2 minute read
The Brazilian Church’s Response to Covid -19
by USPG
19 I ISSUE 2 2020
our Diocese has four social outreach initiatives... two of these are linked to USPG
(Excerpts from a presentation given at USPG’s first Partners in Global Mission webinar, which took place on 4 june 2020). The diocese of Rio de Janeiro is located in the southeast region of Brazil. Some 92 million people live in this region, about 48 percent of Brazil’s population. Many major Brazilian cities are located here, including Rio and Belo Horizonte. The southeast region is considered to be the economic and cultural heart of Brazil. Covid-19 reached Brazil in the early days of February. We were aware of what was coming, but the official statements from our government were based on denial and an underestimation of the disease. ‘It’s just like a simple cold,’ our president said several times. He also fired two Ministers of Health in two months. The ministerial position is still vacant as I write (early in June). Our healthcare system has collapsed. meets for a couple of hours, during which we all share experiences from our nine dioceses. We suspended all services on 17 March, with a view to re-examining the situation on 17 June. Every state has made its own decisions regarding when public spaces should reopen. The Church has been doing more and more of its outreach and ministry work online – mainly via webinars and social media platforms. We created YouTube channels and an online crisis office. Our WhatsApp groups are now active 24 hours a day.
Christ The Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Photo: Herbert Flores, WallpaperFlares
Our diocese has four social outreach initiatives currently in place. Two of those are linked to USPG at Cidade de Deus, where we have been preparing food to distribute to homeless people. Another programme is training young people from the slum areas to become athletes. Many of the other dioceses have also started feeding programmes for destitute people in their areas. Unemployment has risen since the pandemic began, and the need for programmes like these has risen accordingly as more people struggle to
The Brazilian Church’s response to Covid -19
The Rt Rev’d Eduardo Coelho Grillo, Bishop of Rio de Janeiro, and the Rev’d Inamar de Souza
feed their families. In Santo Antônio da Patrulha, Anglican women’s organisations have teamed up with parishioners from St Matthew’s Parish to collect food supplies and purchase fabric rolls to make face masks and lab coats. The parish was invited to join the Local Solidarity Committee, which is composed of municipal bodies, NGOs and private companies. The parish is involved in combating gender-based violence against women, and we have a safe house in the north of Brazil. It is in a secret location and welcomes women fleeing domestic abuse. The parish also supports the Guarani de Maquiné indigenous community. So far, this community has not yet been affected by Covid-19, but food is scarce, so the parish has organised feeding programmes for them too.
