COVID-19: We face a ‘potentially huge medical crisis’: Bishop McKeown

The church leader, speaking at Mass in St Eugene’s Cathedral, said many people feared the NHS would struggle to cope with a sudden wave of sick people.

He said: “We are facing a time of crisis because of the Coronavirus... It is also a crisis for the economy that we have been told could deliver all sorts of wonderful dreams. But the economy depends on people

working to earn money which they spend to pay people who are working. If that cycle is broken, the apparently all-powerful ‘buy-buy sell-sell treadmill’ begins to squeak and shudder.

“This is also a crisis for a culture that has been accustomed to permanent entertainment and noise. Self-isolation, an end to news about the fantasy world of sports stars and much more silence – these threaten the lifestyle that has kept us ‘distracted from distraction by distraction’. The ‘me’ culture is threatened when ‘my right to choose’ is challenged. There will be many who feel very disorientated when they discover how shallow that lie is.”

Bishop McKeown said the challenge for the Church was to see “how we can speak of hope into a crisis of

uncertainty that we face”.

“Firstly, we have to look after the physical needs and health of those who are most in danger. That means taking precautions so as not to spread the virus in churches - and looking out for people who need extra help in their own homes. We are invited to be thoughtful and generous. This is not a time for selfishness.

“Secondly – like in the YouTube videos of Italians singing from their balconies - we have to be creative so that we can laugh together in the face of the fear that threatens to overwhelm many people. Life is already precarious in many homes without this extra threat. Communities can support one another. As the Samaritan

woman in the Gospel discovered, a few of the right words can make all the difference.”

He told Mass-goers that difficult timew were a call to renewed prayer and penance.

“Despite current or future bans of gatherings of over 100, this is a time to pray alone and with others in our homes. Help children to pray in their own houses. Counteract the wave of frightening news that is coming at them from every side. Listen to their worries and concerns.”

Bishop McKeown said he was encouraging all parishes in the diocese to keep their churches open for prayer and to provide opportunities for counselling and the Sacrament of Reconciliation or the Stations of the Cross.

“Webcams offer a great means to beam prayer into people’s homes throughout the day,” he added. “Outdoor grottos can be great places for people to gather on a daily basis to pray the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I know from walking around here in Derry that lots of people want to stop and talk, to ask advice or ask for prayers. I know that our generous priests will do their best to be available and visible, offering time and the chance to pray. There are lots of people who... want support.”