COVID-19 and religious gatherings
One of the more trying aspects of the global pandemic for people of faith has been the suspension of religious gatherings around the world. Given the potential for the virus to spread in places of worship, many congregations have moved online and, in some cases, been completely transformed.
Not everyone is happy, however. This week, members of New
York’s Hasidic Jewish community protested against fresh restrictions announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Faced with spikes in infections and concerns about tens of thousands of worshipers congregating indoors across the city, the authorities intervened to restrict religious gatherings as they have in many places around the world. Given that the coronavirus is likely to remain a serious health threat for some time, the immediate future for religious communities remains uncertain. All we can say for sure is that every major global faith group is facing challenges. And some, like New York’s Hasidic Jews, are pushing back against the restrictions that have been imposed.
The Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, for example, has also filed a lawsuit against Cuomo over the closure of churches in neighborhoods experiencing surges of infections. Elsewhere in the US, some churches have successfully challenged the restrictions on large gatherings. Last Sunday, for example, the Capitol Hill Baptist Church held its first outdoor service in Washington, DC after successfully challenging the District of Columbia in court. The Anacostia Park location allowed for social distancing and participants were required to wear masks. In England, meanwhile, religious services are still allowed inside places of worship as long as there is enough space to comply with the government’s social-distancing requirements, and face coverings are worn. During a recent prayer service on Rome’s Capitoline Hill that was led by the pope and brought together Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Buddhist leaders, Lutheran Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm told the congregation: “Our souls are confused. All the physical signs of connectedness — hands reaching out to each other; speaking closely, face to face, unmasked; embracing each other; giving each other hugs — all these physical signs, which so far have been expressions of love, have now become the enemy of love, have become a danger to one another.” After the recent announcement by Saudi authorities that religious pilgrimages would resume in stages, many other leaders in the Muslim world are similarly looking at how worship might resume and continue. It remains to be seen how religious institutions will cope as the pandemic drags on. Given that the great religions began in much less crowded and populous times, the review of religious practices that has been required as a result of the pandemic might have been inevitable, given the exponential growth of the world’s population. Aside from the most extreme religious practices, however, it would seem that the faithful of the world are largely united in one belief: That the practice of faith need not trump public health.