UNITED NATIONS, May 13 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on religious leaders to play a key role in limiting the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the recovery from it.
“We know from previous public health crises — from HIV/AIDS to Ebola — that the actions of faith leaders influence people’s values, attitudes, behaviours and actions,” he said at an online meeting with leaders from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths as well as diplomats on Tuesday.
“And with this influence comes responsibility to work together, putting aside differences, and to translate our common values into action,” he said.
“We are all vulnerable — and that shared vulnerability reveals our common humanity.”
According to Johns Hopkins University, an American research institution, more than 4.2 million people worldwide have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 287,000 have died.
On March 23, Guterres called for a global cease-fire so the world can focus its attention and resources on fighting the virus. He thanked faith leaders for supporting his appeal, but said conflicts continue to rage in many places.
“To defeat this virus and build back a more sustainable and equitable world, we need communities to come together,” Guterres said.
He appealed to religious leaders to challenge false and harmful messages, and encourage all communities to promote nonviolence and reject xenophobia, racism and all forms of intolerance.
Guterres said they also have a role to play in helping fight the spread of disinformation and misinformation about COVID-19 and should use their pulpits to help promote public health guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO).
He also reminded them of their responsibility to ensure that religious activities, including worship services and funerals, comply with these measures.
The secretary-general has also appealed for domestic peace, noting that violence against women and girls has escalated as a result of lockdowns and the stress on husbands and fathers from the loss of jobs and incomes.
“This is in violation of principles common to every faith, and I appeal to religious leaders to categorically condemn such acts and support shared principles of partnership, equality, respect and compassion,” Guterres said.
“Partnership also means ensuring women’s equal voice and representation in all spheres”, he told the virtual discussion.
He called on leaders to leverage their networks to support governments in promoting public health measures, such as physical distancing and good hygiene and to also practice these during faith-based activities, including worship services and burials.
Finally, as the world’s students are out of school, he urged faith leaders to “support the continuity of education” so that learning never stops.
UN General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande highlighted the unique role of faith, saying that it gives “hope to the hopeless” and in times of anxiety, “can be a significant source of comfort and community resilience.”
During this “unprecedented threat”, he said that religious leaders and faith-based organizations have an even greater role to play “in saving lives and mitigating the spread of the disease”.
“We look up to them to share credible information and stand up against rumours, violence, and the incitement of hate and advocate for the needs of vulnerable populations”, stressed the Assembly President.
Against the backdrop of rising poverty, heightened suffering for marginalized people, children out of school and fatalities from the coronavirus, Muhammad-Bande flagged that “unfortunately, there is no timeline for the end of this pandemic”.
“This means that we have a lot of work ahead of us”, he said calling on “faith-based organizations and religious leaders, equipped with courage and vision”, to use their moral authority to continue advocating for women’s empowerment, access to education and health facilities.
As COVID-19 related restrictions have closed churches, synagogues and mosques worldwide, he noted that many religious leaders have swiftly adapted by taking worship online. He also lauded their engagement with youth in developing messages on social media, “making them effective partners” in raising awareness on preventative measures.
High-Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Miguel Moratinos shared the Secretary-General’s call for global solidarity, underscoring the need to consider vulnerable populations and marginalized communities, as well as growing stigma and hate speech.
“In life-altering crises when people are desperate and uprooted from their lives, faith has often been their anchor and the place they turn to for consolation and hope”, he maintained, adding that “this is where the role of religious leaders come into play”.
The UNAOC chief elaborated that faith actors are deeply rooted in the communities they serve and are often first responders, saying it “was heartening to see how many religious leaders and communities of faith swiftly acted and placed themselves in the frontlines providing valuable services to their communities”.
He also acknowledged Governments and health institutions for working closely with religious leaders as millions globally had to celebrate Passover, Easter and Ramadan under lockdown to reduce coronavirus transmission.
In closing, Moratinos announced a meeting at the end of the month to, among other things “identify areas of action and concrete result-oriented initiatives that religious leaders and faith-actors can undertake in response to COVID19”.
Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, of the Catholic Church, told the gathering that the pandemic “provides the impetus for us to build bridges of friendship and fraternity”.
“Let us stay united to face current challenges”, he said.
Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Park East Synagogue in New York looked beyond the pandemic, reminding all that “every crisis and conflict comes to an end”.
As a Holocaust survivor, he recalled that the UN was established 75 years ago as “a classic example” of mankind’s history of destruction, devastation, loss of life, rebuilding, restoration and as a result of united action, “ultimately rebirth”.
“With faith, prayer and action we can build a brighter future for our children, a world of peace, love and kindness”, he stressed.
Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary General of Morocco’s Rabita Mohammadia of Oulemas, who spoke on behalf of the Islamic faith, called for solidarity, unity and fraternity in this time of global suffering and uncertainty.
The organizer of the event, Moroccan Ambassador to the UN Omar Hilale, noted that “the fury with which COVID-19 fell on the world and its planetary consequences, require, more than ever, a unified and responsible message.”
“Religious leaders can play a key role in preserving human brotherhood and building more inclusive, cohesive, safer, more resilient and more united societies, especially in troubled times”, he added.
