AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - Bishop Sipuka: "Let us not be discouraged by the Covid pandemic that, like Herod, tries to transform joy into pain, but it will not win"

Johannesburg (Agenzia Fides) - "As heaven and earth united when Jesus was born, more than ever in this COVID-19 period God is calling us to solidarity" says His Exc. Mgr. Sithembele Anton Sipuka, Bishop of Umtata and President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), in a statement on the consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic.
Mgr. Sipuka says that drugs for Covid-19, including vaccinations, "must be made available to everyone in a fair and affordable way". "God is making us realize that regardless of nationality, wealth, class, race and age we are all brothers and sisters and invited to care for each other".
The President of SACBC compares the Covid-19 pandemic to King Herod "who tried to change the joyful mood of the birth of Christ expressed in the song of angels and shepherds by seeking to kill the child Jesus. Similarly, the Coronavirus is bent on making this season of joy a sorrowful season by destroying lives and making it hard for people to earn a living".
"As the wise men outsmarted Herod and went back home on a different route, God has given us the intelligence to outsmart this virus in three simple ways: wearing the mask, washing our hands and keeping safe distance", recalls Mgr. Sipuka.
The Bishop launches an appeal to young people "who appear impatient with COVID-19 health protocols and are becoming ‘super spreaders’ of the virus. "For the love of life and for the common good, let us undertake this temporal sacrifice of moderating our festive celebration " because "Christ is present among us even as we celebrate His birth in smaller circles of families and friends than in huge crowds and in a less extravagant way than we usually do". (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 18/12/2020)

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