COVID-19: “Every death is a lament”

Leadership of Brazilian church sends pastoral letter

(LWI) - The leadership of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB) has expressed deep concern about the increase in deaths from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which is sweeping the country. They have issued a call to action in a pastoral letter to slow the spread of the virus.

While the rate of infection is going down in many countries, Brazil is still devastated by infections and deaths due to COVID-19. COVID-19 data trackers indicate that more than 40,000 people have died and infections are nearing the million marker.

The World Health Organization has reported that the Americas are home to five out of 10 of the countries with the highest numbers of new COVID-19 cases since 1 June 2020: the United States, Brazil, Peru, Chile and Mexico. 

The church leaders wrote that the peak of the pandemic has not yet been reached in Brazil. They called congregations to action and prayer asking members to “pray and to contain the pandemic, reduce suffering,” and maintain a responsible attitude towards life. "We cannot avoid the pandemic,” they wrote, “but we can act to prevent it from being so destructive.”

The church leadership urged the members of the IECLB to listen to scientists, learn from the experiences in other countries and take adequate measures to curb the spread of the illness and prevent loss of life from COVID-19.

Furthermore, they urged the church to remember that numbers are not just data and statistics. “Behind each number is a life, and therefore each death is a lament.”

Earlier this month the IECLB launched an “Action and Prayer” campaign, inviting members to share a prayer or Bible verse expressing comfort and hope. "Share an action to contain the pandemic and reduce suffering," using social media to record that faith commitment, express your repentance, your solidarity and your hope in Christ," they wrote.

Read the original letter (Portuguese)

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