My dear brothers and sisters,
I am writing these words in response to repeated requests from many people around the world. Today, we are passing through an exceptionally difficult time due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Faith Communities Council of Victoria has issued the following statement in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak:
The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has created unprecedented challenges for Victoria’s faith communities.
Public religious gatherings have been cancelled, places of worship have been forced to close, and social distancing laws have made it difficult to assist the most vulnerable in our community.
Six people in the Vatican have tested positive for coronavirus, but the Pope and his aides are not among them.
On this page, we seek to give account of how different faith communities in Australia – in many states – are providing devotional and spiritual activities for their adherents in this time of Coronavirus – when places of worship in Australia have been closed by the government. There is much information here, more is welcome. Use our contact page if you do not find your community listed, and you wish to have your commumnity’s offerings listed here.
Update: There are a number of new links added for Christian worship in languages other than English.
To Australia’s Religious, Political and Civic Leaders and to the People of Australia,
On Friday, March 20th, 2020, senior interfaith leaders from almost all Australian States and Territories met electronically. We decided to share this message with the Australian community.
Religions for Peace International is a collaborative collective of religious leaders from many faiths – worldwide. Here, we present several statements on COVID-19 and the values that guide all peoples of faith.
All over the world, places of gathering for the faithful for prayer, devotion, offering and morning puja – are silent and the faithful are urged to stay away during this time of coronavirus. Here, we bring a collection of photographs from Reuters “Photo of the Day” of different places of worship in many different nations. They are empty spaces amid coronavirus.
Places of worship in Australia – be they Buddhist, Sikh, Muslim, Christian or Jain – now face the most stringent restrictions applied in living history. Their faithful membership has to stay away. Here, Robyn Whittaker of Pilgrim College, writes about Praying but Staying Away.
Joined by Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant leaders and faithful from around the world, Pope Francis led the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, imploring God’s mercy on humanity amid the coronavirus pandemic.
With recent news and media coverage about the Coronavirus (COVID-19), following on from a difficult bushfire season, it is normal for children and adults to feel overwhelmed and stressed during this time.
This curated selection of resources will assist parents and carers to best to support their children and reduce worry and distress. It contains a video, factsheets and tips about what you can expect and how you can help children cope.
Karen Armstrong is a British author and commentator of Irish Catholic descent known for her books on comparative religion. Here, Karen Armstrong tells Christiane Amanpour about the impact social distancing is having on religious communities around the world. Video, source: CNN