A new wave of COVID-19 has hit India. Hundreds of thousands of people have died as result of this fresh wave. ACN recently spoke with the Archbishop of Bhopal in central India about how the Church is responding to this crisis.

By ACN Staff

India has been hit very hard by a new wave of COVID-19. India is home to around 68 million Christians. Christians often come from the poorer lower classes of Indian society, and are frequently mistreated and discriminated against. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) spoke with Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal about the current situation in India and how the Church is responding to the crisis.

The archbishop gave a general update of the situation is his archdiocese:

“The situation is dire. When the world was hit by the first wave of COVID-19 it affected Europe and the US more severely than India. The people and the political leadership became careless. We were completely caught off guard by the second wave. Bhopal, the seat of my bishopric, and the city of Indore are among the areas hardest hit in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Both cities have been in lockdown for almost seven weeks. All of the hospitals are filled to capacity. Medicines and oxygen are scarce. To date, more than 300,000 people have died of COVID-19. However, the unofficial figures are much higher; some observers even believe them to be ten times as high! After all, many people who contracted the virus remained at home and died there.”

Archbishop Cornelio explains that the Church is responding to the current circumstances. Priests are encouraged to stay in regular contact with their parishioners and offer help in what ways they can. The local Church is distributing food packages to poorer families. The distribution is done by “Small Christian Communities”, a lay movement that is popular in India.

India has seen the rise of Hindu nationalism in recent decades. This has to led to division in India along religious lines. Despite this, the India Government is very aware that the Catholic Church is extremely important in India, particularly in caring for the poor and providing education and healthcare. The archbishop hopes that the pandemic will help bring Indians together and mend recent tensions:

“The pandemic has brought the people of India closer together again. In Bhopal and in other places the people have joined forces to supply food, shelter, medical aid and many other things. Even though the Catholic Church represents a small minority, we were involved right from the beginning. Our parishes distributed food packages, face masks and disinfectants to people in need. We set up a quarantine station in the pastoral centre of our diocese to shelter and care for the destitute. An Indian proverb says, “Do your duty without expectation of reward”. We are confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

The archbishop wished to pass on his thanks to ACN’s benefactors. According to the archbishop this aid “has made it possible for us to meet each other and experience God’s benign mercy and assistance”. ACN will continue to help the Church India and other parts of the world. If you wish to help us in our work please consider making a donation and join us in prayer for the relief of suffering Christians around the world.