Cyprus Mail 7 April 2020 -by George Psyllides
Archbishop Chrysostomos
Archbishop Chrysostomos called on the faithful on Tuesday to realise the potential impact of the coronavirus pandemic and work together to stop its spread, even if it meant not going to church during Easter.
In a message on Tuesday, ahead of the holy week that precedes Easter on April 19, the archbishop said he hoped God would allow spectacular results for the better so that people would be allowed to go to church.
“However, what we should pay attention to and which must be our objective, is for all of us to work together and contribute with all the power of our soul … towards stopping the spread of the pandemic on out island and the rest of the world,” the archbishop said.
He said people should fight for three reasons; so as not to mourn more lives because of the virus and to be able as soon as possible to exercise religious rights and take part in the services.
“The third reason is to prevent a large-scale economic crisis which will cause many dead ends; people will lose their jobs and many brothers will go bankrupt and hungry,” he said. “In such case, neither the state not the Church or any other power will be in position to tackle this difficult situation. And that is why I reiterated that we must all realise the scale of the effects of the pandemic and work not just for our own good but for our brothers and country.”
Chrysostomos said he understood that many people were struggling with their conscience over missing the mass during the holy week and Easter but what mattered was the person who had true and pure love for God could pray anywhere, either confined at home, or in caves, or deserts and mountains like anchorites and saints.
“If we truly love God and by extend our fellow humans, who are God’s image, our aim should be stopping the pandemic in our country.”
