South Africa – Source: EWN
The KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council has called on religious institutions to ensure that all safety measures are adhered to before any service or funeral takes place.
The council said that it was concerned that many citizens appeared to have let their guard down despite a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases.
It said that all religious institutions must begin using their influence to raise awareness about the coronavirus in a bid to save lives.
Chairperson Cardinal Wilfrid Napier said that all members of the clergy should ensure the highest level of safety for congregants.
“We ask each of them to make sure that no priest opens his church or holds a service unless he has followed to the letter every one of the safety measures that have been advised.”
He said that families needed to organise funerals with a greater sense of responsibility.
“When there is a funeral, unless the family, the local police and the pastor work together before the funeral takes place, those funerals are turning into spreading machines for the virus.”
Napier said that religious leaders must also guard against the spread of conspiracy theories within their institutions and prioritise sharing facts on the coronavirus as advised by the Health Department.
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