Again, this all depends on individual intention, and therefore, it is an *individual matter*. One cannot say what is in the mind of every Christian about a scenario as controversial as this. I don't feel that in this case the church has authority to say that mask-wearing is essentially anti-Christian. Blind acquiescence to corporate authority? Perhaps. But there is no way to know if that lives in the heart of every mask-wearing Christian. To avoid church or the sacraments based on fear of the virus, now that is a different case.