Priest: COVID-19 not of God

A local Roman Catholic Church leader has insisted that the COVID-19 pandemic plaguing the world is not God’s doing but a result of man’s abuse of nature.

However, said Father Clement Paul, God remains present as Barbados and the rest of the world are shaken by the highly contagious virus which has killed hundreds of thousands and negatively impacted millions.

Speaking to the media following the Roman Catholic Diocese World Day of Prayer Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Jemmotts Lane, St Michael, to mark the beginning of the Season of Creation, which ends on October 4, he said he believes the deadly virus will eventually disappear.

“Everything God created is good and if there is an evil there, evil is the absence of good. Any sickness and evil around us is because we are doing something wrong, but in spite of that God is with us. We are going to conquer COVID,” he said.

“We are going to get rid of it eventually. But the important thing is that we are going to keep doing what we have to. We are going to do good things, beginning with appreciation and love for creation.”

The priest raised concern that, from his observations, Barbadians do not take care of the country as they should.

“We have raped our country by putting all kinds of fertilizers in it,” he charged.

Father Paul reminded Barbadians that this island is considered one of the most beautiful places in the world, and it must therefore be taken care of.

“So, we need to get back to our understanding that we are stewards of creation. We have been given this piece of land to enjoy and to celebrate and that’s what I want to stress today. All of creation, and especially where we live, has been given to us to enjoy and to celebrate,” he said.

During the service, flowers, fruits and produce were offered at the altar, and prayers were said, asking the Lord to bless the items as a symbol of his people’s gratitude for creation.

Father Paul said the food would be given to the poor, while the flowers would be used to decorate the altar.
(AH)