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Religious leaders confess they are struggling to answer the question: ‘Why is God letting this happen?’
'Ever since 1945, we’ve been living in the post-war era, and from 2020 onwards, I believe that we’ll be living in the post-virus era'
Religious leaders have admitted they are struggling to answer the question: ‘Why is God letting this happen?’ when asked about coronavirus.
In an unprecedented Zoom chat between the leaders of the Catholic, Anglican and Jewish faiths, they praised technology for allowing people to remain connected during the pandemic.
However they also discussed philosophical and religious dilemmas during the 23 minute conversation, which was recorded earlier this week and uploaded to Youtube earlier today.
The Pope’s representative in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, and the Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, were speaking ahead of next week, which will bring with it Passover, one of the major Jewish festivals, and Holy Week for Christians, which marks the build up to Easter.
All religious buildings have been ordered to close under the new government guidelines, and much of the celebrations for Christians and Jews will take place online, as the religious leaders joked in their Zoom chat that regular conversations were taking place “in a bit of a different way than usual”.
Rabbi Mirvis said that “we’re living through momentous times” adding that “ever since 1945, we’ve been living in the post-war era, and from 2020 onwards, I believe that we’ll be living in the post-virus era”.
The Most Rev Welby added that “there’s so much good news amidst the darkness”, with “people wanting to be in touch with each other”.
It was Cardinal Nichols, however, who revealed the toll that the pandemic was taking on religious leaders, adding that he was “struggling” to answer questions about the role of God in times of crisis.
“I do, I must admit, sometimes struggle with people's question of ‘where is God in all of this?’ ‘Why is god letting this happen?’”
The President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales said that there are lessons to learn, with the national lockdown revealing the “really important things in life, and this is a summons to all of us to live more closely to the crucial things, and not worry too much about the superficial things”.
“And I think for all three of us - and for me - who wants to proclaim my belief in God, that problem, we have to not be afraid of saying, this is a challenge from God. It’s a challenge that’s arisen out of the events of the world.
“Science helps us to solve it, but science alone won't do it and nor is our faith opposed to that science. I can't say, ‘I believe in God therefore I’ll ignore the evidence’. No, it’s science, reason, and faith working together in a very important way.”
However Cardinal Nichols also praised the role of technology in keeping people connected.
“I’m amazed at the creativity of so many groups and individuals,” he said. “There’s a kind of burgeoning of spirituality, a burgeoning of helping each other to pray and we are hugely benefitting from these remarkable internet facilities.
“It’s the house church of the early church combined with the technology of the twenty-first-century, and for once the technology looks unambiguously positive just in this period, and I'm just astonished at the creativity and the richness and the inventiveness of so many things that are on offer to help us.”