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Leaders of member churches in the South African Council of Churches wrote a pastoral letter to the people of South Africa, offering comfort and addressing the question of what will be the normal. “We write to say, God is with us even in these times of perplexing national pain,” reads the letter. “We applaud the scientific community, both here and at the World Health Organisation for the work they do in the face of a virus that is totally new to humanity; and we call on the nations of the world to support the WHO for the sake of all human society.”
The letter also expresses condolences to the families of those who have lost loved ones. “At this time, we address ourselves also to the anxieties of our people, the hunger, the desperation, the frustrations, and the depression that is setting in,” reads the letter. “We write to the victims of domestic violence and abuse and we write to the those who cause the pain of their loved ones in their homes.”
The letter also reflects on victims of cases of brutality that has been experienced at the hands of soldiers and police in some communities. “We write to the families of frontline workers - in the health services, the police and the military, families of people who wake up every morning to go and serve to fight the impact of the virus, leaving families perpetually anxious about the possible infection that their loved ones may bring home,” reads the letter. “We write to a nation boxed in by the double whammy of COVID-19 and the junk status of our economy.”
The letter advocates for a restructured post-COVID inclusive economy. “The lockdown regulations that prohibit our meeting in public worship feel very hard on us and our churches,” reads the letter. “We have supported suspending public worship for very practical pastoral reasons, and it is necessary to remind ourselves of that context today.”