Covid-19: German Church marks day of prayer and solidarity with the sick

By Vatican News

In a letter to parishes ahead of Sunday’s Day of prayer and solidarity, the President of the German Bishops Conference, Georg Bätzing writes that , "When people live in threat and danger, pastoral care is particularly important, and we Christians must never lack charity.”

He adds that all those who have helped others and made them feel Christian hope during these months of crisis deserve great thanks.

The Bishop emphasizes that Catholics in Germany have learned over the years to turn their attention  to the needs of those other parts of the world.

Helping the vulnerable

"The Coronavirus,” he writes,  “often hits the poor hardest: for many of them, in fact, it is difficult to protect themselves from the virus because they have no access to health care facilities; moreover, millions and millions of people are threatened by hunger because they can no longer provide for their livelihood. Many people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe need help and should be able to count on our global ecclesial solidarity.”

Inviting the faithful to participate in this Sunday’s Day of prayer and solidarity, Bishop Bätzing asks people to mark this day in their parishes and especially during Mass.

Concluding his letter, the Bishop prays for the poor all over the world, seriously affected by the pandemic and its economic and social consequences. “Let us pray with them,” he says, “and also show them our solidarity in a very practical way, making this day's almsgiving and the fundraising campaign that accompanies it a success."

Information on the campaign is available at www.weltkirche.de/corona-kollekte and a special account has been created for donations addressed to the Church in Germany, which will use the proceeds to support its international work in the fight against the Coronavirus.