essay on spiritualism vs pandemic covid-19
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It is early morning in Rome, and the Pope conducts himself like a man sealed off from the outside world behind the walls of the Vatican, celebrating what is officially the only mass taking place in the whole of Italy. Bishops and church leaders from a variety of nations and faiths are cancelling conferences. In the U.S., scores of synagogues remain closed. The Jewish Purim festival just a few days ago, which should have been a vibrant spectacle akin to carnival, was celebrated half-heartedly if at all. The similarly colourful Hindu Holi festival in India also faces similar restrictions.
Germany’s Central Council of Muslims has declared that it is "admissible" if a local "mosque suspends Friday or other prayers for reasons of health prevention or because of a suspected case". Mouhanad Khorchide, Munster-based scholar of Islam and religious educationalist, highlights the closure of the Great Mosque in Mecca. "That was the most forthright measure conceivable and showed the extent of responsibility and how serious the situation is," said Khorchide in conversation with Deutsche Welle. It is now abundantly clear: in churches, synagogues, mosques and temples, rituals and customs are having to adapt and change.
Community and sensuousness
Religion – at church services or on pilgrimages – tends to be based on community and sensuousness. For example, kissing a multitude of sacred stones or Torah scrolls, prayer books or crosses, with everyone drinking from the same chalice. All that has ceased for the moment. St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome has been closed completely, important churches such as St. Stephen’s in Vienna are drastically restricting access, in Israel the government is reducing visitor numbers for all of the country’s synagogues. And worshippers have stopped kissing devotional objects.