#179
Supportive Faith Actor Engagement - With Noteworthy Exceptions

The crisis of vaccine inequity remains high on global agendas, albeit competing with the preludes to the Glasgow COP26 events. While religious engagement in vaccination strategies is too rarely a focus, reports from many places point to initiatives by and with faith actors to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic effectively and, specifically, to promote vaccination uptake. People still struggle with the effects of the health crisis, especially when it overlaps with economic and political issues. Resistance to vaccination, in its varying forms, is linked in many cases to religious beliefs. Challenges to government/religion relationships linked to COVID-19 emergencies take different forms, including legal and judicial challenges.
 
Interesting recent research suggests that developments during the COVID-19 pandemic have helped improve public perception of religion in the United States. More than one third of survey respondents felt that houses of worship were helpful during the health emergency. However, there are concerns that a minority of very vocal anti-vaccination faith actors could jeopardize overall attitudes towards religious communities. This mixed picture is illustrated by the following two examples. A Pew Research Centre study found that in the United States, Latino Catholics are among the most vaccinated religious groups, thanks to the pro-vaccine engagement of Pope Francis and of Catholic religious leaders in the United States and Latin America. On the other hand, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for Military Services in the U.S., publicly defended religious exemptions from vaccine mandates for military personnel, which go against both Church commentary and public policy. 
 
As the health emergency slowly recedes, religious groups around the world are resuming their normal activities. In the worst affected country in the Middle East, Iran, the first main public Friday prayer in 20 months was celebrated. Latter-day Saints missionaries in Italy, having adapted their work during lockdown (e.g. by conducting some of it online and by concentrating on learning the local language) are now engaging in more in-person activities and putting the lessons learned during the pandemic into practice. However, some activities have not yet regained their pre-pandemic crowds. In Burkina Faso, the COVID-19 impact has even reached sacred crocodiles.
 
On World Mission Day, the Vatican released census data from 2019 showing that, compared to 2018, Catholicism was growing in all continents except Europe, representing a total of 17.7% of the world population. While figures might have changed as a result of the pandemic, these results have led the Vatican to emphasize the importance of missionary work today. In the words of Pope Francis, “the call to mission is not a thing of the past,” and the global health emergency has shown the need “to go forth to the peripheries of our world as messengers and agents of compassion.” In line with the pope’s appeal, Global Sisters Report published a detailed account of the COVID-19 situation in Latin America. Based on several reports and direct testimonies, this resource warns that the decline in infection numbers does not reflect the gravity of the situation for people living in Central and South America. In particular, it helps the reader understand how the health crisis is related to economic and political issues such as poverty, inequality, and tendencies towards authoritarianism in the region.
 
Last week WHO and Religions for Peace hosted the first track in the global conference “Strengthening National Responses to Health Emergencies: WHO, Religious Leaders, Faith-based Organizations, Faith Communities and National Governments.” Four webinars took place regarding spiritual care during times of crisis. Panelists from around the world - including those working as chaplains, in palliative care, providing spiritual and mental health care, and responding to closing places of worship - shared experiences and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. The important role faith leaders, organizations, and communities have played during this critical time was clearly emphasized. The conference continues on November 3 with sessions on models of country collaboration and an overview of the WHO Strategy for Engaging Religious Leaders, Faith-Based Organizations and Faith Communities in Health Emergencies. Registration for upcoming sessions is still open and recordings of past sessions can be accessed from the conference website. 

Meanwhile, the Religious Responses to COVID-19 project has entered a new phase as it develops a new website to facilitate the consultation of all the resources included in the repository. Through a collaboration with the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD) and Data Science for Sustainable Development (DSSD), this project will allow anyone to search the database using categories like religious tradition, geographical area, language, date of publication, and a number of thematic areas (e.g. mental health, misinformation, adapting religious gatherings, etc.).