Necro politics, pandemic and the Prophetic mission

Christians from 80 countries join Ash Wednesday prayer for peace

Ash Wednesday at St. Patrick Cathedral in El Paso (KFOX14/CBS4)

Over 3,000 Christians heard personal testimonies from Ukrainian pastors and parishioners living in besieged towns and cities and Lenten reflections when they joined in an online ecumenical service of lament, prayer and solidarity with Ukraine on Ash Wednesday.

In her introductory words, Rev. Anne Burghardt, Lutheran World Federation (LWF) General Secretary decried the “horrors of war and displacement” and said: “A pall of ashes covers Ukraine. The claim of God calls humanity into responsibility: Where is your brother, Cain? We want to shout this claim into the hearts and minds of those responsible for all this violence.”

Reflecting on the need to beat “swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks (Micah 4:3)”, Hanns Lessing, World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) Acting General Secretary affirmed the commitment of the world communions gathered for the event to supporting the churches in Ukraine, and spoke of the calling of all churches to the task of peace-making.

Those present heard personal testimonies from Mykola Danilevich from Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate, in the capital Kyiv, who said that up to 80 people are sheltering underground in his parish each night to escape from the bombings. Pastor Alexey from the Mennonite church in the south-eastern port city of Berdyansk showed empty streets and closed shops, saying that fuel has been rationed and there are concerns about the availability of food and medicine if the conflict continues. The service continued with a plea for Christians to bring hope through prayers and action at this time of crisis, and concluded with a time of intercessory prayers that extended beyond Ukraine to other war-torn countries including Myanmar, Syria, Ethiopia and the Tigray region, Yemen, Armenia, and South Sudan.

Proclaiming the good news in word and action towards transformation

By Sigamoney Shakespeare

“ because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals- they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and push the afflicted our of the way…”

Amos 2:6,7a

“. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10b

Pandemic and the silencing of the Other

The prophetic tradition in the Bible calls the people of God to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in action so that the world is filled with the knowledge of God thereby transforming unjust structures. This article examines how the Covid-19 pandemic has strengthened authoritarian political structures and unjust economic structures, and almost silenced these prophetic voices.

Pandemic and the danger of monologism | Silencing religious societies

In some cases, the pandemic conveniently became a situation where only the voice of the powerful institutions was heard while other voices were silenced. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, social and religious life came to a standstill. Community gatherings, festivals, and celebrations gradually closed. Social interactions became minimal, affecting horizontal communication among the common people. On the other hand, the government and other powerful organizations became the major voices that were heard. Vertical communication grew stronger without any voice to confront it, thus becoming a dominant narrative without dialogue.

Religious bodies went quiet and in some countries, religious organisations were forced to shut down. When cases of transmission were found in religious organizations, it appeared on the media. This portrayal of places of worship as dangerous places created fear in the minds of people and affected the image of religious institutions.

At one point of time, people working in offices returned to work, and crowds visited huge shopping malls, dining together in restaurants which were back in full swing. At a later stage, even night clubs were opened. In short, everything was back to normal, yet the fear of transmission in places of worship remained and restrictions continued to be imposed on them. Human beings need more than food and money to survive a pandemic, when they are helpless, lonely, and struggling with finances and the fear of death. Religious life is essential for any society, and religion gives hope that surpasses human understanding in hopeless situations. Sadly, the voice of the religious communities has been suppressed by political institutions, diminishing the space for dialogue.

Besides religious societies, the voices of social movements and human rights organizations were also suppressed during the pandemic, with humans rights activists unable to gather for demonstrations against political institutions. For example, the military junta in Myanmar killed activists and civilians who rose up and demonstrated against the military dictatorship. The Christian community in Myanmar was persecuted, with churches attacked, pastors kidnapped and killed. Innocent civilians including women and children became refugees, making perilous journeys enroute to uncertain freedom. News of these killings gained little attention globally as international leaders were occupied with and focused on dealing with the pandemic. Voices of dissent were silenced in the Philippines as well, with church leaders who were human rights activists facing persecution.

In Russia, voices opposing the Ukraine conflict were suppressed violently, similar to what mainstream media did during the conflict in Iraq, Syria and Palestine where millions of innocent lives were lost.

| Silencing indigenous voices to exploit nature

In some nations, natural resources were exploited for political expediency. While the world was in a panic, safety measures that were in place to check the exploitation of nature were removed, and some governments passed laws to gain absolute power over all the natural resources, which would otherwise have not been possible. Indigenous communities who were saving forests and mountains as their ancestral lands were alienated and their voices suppressed so that companies could take over these resources.

For more than a year during the pandemic, farmers in India protested against new farm laws passed to allow corporations control over the farming sector. Although this was later repealed, farmers who were breadwinners died in the protests, shattering communities. The church is called to stand up to protect nature not only for ecological reasons but also because nature reflects the image of God.

| Silencing the cries of small businesses

Many small businesses folded during the two years of pandemic without revenue to pay rent, in Seoul and cities elsewhere. Large corporations seized this opportunity to acquire shops and businesses cheaply, monopolising the market. With “survival of the fittest” as the principle of capitalism, the cries of small, struggling business owners in brutal economic systems are drowned out by large-scale advertising of large business.