The Coronavirus Pandemic

Every country in the world has been affected by coronavirus disease (COVID-19).  Some have suffered more than others, for reasons that scientists don’t altogether understand.  Most countries have introduced some kind of lockdown meaning that Orthodox Christians can't attend their parish church for worship. 

These extreme actions by governments have generated loads of conspiracy theories on the Internet. For example, some people say that the virus doesn’t exist – that the pandemic is a plot hatched by someone or other.  We know that this isn’t true, because members of our Church are working to save lives in hospitals in the UK and abroad. We know from their first-hand reports that COVID-19 is real and can kill people.

Others say that it’s a persecution of the Church. This conspiracy would make more sense if churches were shut and pubs, clubs and gyms were open. In the UK, every place where people gather is shut. The situation is very different to the persecution of Christians under Communism, for example, where churches were closed and turned into places of entertainment to mock the Christian faith. Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow (below) was blown up by the Communists and replaced by a swimming pool.

Most coronavirus conspiracy theories are spread by people whose beliefs are completely un-Orthodox. We mustn't read or spread these theories. We mustn't allow ourselves to become infected with the virus of false belief. A lot of ordinary people, too, have suddenly become ‘experts’ on viruses and pandemics. Most of these people mean well, but it’s a waste of time listening to them because they're just voicing opinions - they’re not able to interpret the scientific or medical data properly.

It’s also important to realise that the worship of the Orthodox Church is continuing all over the world in monasteries and convents. In the UK, people of the same household are allowed to worship together. We're still having services every day in our church here – but no visitors are allowed to come. As we worship here, Orthodox Christians are worshipping together with us in their family homes. The Orthodox Church is still One, even though we are temporarily separated. 

We should spend this time in lockdown profitably – by praying more, by reading Orthodox books, by saying the services. We can turn this lockdown into a  positive thing. This pandemic has brought out the best in most people. The non-Orthodox general public are looking after their neighbours just as Christ calls us to do when He says: ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself.’  

 

Although we reject conspiracy theories, we need to recognize the signs of the times. We said in our last Sunday School before the lockdown that if someone invented a cure for COVID-19, most people on earth would bow down and worship him if he asked them to. Our bishops have warned that there are greater troubles ahead. However, they also reassured us when they said:

Nothing should deprive us of the invincible joy of the Resurrection and the sure hope of victory. Let nothing impair our faith and patience, let nothing cause us to be despairing or downcast. If we rejoice in the hope of Divine help and consolation, then we will become like our heroic forebears and the Saints of our faith. But if we become fainthearted and lose our nerve, then we fall short of them and we urgently need to reinforce our faith and our spiritual struggle for repentance and for the healing of our souls.

We must reject conspiracy theories, but we must be spiritually watchful. We must listen to what our bishops say, and obey their instructions. If we do this faithfully, we will be spiritually protected by the Grace of the Holy Spirit.