Coronavirus: Church leaders praise front line health workers for ‘walking towards danger’ in Covid-19

The leaders of the Church of Ireland, Methodist Church in Ireland, Roman Catholic Church, Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the Irish Council of Churches, together with other denominations and Christian organisations, also issued a call to prayer on Palm Sunday, April 5, from 3pm-4pm.

In a statement released after a video conference on Friday, they said: “In these days when we can no longer gather and ‘be church’ in the traditional way, the call to live out the Gospel as agents of God’s mercy and compassion through the sacrifices that we make to protect the vulnerable, and by finding new ways to be Good Samaritans and good neighbours is as powerful as ever.

“To all who are suffering, have lost loved ones and are anxious in these unprecedented days, we pray that you may find strength and comfort in the loving presence of Christ who promised to be with his people always (Matthew 28:20).

“As Church Leaders, 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 (COVID-19) pandemic.

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

They called on people to stay home and practise social distancing.

In the midst of suffering, they said, signs of hope can been seen in the speed with which churches, community groups, charities and businesses have mobilised.