Fallout for Faith Groups Covid-19 and Sri Lanka

7 I ISSUE 2 2020

By The Rt Rev’d Dhiloraj Ranjit Canagasabey, Former Bishop of Colombo Diocese, the Church of Ceylon

At the time of writing (June), my country Sri Lanka is gradually returning to a semblance of ‘normal’ life after nearly two months of lockdown.

Sri Lanka is a developing, middle-income country with limited emergency healthcare capacities and a lack of protective and other equipment. The lockdown has had a drastic effect on people’s livelihoods and the country’s economy, already under huge strain following the Easter Day terrorist bombings of 2019.

The fallout for faith groups

The ban on gatherings stopped worship services in churches, temples, mosques and kovils since late March. At diocesan level, I asked our clergy to fall in line with government guidelines but to keep church buildings open for individual prayer. Many clergy quickly took advantage of the wide use of smartphones, tablets and so on to record and distribute Sunday Eucharist celebrations, messages, reflections and prayers. Pastoral visits took place via telephone - especially for the elderly who sometimes do not have access to the Internet or smartphones.

Our response

The Board of Social Responsibility (BSR) of the diocese began to assess need and provide relief assistance through its regional structures, mainly through providing grocery packs and other essential household items. To date we have been able to reach out to about 3,000 families and individuals. The other boards and committees of the Diocese, engaged in outreach ministries such as the Youth Movement, the Mothers’ Union, the Board of Christian Education or prayer ministry while using electronic media for their regular activities, have also either joined the BSR or parishes in reaching out with material assistance to the vulnerable and needy.

Lessons for learning

As a faith community, is God wanting to tell us something through this tragedy which effectively brought the entire world to a halt? I believe so. The full stop that brought our illusions crashing down has been matched by a flowering and flourishing of nature. We dare not return to our old ways of unlimited greed and the stripping of the earth’s resources for profits for the rich and powerful.

Caring for God’s Earth

I believe that the Church, as a people of God, needs to ask itself whether we have been faithful to the biblical command to care for our fragile earth or whether we have failed to give it due emphasis. Let us as a community of believers in God the creator and sustainer, be inspired to play a lead role in advocating for a new, more balanced approach to development and the way we interact with our environment in the post-Covid world.

Sri Lanka is a developing, middle-income country

The Rt Rev’d Dhiloraj Ranjit Canagasabey Former Bishop of Colombo at Christ Church, Sri Lanka