BY FR. NICHOLAS ONYAIT MCCJ
The outbreak of the covid 19 pandemic affected every sphere of the world and every person. Manners changed, attitude and behaviors got another influence, relationships became more virtual, life was practically lived with virtual connections, physical contact was not encouraged.
There was augmentation in some areas of life; the use of social media and other apps for virtual meetings (zoom, Google Meet and WhatsApp among others) thrived during the pandemic. Ceremonies like weddings and other social gatherings were held scientifically, with a limited number of people who had proof of testing negative for Covid-19. People wore masks not to conceal their physical identity but to avoid contracting the virus and or disseminating it in case one was infected. Other sectors of life dwindled due to the effects of the pandemic, the physical shops were closed as online shopping ensued. The faith and the morals in the society were no exemption; Churches were under lock and key, and people were encouraged to pray at home. Prayers and celebration of the Eucharist was online through social media platforms, television and radio. With this behind us, efforts have been made and are still being made to try to help us to recover from the gross damage caused by the pandemic. As a path towards recovery, the department of Faith and Doctrine of the Uganda Episcopal Conference has been holding workshops in different dioceses across the country on the effects of the pandemic on faith and doctrine; sharing experiences, lessons learnt and the way forward. Fr Peter Debo, the secretary of this department and Fr Paulino Mondo, a co-opted member and one of the theologians of the episcopal conference spearheaded as facilitators.
The workshops were held in Comboni spirituality center Layibi in the beginning of August for the Dioceses of Gulu and Lira, in Eneku village in Soroti in mid-August for the Dioceses of Soroti, Jinja and Tororo, in St Joseph’s conference centre in Virika for the Diocese of Fort Portal and in Pope Paul memorial hotel in Kampala for the Diocese of Masaka and Lugazi. The workshop attracted a wide range of participants; priests and religious, catechists, teachers, married men and women, working in the health sector, councilors and ordinary people. The next phases of the workshops will cover the other remaining dioceses of Uganda.
THE ENVISAGED IMPACT OF THE WORKSHOPS
As stated in the theme of the workshop, its aim was to share experiences, know the profundity of the impact of the pandemic, try to devise means of recovery and equip the participants with necessary information and modes of preparation and readiness in case of future pandemics. The workshops envisage that the participants get improved knowledge about Covid-19 and a general understanding of its trend. It also envisioned rehabilitation of Christian life, faith and morals in the post-Covid era. The direct beneficiaries of the workshops were the individual participants, people in the pastoral field and the future generation that would benefit from the publication of the document regarding the outcome of the workshop. For pastoral agents, the workshop would help in drawing out a pastoral strategy that is realizable even in case of pandemics. In other words, the means of evangelization dictated by the Covid-19 pandemic, like the use of the internet for evangelization, are no longer options but standby necessities.
LESSONS FROM THE PANDEMIC
Covid-19 may have ravaged the world, and people may still be nursing the wounds left by it, but there have been lessons from the pandemic from which humanity has learnt. All people were affected by the pandemic, the rich, poor, women and men, children and adults, reminding us that we are all equal and we need one another. The pandemic brought the world to its knees. Although there were numerous “why” questions on death and suffering, most of the participants in these workshops appreciated the fact that people learnt that at certain moments of crisis like this, we cannot but rely on God and call on his aid. It provoked many faith-based questions, where is God? People prayed but their faith was still questioned. People prayed in their families, they yearned to reconcile with God and to entrust themselves to him. Thus, despite being in despair, they remained hopeful that God would curb the situation. Churches were closed, yet most homesteads became prayer centers where people learned to minister to themselves with the word of God. The pandemic brought a lot of progress and advancement in the modes of communication. The use of social media and the internet reached its peak during the pandemic.
Most of the innovations at the time of the pandemic persist. Some companies still have their employees work from the comfort of their homes, priests and pastors have learnt to preach the gospel online, sharing the word of God in both written and audio-visual forms. Whereas this proved efficient, it left some loopholes, especially on conferment of sacraments which requires the physical presence of the minister of sacraments. Where it brought families together and reinforced cohesion between members, some families due to frustration still experienced domestic violence. Some aspects of moral decay that had been hibernated were also exposed and so there were several issues to deal with in as far as relations and family issues are concerned. The pandemic revealed the need for emphasis on moral education especially among the youth who were made idle during the numerous complete and partial lock-downs.
Resolutions on how to improve and strengthen catholic moral teachings were urgently needed. Evidently, there was a need to re-strategize on how to restore faith and morals. In other observations, participants noted that the pandemic created a condition that deprived people of the opportunities to practice their faith freely. The need to share experiences and heal from the trauma is still necessary. The pandemic also brought in new trends like an increase in mental health cases, addictions to alcohol and drugs, spiritual decline, domestic violence, early marriages and pregnancies. People exploited others and seized opportunities meant for charity to enrich themselves, corruption increased, and logistics like masks and other protective equipment were not affordable to every ordinary person. All in all, among the lessons from the pandemic was the change in the mindset of most people. People were in lockdown, but their minds were not. Virtual communities were created that would meet online for different causes and purposes. This has remained even in the post-pandemic era.
THE WAY FORWARD
Having reflected on the effects of the pandemic and having drawn lessons from it, the participants dared to reflect on what needs to be done in case of a future pandemic. Proposals were given to strengthen the basic Christian communities as places where faith is lived and shared and to establish savings and cooperative groups that will help boost the income of people while on the other hand keeping them united.
