Has Italy forgotten its faithful? Closing churches due to coronavirus is wrong: opinion

For ages, the devout people of God turned to Him for rescue and mercy in times of natural disasters and epidemics. There was usually a mobilization of not only human capability, but also spiritual mobilization directed at Heaven for help.

What we are currently witnessing in some regions of Italy due to the coronavirus contradicts those teachings and does not paint a good image of the country’s Church communities.

All sorts of precautions to prevent infection are important. Yet, given the difficult situation, people searching for spiritual aid have been met with closed church doors.

Have the shepherds abandoned their flocks? Should one forget God in the face of the virus? Is it not proper for the faithful to be reminded of Him instead of being denied access to sacramental life?