Cape Town - A strange silence will permeate churches throughout the country and many parts of the world this Easter Weekend as the holiest days on the Christian calendar are celebrated in the midst of the deadliest pandemic since the Spanish Flu of 1918.
For countless churches and their congregations, it will be a not so Good Friday as churches have to close their doors, with national lockdowns prohibiting gatherings and ordering people to adhere to physical distancing.
Dean of St George’s Cathedral Father Michael Weeder said: “People have become out of reach. Easter season, I believe, is a consolidation, however this time without the happiness and gatherings of others within the church.”
Weeder holds mass via live streams on Facebook because he believes congregants should use this opportunity to stay connected to their faith.
“Too often we become reliant on the priest or pastor, and the believer has to dig within himself. This crisis compels us to go our own way,” he said.
Dean Michael Weeder live streams the sermons to his congregation. Photographer: Armand Hough/African News Agency(ANA)
Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba said: “Our clergy in churches from St George’s Cathedral to St Cyprian’s, KwaLanga, are adapting their Good Friday services in many innovative ways, including through Facebook, WhatsApp, Zoom and other platforms. We all obviously regret not being with one another physically, but on the other hand this crisis is forcing us to catch up with the modern world of young people in how we are the church.”
Some churches around the world have decided to make use of social media, while others have decided to pre-record services and upload them on to YouTube.
Church gatherings of more than 50 people are prohibited during the lockdown.
Executive director of Freedom of Religion South Africa, Michael Swain, said: “Many have completely reconfigured the way they interact with one another, and practically exercise their faith in this time. However, it is critical to remember that although these are exceptional restrictions under exceptional circumstances, freedom of religion, expression, association and assembly remain fundamental rights that are constitutionally protected. This is why any restrictions must be carefully crafted, closely monitored and regularly reviewed to ensure they are proportional and fulfilling their intended purposes, not going further than what is absolutely necessary at the time.
“Assuming the current restrictions are extended beyond the initial three-week period, we urge the government to consider the valuable contribution the religious community can offer to support efforts to help ordinary people make it through the lockdown. Many people are falling through the gaps of currently permitted structures, who evidently are not able to offer any form of spiritual guidance and comfort. Pastors of congregations know which families need help, and where they live, so are well placed to do targeted interventions to meet both practical and spiritual needs.”
ACDP leader Reverend Kenneth Meshoe said: “Our main concern as the ACDP are the people in the informal settlements who do not have access to these sermons online. What ministers must remember is that this is only an interim measure, not permanent.”
Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University, Professor Reggie Nel, said: “I think these measures are creative and illustrate the adaptability of Christian communities, but more so it speaks of the need also for faith communities to be responsive to their context and the times we are living in. It is about finding new forms to express the universal message of liberation, sacrificial love, grace, care and justice. This is a time to gather in new forms to continue the message of Easter.”
General secretary of The South African Council of Churches, Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, said: “This (lockdown) may exacerbate domestic tensions in families, with an increase of domestic violence and other unfortunate extremities. Elderly people, and some people with disabilities, who regularly need someone to come from outside to assist them with certain essential support, will be hard-pressed to cope.”
@MarvinCharles17