In a Palm Sunday joint statement, the four main churches pay tribute to frontline health workers

In a joint statement yesterday, the leaders of the Church of Ireland and the Methodist, Roman Catholic, and Presbyterian Churches spoke of how health workers have “chosen to walk towards the danger”.

The church leaders paid tribute as they issued a call to prayer for the beginning of Holy Week.

“We want to thank everyone in our health and social care services and those working on the frontline, for their courage as they work selflessly to minimise the suffering caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” the senior clergymen said.

“Alongside our chaplains and pastoral teams, they have chosen to walk towards the danger for our sake.

“We owe it to them to play our part in limiting the spread of this virus by staying home and practising social distancing when we need to go out.”

The Church leaders said: “In the midst of this suffering, however we can see many signs of hope.

“The speed with which local communities, involving churches, community groups, charities, businesses and other local community leaders, who have mobilised in response to this unprecedented challenge, has been a great reassurance to many.”

Each of the Churches held virtual services for Palm Sunday yesterday.

Churches across the UK and Ireland are continuing to broadcast services digitally in the lead-up to Easter, with more than 1,000 livestreams taking place on a regular basis.

In the Church of Ireland’s Drumbeg Parish, for example, special Holy Week services will be broadcast online on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter.

The Catholic Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin led a gentle reading and prayerful meditation on the Passion narrative in Matthew’s gospel in an online broadcast yesterday afternoon.

The Palm Sunday service was the third to be broadcast on national Church of England channels since the suspension of public worship in church buildings due to the coronavius outbreak.

A national service broadcast by the Archbishop of Canterbury last week, which also featured on BBC Radio 4 and local radio stations, attracted around five million listeners and viewers.

On Sunday, the Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, marked the start of Holy Week and Easter with a sermon from his home in Salford.

During the service, he spoke of the support and comfort being drawn from events, such as virtual church services, and campaigns like the Clap For Carers to thank NHS workers.

At York Minster, meanwhile, worship and prayers for Holy Week and Easter will be entirely digital for the first time in the cathedral’s 800-year history with a series of audio mini-services.

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