Impact of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Religion: Religions

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted religion in various ways, including the cancellation of the worship
services of various faiths and the closure of Sunday schools, as well as the cancellation of pilgrimages,
ceremonies and festivals.[1] Many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have offered worship through
livestream amidst the pandemic.[2]
Relief wings of religious organisations have dispatched disinfection supplies, powered air-purifying
respirators, face shields, gloves, coronavirus nucleic acid detection reagents, ventilators, patient monitors,
syringe pumps, infusion pumps, and food to affected areas.[3] Other churches have offered free COVID-19
testing to the public.[4] Adherents of many religions have gathered together to pray for an end to the COVID-
19 pandemic, for those affected by it, as well as for wisdom for physicians and scientists to combat the
disease.[5][6]
Contents
Religions
Christianity
Response and impact
Food and medical assistance and social justice work
Social distancing
Vaccines
Digital church services
By denomination
Lutheranism
Anglicanism
Methodism
Catholicism
Eastern Orthodoxy
Serbian Orthodox Church
Independent Eastern Orthodoxy
Anabaptism
Pentecostalism
Nondenominational Christianity
Shincheonji Church of Jesus
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Islam
Judaism
Hinduism
Jainism
Sikhism
Buddhism
Unitarian Universalism
Scientology
Druze
Legal issues
United States
China
Research
See also
References
External links
Religions
Christianity
Response and impact
According to a Gallup report by Frank Newport "the most dramatic

result (in religion) has been the exceedingly quick shift of religious
services from in-person to online worship." While for almost a
hundred years, churches have used various communication methods
to reach their audiences, such as radio, television and online media,
Gallup says that the halting of in-person worship "is one of the most A sign on a Baptist Christian church
significant sudden disruptions in the practice of religion in U.S. that has been temporarily closed due
[7]
history." A Pew Research report from March 2020 reported a to the pandemic
change in their religious habits due to the pandemic. More than half of
respondents said that they have "prayed for an end to the spread of
coronavirus," "attended services in person less often," and "watched religious services online or on TV instead
of in person."[8] Time magazine reported that drive-in church services have achieved a great level of
attendance in the COVID-19 outbreak.[9] As to whether the crisis had an effect on long-term personal
religious life, 19% of Americans said that their faith has strengthened and only 3% said that it got worse.[7]
In a survey conducted in late May–early June 2020 by the American Enterprise Institute, 60% of Americans
said they feared that they or someone in their household might get COVID-19. Responses differed
demographically, however; 69% of Black Protestants and 42% of White Evangelicals worried about infection.
When it came to weighing the public health risks of returning to normal economic activity, a majority of Black
Protestants (84%) and Hispanic Catholics (70%) said they would prioritize public health, while a majority of
White Evangelicals (65%) and White Mainline Protestants and White Catholics (52%) prioritized the
economy.[10]
In the United Kingdom, Christian denominations including the Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist,
Reformed, and Presbyterian Churches, published guidelines on adapting worship in light of the pandemic.[11]
In July 2020, North Point Ministries—which, before the pandemic, typically hosted 30,000 churchgoers every
Sunday across its seven locations in the Atlanta, Georgia area—said it would only offer services digitally
through the rest of the year. The church's founder said that contact tracing for coronavirus exposure would be
impossible given the church's size.[12]
On 30 November 2020, one of the pastors at the California megachurch Water of Life died of COVID-19. He
had recently been leading outdoor services after the governor banned indoor services.[13][14]
Food and medical assistance and social justice work
World Council of Churches General Secretary Olav Fykse Tveit announced that, "This situation calls on our
solidarity and accountability, mindfulness, care and wisdom... [as well as] for our signs of faith, hope and
love".[15] Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, some churches continue to operate their food pantries that are
offering bags filled with meat and toilet paper rolls for families in need.[16] The National Cathedral of the
United States, which belongs to the Episcopal Church, donated over five-thousand N95 surgical masks to
hospitals of Washington, D.C., which were in shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] Other churches,
such as the Church of the Highlands, an evangelical Christian megachurch, have offered free COVID-19 tests
in their parking lots.[4] Some chaplains, such as Father Benito Rodríguez Regueiro, have chosen to remain on
call 24/7 for COVID-19 patients.[18]
Over 200 church and civil society organisations, including Caritas and the Jesuit Refugee Service, have called
on the government of Greece to restore access to asylum for refugees, especially the 42,000 who are "trapped"
and living "in horrific conditions" in the Greek islands.[19]
Social distancing
Many Episcopal and Catholic dioceses have recommended older

Christians to stay at home rather than attending Mass on Sundays,
which is usually required; many churches of all Christian
denominations have made church services available via radio, online
livestreaming or television while others have offered drive-in services
in their church parking lots,[20][2][1] some with guidelines on how to
use car functions to respond to the service.[21] Some Christians are
using online apps, which contain prayers and daily devotionals, to
"The name of Jesus is above
remain engaged with their faith.[22]
COVID-19": a message on a sign at
Joy Christian Center in St. Cloud,
Many Christians traditionally observe the Christian penitential season
Minnesota
of Lent through the abstinence from meat on Fridays, especially
Roman Catholics, Methodists and Anglicans; the requirement to
observe this custom was lifted by some Roman Catholic bishops
amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which partially coincided with Lent
in 2020.[23] The liturgies normally held during Holy Week (especially
those on Palm Sunday, Spy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good
Friday and Holy Saturday), the last week of Lent, were canceled by
many churches belonging to mainstream Christian denominations,
including the Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, and
Reformed Churches.[24][25][26][27] These included the Royal Maundy
charity service done by the monarch of the United Kingdom on Sunday worship is livestreamed
Maundy Thursday.[28] online due to social distancing
Referencing the Christian doctrine of the Body of Christ, Anglican

priest Jonathan Warren Pagán wrote that "Gathered worship in word and sacrament is therefore not an optional
add-on for Christians" though the COVID-19 pandemic rendered it necessary to move to online formats for
the common good.[29] He encouraged the practice of Spiritual Communion amidst the pandemic (especially
during the Anglican service of Morning Prayer), which has been used by Christians during times of plagues,
as well as during times of persecution, both of which have prevented Christians from gathering on the Lord's
Day to celebrate the Eucharist.[29] Methodist clergy, as well as Pope Francis, also suggested that the faithful
practice Spiritual Communion during the COVID-19 pandemic.[30][31][32]
The celebration of Saint Patrick's Day, a feast day celebrating the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, on 17
March 2020 was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, though services were still held in some churches and
some parades still commenced.[33]
While many churches canceled Easter services to comply with social-distancing guidelines, others planned to
continue normally.[34] On 11 April 2020, the day before Easter Sunday, the president of the American
conservative think tank the Claremont Institute, tweeted for "resistance and civil disobedience to an
unconstitutional lockdown" so people could enjoy "free exercise of religion."[35]
Vaccines
In the United States, white evangelicals are less likely to approve of the COVID-19 vaccine. A Pew survey
conducted in February 2021 found that more than two-thirds of Americans—but just over half of white
evangelical Americans—said they expected to be vaccinated.[36]
Digital church services
Due to social-distancing guidelines, many churches needed to find alternatives to normal face-to-face church
services and have turned to digital church. On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis livestreamed mass from an empty
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome[37] while the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby broadcast his sermon from
the kitchen of his flat in London.[38] Many local churches throughout the world would look into ways of
digitizing church practices, though some debated how certain liturgical practices such as communion could or
could not be performed online.[39] In rural churches where access to technology was more limited, some local
churches needed to be more creative, including practices such as drive-by processions of the Blessed
Sacrament.[40]
Some studies in digital theology have highlighted an increased interest in watching and participating in online
church services under lockdown.[41] The interconnectivity promoted by digital technologies has helped
promote the ability for individuals to participate in religious activities despite physical distance, including those
who previously may have never stepped foot in a church.[39][42] However, other studies have highlighted that
Christians who regularly attended physical church services have been less keen to participate online, especially
among millennials.[43]
By denomination
Lutheranism
Lutheran Disaster Response, the relief wing of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has
provided supplies to China, whence the disease originated; these include disinfection supplies, powered air-
purifying respirators, face shields, gloves, coronavirus nucleic acid detection reagents, ventilators, patient
monitors, syringe pumps, infusion pumps, and food to affected areas.[3]
As most supplies are being sent to developed countries, Lutheran World Relief is working to send resources to
Africa, where Allyson Bear says "widespread poverty and crowded urban slums put Africans at extreme
risk."[44] At Lutheran World Relief clinics in Nairobi, where multiple months of HIV medication are provided
to patients, people were educated on the importance of handwashing and protective equipment has been
repurposed to address the COVID-19 pandemic.[44]
Lutheran Disaster Response is supporting congregational feeding ministries to "do the critical work of
providing those who are in need in their communities with food." ELCA is also sending food, medical and
essential supply deliveries to New Orleans, Southern California, Italy, Palestine and Sierra Leone and working
with the Lutheran World Foundation and the ACT Alliance.[45]
Anglicanism
The Church of England, the state church, as well as other ecclesiastical provinces of the Anglican Communion
in the world such as the Church in Wales, and the Scottish Episcopal Church, suspended in-person worship
amidst the pandemic.[46][47][48] The Archbishop of Canterbury led a virtual Eucharist that was broadcast on
thirty-nine BBC stations.[49] The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough of the
United Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough Most Reverend Michael Jackson has: A Prayer in the Time of the
Coronavirus.[50] In Time magazine, Anglican theologian and University of Oxford professor N. T. Wright
characterised the COVID-19 pandemic as one that focuses on the Christian theme of lamentation, in which
both God and humanity mourn together:[51]
The point of lament, woven thus into the fabric of the

biblical tradition, is not just that it's an outlet for our
frustration, sorrow, loneliness and sheer inability to
understand what is happening or why. The mystery of
the biblical story is that God also laments. Some
Christians like to think of God as above all that, knowing
everything, in charge of everything, calm and unaffected
by the troubles in his world. That's not the picture we get
in the Bible. God was grieved to his heart, Genesis A priest wearing a mask matching
declares, over the violent wickedness of his human her vestments preparing for
creatures. He was devastated when his own bride, the Eucharist outdoors at an Episcopal
people of Israel, turned away from him. And when God Church in Minnesota
came back to his people in person—the story of Jesus is
meaningless unless that's what it's about—he wept at the
tomb of his friend. St. Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit
"groaning" within us, as we ourselves groan within the
pain of the whole creation. The ancient doctrine of the
Trinity teaches us to recognize the One God in the tears
of Jesus and the anguish of the Spirit. —N.T. Wright,
Anglican bishop and University of Oxford professor[51]
The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, which belongs to the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of New York, has
volunteered itself to be turned into a field hospital for coronavirus patients, which will be cared for by
Samaritan's Purse health workers, who have offered their services.[52][53] It will house over two hundred
patients with the ailment.[52]
In the statement, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Anglican Consultative Council Chair and the Anglican
Communion Secretary General wrote a joint letter to the Anglican Communion. The letter states, "In our
prayers, in addition to praying for those who are ill, and for those who are lonely, we should pray for wisdom
for those in authority and for strength to be given to medical workers. We should do more than pray. We
should also act by heeding the advice of our respective national and regional authorities who are working to
contain the virus; and, we should care for those who are unable to care for themselves."[54]
The Church of England released a statement on 5 May 2020 regarding guidelines for churches as nations
around the world gradually re-open. The House of Bishops mentioned the possibility of "very limited access to
church buildings for activities such as streaming of services or private prayer by clergy in their own parishes,
so long as the necessary hygiene and social distancing precautions are taken". [55]
Methodism
L. Jonathan Holston, bishop of the South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
recommended that churches "proceed with worship services — providing increased vigilance regarding
cleaning worship areas, providing hand-washing stations, and educating members about social distancing and
other preventive measures."[56] On 13 March 2020, Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky of the Pacific Northwest
Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church issued a statement that would be updated no later than the
start of Holy Week, which directed "the local churches of any size and other ministries in the states of Alaska,
Idaho, Oregon and Washington to suspend in-person worship and other gatherings of more than 10 people for
the next two weeks".[56] Many parts of the Methodist Churches, which uphold Sunday Sabbatarian teaching,
have transitioned their church services online; ninety percent of the parishes within the Pacific Northwest
Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, for example, are now offering worship via internet
livestream.[56]
Catholicism
Many churches have been ringing their church bells five times a day for the Liturgy of the Hours as a call to
prayer amidst the coronavirus outbreak.[57] In Spain, many cities canceled their Semana Santa festivities (5–11
April)—normally large events with parades and significant tourism spending—by mid-March as a result of the
pandemic; in Seville, it was the first time that the events had been canceled since 1933.[58]
The Vatican announced that Holy Week observances in Rome, which

occur during the last week of the Christian penitential season of Lent,
have been canceled.[1] With the Diocese of Rome closing its churches
and chapels, Saint Peter's Square is now empty of Christian
pilgrims;[1] on the other hand the Archdiocese of New York, though
cancelling services, has left its churches open for prayer.[1] Setting an
example for churches unable to celebrate public masses due to the
lockdown, Pope Francis began livestreaming daily masses from his
home at Domus Sanctae Marthae on 9 March.[59] In the Archdiocese
of Portland in Oregon, a different approach was briefly taken as An American military chaplain
Archbishop Alexander Sample instructed parishes to offer more prepares for a live-streamed service
in an empty chapel at Offutt Air
masses so that each mass would be more sparsely attended;[60]
Force Base in March 2020
however, tightening restrictions on public gatherings in Oregon led to
even Archbishop Sample suspending public masses beginning on 17
March.[61]
By 20 March 2020, every Roman Catholic diocese in the United States had suspended the public celebration
of Mass and dispensed with the obligation to attend Sunday Mass; the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the
United States also suspended public Divine Liturgies, as did the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Eparchy of
Passaic.[62]
The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary on 20 March 2020 granted plenary indulgences to various
people affected by the coronavirus. Additionally, those who cannot receive the sacrament of the anointing of
the sick, especially those afflicted with the coronavirus, may receive a plenary indulgence by reciting prayers,
especially the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, on their own, with the presence of a crucifix being
recommended.[63][64][65]
With social distancing restricting public celebration of the Sacraments, many churches began looking to
innovate. Some priests began offering drive-thru confessions.[66][67][68] A parish in Quezon City announced
an online general absolution via live stream but cancelled the event upon discovering that the priest who
absolves and the penitent people receiving absolution must be physically in the same place.[69] Similarly, the
Archdiocese of Kansas City attempted to allow confessions to be heard via cell phone but ran into the same
issue regarding absolution.[70] Archbishop Leonard Blair wrote in a memo to the U.S. bishops, "With regard
to Penance, it is clear that the Sacrament is not to be celebrated via cell phone."[70] The Diocese of Springfield
in Massachusetts attempted to allow nurses to anoint patients while priests recite prayers for Extreme Unction
but this policy was quickly rescinded because anointing cannot be validly delegated.[70] On the other hand,
Johann Pock, the dean of the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Vienna, wrote that if the Pope
could impart a "complete indulgence" to the world via television, "why then can't the bishop… celebrate the
Eucharist for his entire diocese, with believers in front of their screens actively participating and making this
not just a spiritual, but an actual communion with bread (and wine) at the table?"[71]
By mid-March the Maronite Church in Lebanon authorized the reception of the Eucharist in the hand, a
practice previously not permitted, to stem the spread of the virus. Some parishes allowed for two lines of
communicants: one for those who wished to receive traditionally on the tongue and those who wished to
receive in the hand. This led to protests from traditional Maronites, including an 8 March incident in an
Ajaltoun church where protesters shouted "We are the Church" in response to a priest requesting obedience to
Church requests.[72]
As an outbreak began to accelerate in New Orleans, on 24 March 2020 Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards
called for a day of prayer and fasting.[73] Bel Edwards wrote that he and his wife "believe in the power of
prayer and know, based on our Catholic Christian faith, that prayer coupled with fasting is pleasing to
God."[74] The day prior, the Archdiocese of New Orleans announced that Archbishop Gregory Aymond had
tested positive for COVID-19 on 23 March. The 70-year-old Archbishop stated that he had not been feeling
well and was tested with his symptoms. He stated that he will continue to stream reflections on the crisis to
Facebook and the Archdiocese's website.[75]
On 20 March 2020, Pope Francis announced the launch of the Vatican COVID-19 Commission, that would
work under the direction of the Dicastery at the Service of Integral Human Development to think possibles
solutions for the problems that the COVID-19 pandemic would bring.[76]
On 27 March 2020, Pope Francis imparted the Urbi et Orbi blessing, normally reserved for Christmas and
Easter, from an empty Saint Peter's Square following a prayer for the health of all the world.[77][78] For the
prayer service, Francis brought the crucifix from San Marcello al Corso which had processed through the
streets of Rome during the miraculous plague cure of 1522.[79]
Catholic dioceses and religious institutes offered church facilities to accommodate healthcare operations and
provide housing for the needy in the crisis and the Holy See implemented measures to protect its high-risk
residents who were more susceptible to developing complications from COVID-19.[81] In Bergamo, the
hardest hit city in Italy where morgues ran out of space, Bishop Francesco Beschi ordered the churches to be
used as mortuaries, as "an act of tenderness towards people who die alone and [whose] bodies are likely to
remain piled up."[82] Pope Francis asked the Church to welcome and provide refuge to the homeless amidst
the pandemic,[83] and on 6 April 2020, Francis donated US$750,000 to mission countries for combatting the
COVID-19 pandemic.[84]
In reflecting on the coronavirus pandemic, Bishop Heiner Wilmer of
Hildesheim stated that "The [coronavirus] crisis is not a punishment
from God" and recalled Martin Luther's question of accessing God
directly, suggesting that the faithful turn their focus on the Bible and
house churches of early Christianity.[85] Cardinal António Marto,
Bishop of Leiria-Fátima called the view that the pandemic was God's
punishment "unchristian", and further said that such views could only
be justified through "ignorance, sectarian fanaticism, or madness".[86]
On 25 March, Cardinal Marto renewed the consecration of Portugal
and Spain to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of God fights the Coronavirus above the
Mary, and added the names of twenty-four other countries at the world, viral illustration of Giovanni
request of their respective episcopal conferences.[87] Guida[80]
Markus Blümel from the Catholic Social Academy of Austria

appealed to Catholic social teaching to advocate for a universal basic income on 3 April 2020 in response to
the pandemic.[88] In his Easter message on 12 April 2020, Pope Francis echoed this call, writing "This may be
the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks
you carry out. It would ensure and concretely achieve the ideal, at once so human and so Christian, of no
worker without rights."[89] Francis celebrated Holy Week and Easter in a nearly empty St. Peter's Basilica.[90]
Across Europe, church leaders urged "solidarity and prudence" in

response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In some European countries,
Catholic masses were completely halted while in others smaller
groups continued to congregate. In Spain, the Bishops’ Conference
"suspended all talks, concerts and catechesis sessions on church
premises, and urged Catholics ‘with chronic diseases, elderly,
weakened or with potential risk, and those who live with them’ to
follow Masses via the media." In Poland, the Bishop's conference
canceled its March plenary. In Italy's northern Bergamo Diocese,
clergy tested positive for COVID-19 with six deaths as of March
Due to masses being canceled, a
2020.[91] table was set up with blessed palms,
yellow ribbons, and prayer cards on
In Germany, the head of the German's bishop conference Bishop Palm Sunday at Our Lady of Lourdes
Georg Bätzing expressed disappointment over the church services ban Catholic Church in Springfield,
being kept in place as announced 15 April by Chancellor Angela Tennessee
Merkel. Bätzing emphasized religious freedom and said that he was
confident that discussing the matter with the federal government "will
very soon lead to a consensus that will make responsible forms of worship in our churches possible again."[92]
Eastern European Catholics supported measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but for some the
pandemic "revived painful memories of communist rule."[93] Questioning and resistance also emerged in
Western Europe, "where some Catholics have questioned the right of civil authorities to prohibit religious
worship."[93] Polish radio presenter Glabisz-Pniewska described the sight of empty church "terrifying,"
drawing a parallel between the situation and the hypothetical Catholic Church today "if past anti-Catholic
hostilities had prevailed."[93] Romanian bishop Virgil Bercea, from a church who experienced persecution
under communist régimes, said although church closures were questioned in Romania, he predicted that most
critics would have a different reaction if their own families were affected by COVID-19. "We've experienced
this before, when having nothing was normal. At that time, it was communism, and now it's the coronavirus.
The situation is different, but the realities are much the same."[93] Post lock down in Italy for Church
gatherings Italian bishops negotiated an agreement with the government for religious gatherings while
maintaining safety measures like masks, gloves and safe distancing, but the Italian government buckled under
pressure to drop requirement of thermometers.[94]
Eastern Orthodoxy
The Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople issued a worldwide suspension of all "divine
services, events, and rites, with the exception of private prayer in churches that will remain open, until the end
of March".[95]
Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria, head of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, has exhorted
clergy throughout the continent to "comfort and support our fellow Africans, teach them ways of elementary
health and cleanliness, because most do not have access to clean water. And, as the situation is serious, I
recommend that you comply with the orders and decisions of the countries in which you serve".[96]
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East issued a joint statement with the heads of other
churches in Syria and Lebanon declaring "the suspension of all general prayer services, including liturgies, in
all churches from today's date and until further notice."[97]
In a joint communique with the heads of other Jerusalem churches, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of
Jerusalem urged members "to adhere by the provisions and instruction of the civil authorities" regarding
COVID-19.[98]
The Russian Orthodox Church has yet to suspend church services, but has implemented precautionary
measures to reduce the potential spread of infection.[99] The Romanian Orthodox Church,[100] Serbian
Orthodox Church,[101] Bulgarian Orthodox Church,[102] and Georgian Orthodox Church[103] have
implemented similar precautions without suspending services.
In a homily given on 29 March, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow called upon the faithful to temporarily refrain from
attending church services, and to commit "to strictly following all the regulations coming from the sanitary
authorities in Russia,".[104]
Serbian Orthodox Church
In total, four bishops and the head of Serbian Orthodox Church died from COVID-19 as of March 2021.
Patriarch Irinej, the head of the Church died from COVID-19 on 20 November 2020. He became infected
earlier that month after attending the funeral of Amfilohije Radović, the Serbian Orthodox metropolitan bishop
of Montenegro and the Littoral, who had also died from COVID-19. Bishop Amfilohije's funeral in Podgorica
was held in violation of Montenegrin social distancing guidelines and is believed by officials to be a
superspreader event. Following the Podgorica outbreak, Serbian Orthodox priests began appealing to their
parishioners to take the virus more seriously.[105] Two more bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Milutin
Knežević and Artemije Radosavljević, died from COVID-19.[106][107] Bishop emeritus Atanasije Jevtić died
on 4 March 2021, from complications due to COVID-19.[108]
Independent Eastern Orthodoxy
Patriarch Filaret, former honorary Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, founder and current Patriarch
of once again the second non-canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate, was confirmed to be
a positive case of COVID-19. He becomes the first independent and non-canonical autocephalous leader or
patriarch in the Eastern Orthodox faith to contract the disease. Months earlier, he had stated that the pandemic
was God's punishment for same-sex marriage, which is currently not legally recognized in Ukraine. Activists
say homophobia is still widespread in the national culture.[109][110][111]
Anabaptism
After Ohio Governor Mike DeWine ordered no gatherings of more than ten people, Ohio's Amish steering
committee advised all church districts to heed the state's orders, telling Amish "to cancel or postpone
weddings, youth and family gatherings until further notice."[112] Amish weekly newspaper The Budget had by
10 April "devoted more than 50 pages to dispatches from Amish communities across the country struggling to
reconcile social distancing with a way of life that survives through communal work and worship".[112]
Pentecostalism
In Mississippi in April 2020 , the First Pentecostal Church of Holly Springs successfully led a legal battle
against its city's government over a stay-at-home order after local police broke up an Easter service and a Bible
study.[113] The church was burned to the ground a month later on 21 May 2020 in a church arson and a
message was written in the parking lot, reading "Bet you stay home now you hypokrits [sic]."[114]
Nondenominational Christianity
Other Christian churches, including non-denominational churches, have begun using livestreams with a chat
feature and emphasizing gathering in small groups, such as immediate families, while suspending in-person
church attendance.[115] This includes Life.Church's Church Online Platform and an encoder device known as
Living As One. Articles are being published to aid those who have not started a livestream in the past.[116] In
compliance with local recommendation, churches such as Cornerstone Fellowship in the California East Bay
were moving exclusively to online, emphasizing it not being done out of fear or panic, but out of concern for
the elderly.[117][118] In Hong Kong, churches have moved to Life.Church's Open Network Church Online
platform as well.[119]
Shincheonji Church of Jesus
A South Korean Christian new religious movement known as Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the
Tabernacle of the Testimony (in short, Shincheonji). On 19 February 2020. At that date, news spread that one
of its members in Daegu, South Korea, had been infected with COVID-19. She had been wrongly released
from the hospital after having been diagnosed with a common cold, and allowed to participate in her religion's
gatherings. Patient 31 was later blamed for not submitting to the test before. Some Korean media reported that
she refused the test twice. She told a different story. On 7 February, she was admitted to Saeronan Korean
Medicine Hospital for a minor car accident and shortly thereafter started showing symptoms of cold. The X-
ray results showed she had pneumonia, but according to Patient 31 the hospital did not mention COVID-19 as
a possibility to her, nor suggested a test. With permission for the hospital to go out, she attended a church
service. Only the following week, after her symptoms worsened, a test for COVID-19 was recommended on
17 February, and she accepted to be tested, was found positive, and quarantined. That, when quarantined, she
started screaming and assaulted the nurse in charge in the hospital, was reported by some media but denied by
both Patient 31 and the nurse. After Patient 31 tested positive, Shincheonji church members were massively
tested for COVID-19, which resulted in many confirmed cases. This gave the Korean media the opportunity to
start a campaign against Shincheonji as a "secretive cult" that endangered public health.
Despite the fact that "Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung stormed into the residence of the church’s leader in
the middle of the night to snatch a full list of its followers in the province," and "even boasted of his ‘heroic
feat’ on social media," no discrepancies were found there either (Lee H. 2020). It is another indication of the
climate prevailing in South Korea that the Justice Minister and the Mayor of Seoul, who had both jumped on
the anti-Shincheonji bandwagon prior to the elections, rather than accepting that by comparing the lists
supplied Shincheonji and the COVID-19 Epidemic: Sorting Fact from Fiction $ The Journal of CESNUR |
4/3 (2020) 70—86 83 by Shincheonji and those seized by the authorities no significant discrepancies had
emerged, attacked and threatened South Korea's chief prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl (already at odds with them
for having investigated corruption in their party) for being "soft" on Shincheonji (Kim 2020). At the time of
this writing, the campaign against Shincheonji continues, although it is increasingly criticized by media both
outside (Rashid 2020) and inside (Lee H. 2020) South Korea. In a document published in March 2020, the
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan body whose members are appointed by the
President of the United States and the congressional leaders of both political parties, noted that Shincheonji
was suffering. We wholeheartedly subscribe to the appeal of the U.S. Commission on International Religious
Freedom, which is concerned by reports that Shincheonji church members are being blamed for the spread of
the #coronavirus. We urge the South Korean government to condemn scapegoating and to respect religious
freedom as it responds to the outbreak (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 2020a). The
virus cannot be an excuse to violate the human rights and religious liberty of hundreds of thousands of
believers.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has implemented a temporary suspension of all worship
services across the globe as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 25 March, all temples were temporarily
closed worldwide.[120] Some LDS members were involved in providing aid to international communities
where members reside.[121] On 4 April, LDS church President Russell M. Nelson called for a worldwide fast
to take place the following Friday stating: "I invite all, including those not of our faith, to fast and pray on
Good Friday, April 10, that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy
strengthened, and life normalized."[122] They described a fast as "going without food or water for either two
consecutive meals or 24 hours."[123]
LDS Charities donated food healthcare supplies to 16 countries affected by COVID-19. The church partnered
with Project HOPE to offer personal protective equipment or PPEs, Moms Against Poverty and INTERSOS,
a disaster relief nonprofit. The LDS church donated protective and respiratory supplies to China and food to
local food distributions in the United States.[124][125][126][127][128]
On 6 May 2020, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a video, as they try to decide when
worship services will return to gathering after being suspended during the COVID-19 outbreak. "We will
continue to be prayerful and proceed with an abundance of caution. Your safety and well-being will always be
our utmost concern," said President Russell M. Nelson.[129]
Islam
There is concern that the virus may be hard to control during the
travel and gatherings around Ramadan, Eid al-Adha, and Eid al-
Fitr.[130] Congregations for Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan were
cancelled in several countries as mosques worldwide were shut
down.[131][132] Council of Senior Scholars from Saudi Arabia urged
the Muslim world in general to prepare for Ramadan while abiding to
precautionary and preventive health measures regarding acts of
worship, which includes avoiding gatherings such as communal Iftar Closed Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine in
and Suhur meals.[133] Rey, Iran
Saudi Arabia closed the Great Mosque of Mecca for Umrah visitors
and banned touching Kaaba on 5 March, after which it was partially reopened on 7 March.[134] On 5 March,
the Saudi government added further steps towards the Great Mosque of Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in
Medina, which included a temporary closure of the Great Mosque for sterilisation purposes.[135] On 20
March, both mosques were closed to the public,[136] and the closure continued throughout Ramadan.[137] The
hajj pilgrimage beginning 28 July 2020 only had about 1,000 pilgrims, a sharp decline from the previous year's
2.5 million. Pilgrims were restricted to those already in Saudi Arabia between the ages of 20 and 50 years of
age who had been approved as part of an online screening process. They were required to agree to follow
strict protocols including quarantine before and after the hajj.[138][139]
The Islamic Society of North America, Muslim Medical Association of Canada and the Canadian Council of
Imams recommended that congregations suspend Friday congregational prayers and gatherings.[1][140]
Mosques within the United Kingdom have suspended congregations, including traditional Friday prayers as
government documents revealed that social distancing might need to be implemented in Britain until
autumn.[141] The Islamic Council for the Federal Republic of Germany said that "Due to the loss of daily
prayers and Friday prayers, a considerable proportion of the donations were canceled and no suitable
replacement has been found."[142]
In Southeast Asia, Malaysian officials reported on 20 March that 624 of the nation's 1,030 COVID-19 cases
were linked to the gathering organized by Tablighi Jamaat missionary movement at a mosque outside of Kuala
Lumpur from late February.[143] Mosques have closed in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.[144][145][146] The
Indonesian Ulema Council issued a fatwa advising Muslims to pray at home and avoid mosques where the
disease had spread severely.[130] Mosques were allowed to remain open in Pakistan.[147]
The Dome of the Rock has closed, though Muslim prayers are still occurring in the Temple Mount.[148]
Religious leaders in both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have strongly urged people to pray in their homes and
avoid going to Mosques for regular and Friday prayers. Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs imposed a
nationwide ban on prayer gatherings in mosques, including Friday prayers.[149] Imam Reza Shrine, Fatima
Masumeh Shrine, Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine and Jamkaran Mosque in Iran were closed temporarily.[150]
Friday prayers were also suspended in Iran.[151]
A Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi, India contributed to a cluster of more than 900 cases nationwide, and as of
23 April, approximately 30% of the total COVID-19 cases in India are linked to this event.[152][153] There
were several fake news[154] and misreports[155] of Tablighi members not cooperating with authorities,[155]
misbehaving with medical personnel,[156] hiding their travel history[157] and going into hiding,[158] while
police authorities in some states had announced set up bounties for information regarding the
attendees.[159][160] This incident also led to a rise in Islamophobic and communal sentiments in
India.[161][162][163] A large number of cases in Southeast Asia were tied to another large Tabligh Akbar
religious event held in late February 2020.[130] On 19 March 2020, 25,000 people gathered in Bangladesh to
listen to "healing verses" from the Holy Qur'an "to rid the country of the deadly virus."[164]
In the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan and opposing pressures of medical fraternity of Pakistan
and conservative outlook of clergy and masses; in midst of criticism from rational scientific voices expressing
their concerns over how far people will follow negotiated list of rule points in practice and may lead to
continuance of COVID-19 pandemic; President of Pakistan mediated a consensus (ijma) consisting of 20-point
detail precautionary measures with Ulema (clergy) of Pakistan to be followed during festive Islamic religious
gatherings during lock down period.[165][166]
Muslims in certain countries were unable to afford livestock to slaughter for Eid al-Adha on 31 July due to
price increases as a result of the pandemic. Somalia was one country reported to be impacted, and in parts of
West Africa the price of livestock had doubled.[139]
Judaism
At the Western Wall, thousands of Jews gathered to pray on 15 February for an end to the coronavirus
pandemic and this was led by Chief Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu.[5] By 12 March, when following a police
request Israel's chief rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef instructed observant Jews to avoid visiting the holy
site, few people continued praying there.[167] However, even when
the government prohibited collective prayings with a minyan (public
prayer quorum of 10 people or more) on 30 March, a special
exemption was provided so that prayers could continue at the Western
Wall three times a day.[168]
Many gatherings related to the Jewish celebrations of Purim and

Passover were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33]
Orthodox Jews praying on their
The Rabbinical Council of America, speaking on behalf of Orthodox porches due to closure of
Judaism, issued a guideline stating that "public gatherings in Synagogues. April 2020 in Borough
synagogues and schools should be severely limited".[1] The Park, Brooklyn
Rabbinical Assembly, speaking for Conservative Judaism, stated that
"Protecting human life overrides almost every other Jewish value"
and recommended that weddings be postponed.[1]
Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein suspended South Africa Synagogues.[169]
The chief rabbi in the United Kingdom advised the suspension of Jewish worship in synagogues.[170]
Other religious leaders called for introspection and improvement.[171]
Hinduism
The festival of Panguni Uthiram, which is usually associated with

processions, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[172]
Nepal government has given permission to only 25 pilgrims at once in
the holy Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.[173]
On 9 March, thousands of devotees participated in Attukal pongala, a

festival where offerings are made to a Hindu goddess, despite the Play media
'high alert' issued by the state government in India.[174][175] On the occasion of Ram Navami,
Temple Ram Mandir in the heart of
The Hindu festival of Holi was celebrated with caution before Bhubaneswar is seen deserted.
governments started enforcing lockdowns[176] Other Hindu festivals
such as Navaratri, Ram Navami, Hanuman Jayanti, and various
regional Hindu new year days such as Vaisakhi, Nyepi, Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Bohag Bihu, Vishu, Pahela
Baishakh, Jude Sheetal, Pana Sankranti, Navreh, Cheti Chand, Puthandu, Aluth Avurudda, Sajibu Nongma
Panba, Bwisagu, and Mesha Sankranti have to all be celebrated at home by Hindus around the world due to
the strict lockdown in India and elsewhere. Prayer services have been live-streamed for viewers to watch at
home.[177][178][179]
On 2 April, thousands of devotees assembled in temples in various parts of West Bengal on the occasion of
Ram Navami ignoring social distancing norms prescribed by the government during the ongoing nationwide
lockdown period.[180]
Ganesh Chaturthi celebration was also widely impacted in India. In Mumbai, which is the epicenter of the
festival, saw a muted version of the festival.[181] There were height restrictions placed on the idols placed by
mandals, to not exceed 4 feet. This was also done keeping in mind the city's corporation creating over 100
artificial ponds for immersion to avoid large crowd gathering at centralised areas.[182][183] The most popular
mandal Lalbaugcha Raja conducted a blood donation camp throughout the festival and did not install an idol
for the first time since its 86 years of ritual.[184][185]
Jainism
Mahavir Jyanti, the major festival of Jains associated with the birth of Lord Mahavira that falls on 6 April 2020
is usually celebrated by taking out large Procession has been cancelled through out the country and the
followers of the religion has been instructed to carry religious rituals at home by the religious leaders[186]
Sikhism
The Sikh Coalition recommended the cancelling of services at gurdwaras.[1] Additionally, many Sikh
gurdwaras have suspended the offering of free food to gurudwara visitors and decided to broadcast the reading
of scriptures on live stream.[187] The Central Sikh Gurdwara Board has recommended that elderly Sikhs stay
at home, though it has permitted weddings that have been scheduled to proceed.[187] The Nagar Kirtans
associated with the holiday of Vaisakhi in the spring have also been suspended or postponed.[188]
The Sikh Center of New York prepared more than 30,000 home-cooked meals for Americans in self-isolation
amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. The Sikh community was approached by New York's Mayor office for
food packages that were handed out to several distributing federal agencies in the area.[189][190]
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee offered a helping hand to treat coronavirus-positive patients at its
hospitals.[191][192] Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee provided its rooms to hospital staff as they
were facing harassment at the hands of landlords and neighbours.[193]
Buddhism
Buddhists in Singapore and around the world adapted, observing Vesak Day virtually for the first time. In the
morning of Vesak, several Buddhist temples and centres kicked off the online celebrations – hosting morning
puja, guided meditation and talks. Puja is a reflective ritual that is meant to deepen one's appreciation of
Buddha and his teachings and calm one's mind.[194]
Thailand's Sangha Supreme Council has ordered all temples under its jurisdiction both in the country and
overseas to suspend all religious rituals for the Visakha Bucha Day, to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.
However, a religious service held at Wat Bowonniwet Vihara will be broadcast live on the temple's Facebook
page. The service will begin at 7 pm with monks circling the temple with lighted candles, followed by a
sermon from the abbot and prayers until the morning of the following day.[195]
The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, which allows visitors to experience monastic life in one hundred
and thirty-seven temples, has suspended that program.[196]
The Buddhist Churches of America have cancelled services for the spring Higan holiday and other events at
many of their temples.[197]
The Dalai Lama expressed in a Time Magazine article that there is a need to fight the crisis with compassion.
The Buddhist spiritual leader emphasized "from the Buddhist perspective we have the capacity to use our
minds to conquer anger and panic and greed."[198] He stated, "The outbreak of this terrible coronavirus has
shown that what happens to one person can soon affect every other being. But it also reminds us that a
compassionate or constructive act – whether working in hospitals or just observing social distancing – has the
potential to help many."[199]
Venerable Phra Paisal Visalo, a respected monk in Theravadin tradition, offers a Buddhist perspective on this
turbulent situation, "We have to find a careful balance between carelessness and craziness. We should be
aware that the coronavirus is not the only dangerous virus that is spreading in our society. Fear is also harming
our minds and affecting our humility, causing us to become selfish and to look down on those who are
infected. Therefore, recognizing that we need to act to prevent COVID-19 from infecting our body, we should
also ensure that we prevent our fear of COVID-19 from infecting our mind. Let’s support each other on both
levels. This situation has great potential to help each of us to reduce our selfish behaviors and attitudes and
increase our generosity in support of each other. We need to stay connected and encourage people to express
their goodness from within, which ultimately helps others."[200]
Unitarian Universalism
The national office of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations is strongly recommending that
congregations plan for ongoing virtual gathering and operations through May 2021. This will apply to
worship, events, committee meetings, staff meetings, one-on-one visits, rites of passage, and more. While
smaller gatherings may be able to resume sooner if conditions improve, planning for virtual operations that
could continue for a full year is advisable.
Scientology
Church of Scientology representatives have said the organization practices social distancing. The Tampa Bay
Times has reported that the members of the Church's Sea Org have broken social distancing.[201][202] Rosita
Šorytė, argues against the claim that "Scientology promoted dangerous “conspiracy theories" about the
pandemic, and that Scientologists endangered public health by not respecting social distancing." The thought
that the church denied the pandemic and called it "hysteria" was based solely on a bulletin published by the
church called Inspector General Network Bulletin. The church in fact provided sound advice to prevent
infection and maintain health during the COVID-19 crisis, while also cancelling all church gatherings. A
bulletin published by the Church of Scientology on the pandemic quoted L. Ron Hubbard who believed in the
motto that "an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure." The church stated in the bulletin, "How about a ton
of prevention so as not to require an ounce of cure?"[203]
Scientology's Volunteer Ministers have offered to provide decontamination services in various places,
including South Africa[204] and Utah.[205] In Cape Town, the Department of Social Development issued a
clarification to residents that The Church had not been authorized to render sanitizing services after scammers
had been misrepresenting themselves as Volunteer Ministers to gain access to people's homes.[206]
The Church continues to operate within its headquarters in Los Angeles while adopting precautionary
measures.[207]
Druze
Ziyarat al-Nabi Shu'ayb is a Druze festival called Ziyara celebrated between 25 and 28 April which is
officially recognized in Israel as a public holiday.[208][209] Mowafaq Tarif the current spiritual leader of the
Druze community in Israel, announced that the traditional festivities of the Ziyarat al-Nabi Shu'ayb were
canceled for the first time in the history of the Druze community.[210]
Legal issues
While many religious organizations suspended in-person services, activities and events,[16][211] some
gatherings happened despite advice or regulations to not meet in large groups.[212][213][214][215] Some
governments exempted religious organizations from the requirements on the number people allowed to be
present at in-person gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.[216]
United States
The First Liberty Institute, a non-profit legal firm based in the United
States, has issued guidance for religious institutions related to the
suspension of their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
California reported over 100,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus

(COVID-19) and more than 4,000 deaths. To protect public health, Muslims, wearing face masks gather
the state ordered that nonessential retail and worship services halt for for the Eid al Adha prayer in
more than two months. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Indonesia.
Democrat, issued an order limiting congregations to the lower of 100
attendees or 25% of capacity. South Bay United Pentecostal Church
sued to remove the limits, stating that its services typically attract 200 to 300 congregants. Noting that "Similar
or more severe restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings, including lectures, concerts, movie
showings, spectator sports and theatrical performances, where large groups of people gather in close proximity
for extended periods of time," the United States Supreme Court upheld the state's right to impose limits on
congregations as well as secular activities in the protection of public health. The Court held that
"Although California's guidelines place restrictions on places of worship, those restrictions appear
consistent with the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment... "[217]
In April 2020, the United States Justice Department stated that the "government may not impose social
restrictions on religious activity that do not also apply to similar nonreligious activity" in response to the
citation of Temple Baptist Church members in Greenville, Mississippi for holding parking lot worship services.
The congregants listened to the church sermon over car radios while remaining in their cars. The Greenville
churchgoers were fined $500 per person. The Justice Department emphasized religious freedom in the
response of any state of local government to their COVID-19 responses and sided with the church.[218][219]
In July 2020, a federal judge blocked religious restrictions in New York State where they were limited to 25%
while others operated at 50%.[220][221] Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio were sued
by Jewish and Christian groups alleging religious discrimination.[222][223][224] In October, Mayor Bill de
Blasio apologized to the Orthodox Jewish community for his handling of the pandemic.[225] On Thanksgiving
Eve, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked additional religious restrictions imposed by Cuomo for areas with high
infection rates.[226][227][228][229] Cuomo described the decision as "irrelevant" and "really more an
opportunity for the court to express its philosophy and politics."[230][231]
China
The government of China, which upholds a policy of state atheism, used the COVID-19 pandemic to continue
its antireligious campaigns, demolishing Xiangbaishu Church in Yixing and removing a Christian cross from
the steeple of a church in Guiyang County.[232][233] In the Shandong, "officials issued guidance forbidding
online preaching, a vital way for churches to reach congregants amid both persecution and the spread of the
virus".[232][233]
Research
On 8 March 2020 Italian scholars of law and religion at the Association of Academics of the Legal Regulation
of the Religious Phenomenon started a research project, coordinated by Professo Pierluigi Consorti of the
University of Pisa. They set up a website for collecting documents and brief comments about religion, law and
the COVID-19 emergency.[234]
See also
List of events affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on politics
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on science and technology
Travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
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External links
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tory/opinion/2020/03/12/power-prayer-deal-reduce-coronavirus-anxiety-covid-19-column/50144
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A Sunday Without Church: In Crisis, a Nation Asks, 'What is Community?' – The New York
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p-easter)
Attorney General William P. Barr Issues Statement on Religious Practice and Social Distancing
(https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-issues-statement-religious-pract
ice-and-social-distancing-0)
Love your neighbour: Islam, Judaism and Christianity come together over COVID-19 (https://w
ww.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/religions-covid-19-coronavirus-collaboration/)
How Are Major Religions Responding to the Coronavirus? (https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/how-are-
major-religions-responding-coronavirus)
Covid-19 related information from World Council of Churches (https://www.oikoumene.org/en/re
sources/documents/covid-19)
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Impact of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Religion: Religions

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Impact of The COVID-19 Pandemic On Religion: Religions

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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion

Response and impact

According to a Gallup report by Frank Newport "the most dramatic

Food and medical assistance and social justice work

Many Episcopal and Catholic dioceses have recommended older

Referencing the Christian doctrine of the Body of Christ, Anglican

Digital church services

The point of lament, woven thus into the fabric of the

The Vatican announced that Holy Week observances in Rome, which

Markus Blümel from the Catholic Social Academy of Austria

Across Europe, church leaders urged "solidarity and prudence" in

Serbian Orthodox Church

Independent Eastern Orthodoxy

Shincheonji Church of Jesus

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Many gatherings related to the Jewish celebrations of Purim and

Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein suspended South Africa Synagogues.[169]

Other religious leaders called for introspection and improvement.[171]

The festival of Panguni Uthiram, which is usually associated with

On 9 March, thousands of devotees participated in Attukal pongala, a

California reported over 100,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Impact_of_the_COVID-

This page was last edited on 25 March 2021, at 00:46 (UTC).

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