Christianity , United States, during the pandemic
Response and impact According to a
Gallup report by Frank Newport "the most dramatic result (in religion) has been the exceedingly quick shift of religious services from in-person to online worship." While for almost a hundred years, churches have used various communication methods to reach their audiences, such as radio, television and online media, Gallup says that the halting of in-person worship "is one of the most significant sudden disruptions in the practice of religion in U.S. history." A
Pew Research report from March 2020 reported a change in respondents' religious habits due to the pandemic. More than half of respondents said that they have "prayed for an end to the spread of coronavirus," "attended services in person less often," and "watched religious services online or on TV instead of in person."
Time magazine reported that drive-in church services have achieved a great level of attendance in the COVID-19 outbreak. As to whether the crisis had an effect on long-term personal religious life, 19% of Americans said that their faith has strengthened and only 3% said that it got worse. In the United Kingdom, Christian denominations including the Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Reformed, and Presbyterian Churches, published guidelines on adapting worship in light of the pandemic. In July 2020,
North Point Ministries—which, before the pandemic, typically hosted 30,000 churchgoers every Sunday across its seven locations in the Atlanta, Georgia area—said it would only offer services digitally through the rest of the year. The church's founder said that
contact tracing for coronavirus exposure would be impossible given the church's size. On 30 November 2020, one of the pastors at the California megachurch Water of Life died of COVID-19. He had recently been leading outdoor services.
Food and medical assistance and social justice work World Council of Churches General Secretary
Olav Fykse Tveit announced that, "This situation calls on our solidarity and accountability, mindfulness, care and wisdom... [as well as] for our signs of faith, hope and love". Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, some churches continue to operate their
food pantries that are offering bags filled with meat and toilet paper rolls for families in need. The
National Cathedral of the United States, which belongs to
the Episcopal Church, donated over five-thousand
N95 surgical masks to hospitals of Washington, D.C., which were in shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other churches, such as the
Church of the Highlands, an evangelical Christian megachurch, have offered free
COVID-19 tests in their parking lots. Some chaplains, such as Father Benito Rodríguez Regueiro, have chosen to remain on call 24/7 for COVID-19 patients. In April 2020 over 200 church and civil society organisations, including
Caritas and the
Jesuit Refugee Service, called on the government of Greece to restore access to asylum for refugees, especially the 42,000 stated to be "trapped" and living "in horrific conditions" in the Greek islands.
Social distancing observe social distancing as they attend Mass in front of
Quiapo Church in
Manila, Philippines on July 1, 2022. Many Episcopal and Catholic
dioceses have recommended older Christians to stay at home rather than attending
Mass on Sundays, which is
usually required; many churches of all Christian denominations have made
church services available via radio, online livestreaming or television while others have offered drive-in services in their church parking lots, Some Christians are using online apps, which contain prayers and
daily devotionals, to remain engaged with their faith. Many Christians traditionally observe the Christian penitential season of
Lent through the
abstinence from meat on Fridays, especially Roman Catholics, Methodists and Anglicans; the requirement to observe this custom was lifted by some Roman Catholic bishops amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which partially coincided with Lent in 2020. The liturgies normally held during
Holy Week (especially those on
Palm Sunday,
Spy Wednesday,
Maundy Thursday,
Good Friday and
Holy Saturday), the last week of Lent, were canceled by many churches belonging to mainstream Christian denominations, including the Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, and Reformed Churches. These included the
Royal Maundy charity service done by the
monarch of the United Kingdom on Maundy Thursday. Referencing the Christian doctrine of the
Body of Christ, Anglican priest Jonathan Warren Pagán wrote that "Gathered worship in word and sacrament is therefore not an optional add-on for Christians" though the COVID-19 pandemic rendered it necessary to move to online formats for the common good. He encouraged the practice of
Spiritual Communion amidst the pandemic (especially during the Anglican service of
Morning Prayer), which has been used by Christians during times of plagues, as well as during times of
persecution, both of which have prevented Christians from gathering on the Lord's Day to celebrate the
Eucharist. The celebration of
Saint Patrick's Day, a feast day celebrating the arrival of
Christianity in Ireland, on 17 March 2020 was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, though services were still held in some churches and some parades still commenced. While many churches canceled Easter services to comply with social-distancing guidelines, others planned to continue normally. On 11 April 2020, the day before Easter Sunday, the president of the American conservative
think tank the
Claremont Institute, tweeted for "resistance and civil disobedience to an unconstitutional lockdown" so people could enjoy "free exercise of religion."
Digital church services Due to social-distancing guidelines, many churches needed to find alternatives to normal face-to-face church services and have turned to
digital church. On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis livestreamed mass from an empty
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome while the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Justin Welby broadcast his sermon from the kitchen of his flat in London. Many local churches throughout the world would look into ways of digitizing church practices, though some debated how certain liturgical practices such as communion could or could not be performed online. In rural churches where access to technology was more limited, some local churches needed to be more creative, including practices such as drive-by processions of the Blessed Sacrament. Some studies in
digital theology have highlighted an increased interest in watching and participating in online church services under lockdown. The interconnectivity promoted by digital technologies has helped promote the ability for individuals to participate in religious activities despite physical distance, including those who previously may have never set foot in a church. However, other studies have highlighted that Christians who regularly attended physical church services have been less keen to participate online, especially among millennials. By the fourth Easter of the pandemic, numerous churches had long since incorporated on-line services into their regular schedule. Although Zoom meetings and the like well-suited for meetings such as Bible study, and
Millennials and younger demographic cohorts are accustomed to on-line forms of the fellowship, the number of Catholics attending (required) weekly Mass has been estimated to have declined from 22% in 2019 to 17% by 2023.
By denomination Lutheranism Lutheran Disaster Response, the relief wing of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has provided supplies to China, whence the disease originated; these include disinfection supplies, powered air-purifying respirators, face shields, gloves, coronavirus nucleic acid detection reagents, ventilators, patient monitors, syringe pumps, infusion pumps, and food to affected areas. At Lutheran World Relief clinics in Nairobi, where multiple months of HIV medication are provided to patients, people were educated on the importance of handwashing and protective equipment has been repurposed to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anglicanism The
Church of England, the
state church, as well as other ecclesiastical provinces of the
Anglican Communion in the world such as the
Church in Wales, and the
Scottish Episcopal Church, suspended in-person worship amidst the pandemic. The
Archbishop of Canterbury led a virtual
Eucharist that was broadcast on thirty-nine BBC stations. The
Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin and
Bishop of Glendalough of the
United Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough Most Reverend
Michael Jackson has: A Prayer in the Time of the Coronavirus. In
Time magazine, Anglican theologian and University of Oxford professor
N. T. Wright characterised the COVID-19 pandemic as one that focuses on the Christian theme of
lamentation, in which both God and humanity mourn together: The
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, which belongs to the
Protestant Episcopal Diocese of New York, has volunteered itself to be turned into a field hospital for coronavirus patients, which will be cared for by
Samaritan's Purse health workers, who have offered their services. It will house over two hundred patients with the ailment. The Church of England released a statement on 5 May 2020 regarding guidelines for churches as nations around the world gradually re-open. The House of Bishops mentioned the possibility of "very limited access to church buildings for activities such as streaming of services or private prayer by clergy in their own parishes, so long as the necessary hygiene and social distancing precautions are taken". According to official statistics, Anglican churches in North America saw substantial attendance declines even after in-person services were resumed in 2021. Average Sunday attendance in the
Episcopal Church "declined 35 percent from the already-depressed levels of 2020," falling to 312,691, 43 percent below the figures for 2019, the last full year prior to the pandemic. Likewise, the
Anglican Church in North America saw attendance in 2021 roughly 30 percent lower than prior to COVID. While statistics for the
Anglican Church of Canada had not yet been released as of January 2023, Bishop
Susan Bell told the
Diocese of Niagara synod in November 2022 that congregations in that diocese were seeing worshipers return at rates of 50–65 percent and that diocesan revenue was forecast to fall by 23 percent in 2023. The church's statistician said that the decline in ACC membership (not attendance) accelerated from about 2.5 percent per year to 10 percent per year during the pandemic.
Methodism L. Jonathan Holston, bishop of the
South Carolina Annual Conference of the
United Methodist Church recommended that churches "proceed with worship services—providing increased vigilance regarding cleaning worship areas, providing hand-washing stations, and educating members about social distancing and other preventive measures." On 13 March 2020, Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church issued a statement that would be updated no later than the start of Holy Week, which directed "the local churches of any size and other ministries in the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to suspend in-person worship and other gatherings of more than 10 people for the next two weeks". In Spain, many cities canceled their
Semana Santa festivities (5–11 April)—normally large events with parades and significant tourism spending—by mid-March as a result of the pandemic; in
Seville, it was the first time that the events had been canceled since 1933. in March 2020. The Vatican announced that
Holy Week observances in Rome, which occur during the last week of the Christian penitential season of
Lent, have been canceled. In the
Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, a different approach was briefly taken as Archbishop
Alexander Sample instructed parishes to offer more masses so that each mass would be more
sparsely attended; however, tightening restrictions on public gatherings in Oregon led to even Archbishop Sample suspending public masses beginning on 17 March. By 20 March 2020, every
Roman Catholic diocese in the United States had suspended the public celebration of Mass and
dispensed with the
obligation to attend Sunday Mass; the
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the United States also suspended public Divine Liturgies, as did the
Ruthenian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Passaic. The
Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary on 20 March 2020 granted
plenary indulgences to various people affected by the coronavirus. Additionally, those who cannot receive the sacrament of the
anointing of the sick, especially those afflicted with the coronavirus, may receive a plenary indulgence by reciting prayers, especially the
Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, on their own, with the presence of a
crucifix being recommended. With social distancing restricting public celebration of the
Sacraments, many churches began looking to innovate. Some priests began offering
drive-thru confessions. A parish in
Quezon City announced an online
general absolution via live stream but cancelled the event upon discovering that the priest who absolves and the
penitent people receiving absolution must be physically in the same place. Similarly, the
Archdiocese of Kansas City attempted to allow confessions to be heard via cell phone but ran into the same issue regarding absolution. Archbishop
Leonard Blair wrote in a memo to the U.S. bishops, "With regard to Penance, it is clear that the Sacrament is not to be celebrated via cell phone." ,
Archbishop of Braga wearing a protective mask during
Pentecost Mass in May 2020 By mid-March the
Maronite Church in Lebanon authorized the reception of the Eucharist in the hand, a practice previously not permitted, to stem the spread of the virus. Some parishes allowed for two lines of communicants: one for those who wished to receive traditionally on the tongue and those who wished to receive in the hand. This led to protests from traditional Maronites, including an 8 March incident in an
Ajaltoun church where protesters shouted "We are the Church" in response to a priest requesting obedience to Church requests. As an outbreak
began to accelerate in
New Orleans, on 24 March 2020
Louisiana governor
John Bel Edwards called for a
day of prayer and fasting. Bel Edwards wrote that he and his wife "believe in the power of prayer and know, based on our Catholic Christian faith, that prayer coupled with fasting is pleasing to God." The day prior, the
Archdiocese of New Orleans announced that Archbishop
Gregory Aymond had tested positive for COVID-19 on 23 March. The 70-year-old Archbishop stated that he had not been feeling well and was tested with his symptoms. He stated that he will continue to
stream reflections on the crisis to Facebook and the Archdiocese's website. On 20 March 2020,
Pope Francis announced the launch of the
Vatican COVID-19 Commission, that would work under the direction of the
Dicastery at the Service of Integral Human Development to think possibles solutions for the problems that the
COVID-19 pandemic would bring. On 27 March 2020, Pope Francis imparted the
Urbi et Orbi blessing, normally reserved for Christmas and Easter, from an empty
Saint Peter's Square following a prayer for the health of all the world. For the prayer service, Francis brought the crucifix from
San Marcello al Corso which had processed through the streets of Rome during the
miraculous plague cure of 1522. Catholic dioceses and religious institutes offered church facilities to accommodate healthcare operations and provide housing for the needy in the crisis and the
Holy See implemented measures to protect its high-risk residents who were more susceptible to developing complications from COVID-19. In
Bergamo, the hardest hit city in Italy where morgues ran out of space, Bishop
Francesco Beschi ordered the churches to be used as
mortuaries, as "an act of tenderness towards people who die alone and [whose] bodies are likely to remain piled up." Pope Francis asked the Church to welcome and provide refuge to the homeless amidst the pandemic, and on 6 April 2020, Francis donated US$750,000 to mission countries for combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. In reflecting on the coronavirus pandemic, Bishop
Heiner Wilmer of
Hildesheim stated that "The [coronavirus] crisis is not a punishment from God" and recalled
Martin Luther's question of accessing God directly, suggesting that the faithful turn their focus on the Bible and
house churches of
early Christianity. Cardinal
António Marto, Bishop of
Leiria-Fátima called the view that the pandemic was God's punishment "unchristian", and further said that such views could only be justified through "ignorance,
sectarian fanaticism, or madness". On 25 March, Cardinal Marto renewed the consecration of Portugal and Spain to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, and added the names of twenty-four other countries at the request of their respective episcopal conferences. Markus Blümel from the
Catholic Social Academy of Austria appealed to
Catholic social teaching to advocate for a
universal basic income on 3 April 2020 in response to the pandemic. In his Easter message on 12 April 2020, Pope Francis echoed this call, writing "This may be the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks you carry out. It would ensure and concretely achieve the ideal, at once so human and so Christian, of no worker without rights." Francis celebrated Holy Week and Easter in a nearly empty St. Peter's Basilica. at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in
Springfield, Tennessee. Across Europe, church leaders urged "solidarity and prudence" in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In some European countries, Catholic masses were completely halted while in others smaller groups continued to congregate. In Spain, the Bishops' Conference "suspended all talks, concerts and catechesis sessions on church premises, and urged Catholics 'with chronic diseases, elderly, weakened or with potential risk, and those who live with them' to follow Masses via the media." In Poland, the Bishop's conference canceled its March plenary. In Italy's northern Bergamo Diocese, clergy tested positive for COVID-19 with six deaths as of March 2020. In Germany, the head of the German's bishop conference Bishop
Georg Bätzing expressed disappointment over the church services ban being kept in place as announced 15 April by Chancellor
Angela Merkel. Bätzing emphasized religious freedom and said that he was confident that discussing the matter with the federal government "will very soon lead to a consensus that will make responsible forms of worship in our churches possible again." Eastern European Catholics supported measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but for some the pandemic "revived
painful memories of communist rule." Questioning and resistance also emerged in Western Europe, "where some Catholics have questioned the right of civil authorities to prohibit religious worship." The 2020 fiscal report for the Vatican showed a decrease in revenue of about 50%, but the
Institute for the Works of Religion contributed more income. Expenses were reduced by $3.88 million. The Vatican also planned to increase their
liquid capital in response to market uncertainty in order to avoid selling Church assets in unfavorable market conditions. On January 10, 2022,
Pope Francis issued a statement on
COVID-19 vaccines,
Pope Francis stated that
COVID-19 vaccines was a "moral obligation" and denounced "how people had been swayed by 'baseless information' to refuse one of the most effective measures to save lives".
Eastern Orthodoxy The Greek Orthodox
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople issued a worldwide suspension of all "divine services, events, and rites, with the exception of private prayer in churches that will remain open, until the end of March".
Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria, head of the
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, has exhorted clergy throughout the continent to "comfort and support our fellow Africans, teach them ways of elementary health and cleanliness, because most do not have access to clean water. And, as the situation is serious, I recommend that you comply with the orders and decisions of the countries in which you serve". The
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East issued a joint statement with the heads of other churches in
Syria and
Lebanon declaring "the suspension of all general prayer services, including liturgies, in all churches from today's date and until further notice." In a joint communique with the heads of other Jerusalem churches, the
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem urged members "to adhere by the provisions and instruction of the civil authorities" regarding COVID-19. The
Russian Orthodox Church has yet to suspend church services, but has implemented precautionary measures to reduce the potential spread of infection. The
Romanian Orthodox Church,
Serbian Orthodox Church,
Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and
Georgian Orthodox Church have implemented similar precautions without suspending services. In a homily given on 29 March,
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow called upon the faithful to temporarily refrain from attending church services, and to commit "to strictly following all the regulations coming from the sanitary authorities in Russia,".
Serbian Orthodox Church In total, four bishops and the head of Serbian Orthodox Church died from COVID-19 as of July 2021.
Patriarch Irinej, the head of the Church died from COVID-19 on 20 November 2020. He became infected earlier that month after attending the funeral of
Amfilohije Radović, the Serbian Orthodox
metropolitan bishop of Montenegro and the Littoral, who had also died from COVID-19. Bishop Amfilohije's funeral in
Podgorica was held in violation of
Montenegrin social distancing guidelines and is believed by officials to be a
superspreader event. Following the Podgorica outbreak, Serbian Orthodox priests began appealing to their parishioners to take the virus more seriously. Two more bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church,
Milutin Knežević and
Artemije Radosavljević, died from COVID-19 in 2020. Bishop emeritus
Atanasije Jevtić died on 4 March 2021, from complications due to COVID-19.
Independent Eastern Orthodoxy Patriarch Filaret, former honorary Patriarch of the
Orthodox Church of Ukraine, founder and patriarch of the second independent
Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate, contracted COVID-19 in September 2020. He became the first independent
autocephalous leader or patriarch in Eastern Orthodoxy to contract the disease. Months earlier, he had stated that the
pandemic was God's punishment for
same-sex marriage, which is currently
not legally recognized in Ukraine.
Anabaptism After Ohio Governor
Mike DeWine ordered no gatherings of more than ten people, Ohio's
Amish steering committee advised all church districts to heed the state's orders, telling Amish "to cancel or postpone weddings, youth and family gatherings until further notice." Amish weekly newspaper
The Budget had by 10 April "devoted more than 50 pages to dispatches from Amish communities across the country struggling to reconcile social distancing with a way of life that survives through communal work and worship". The church was burned to the ground a month later on 21 May 2020 in a
church arson and a message was written in the parking lot, reading "Bet you stay home now you hypokrits [sic]."
Nondenominational Christianity Other Christian churches, including
non-denominational churches, have begun using livestreams with a chat feature and emphasizing gathering in small groups, such as immediate families, while suspending in-person
church attendance. This includes
Life.Church's Church Online Platform and an encoder device known as Living As One. Articles are being published to aid those who have not started a livestream in the past. In compliance with local recommendation, churches such as
Cornerstone Fellowship in the California East Bay were moving exclusively to online, emphasizing it not being done out of fear or panic, but out of concern for the elderly. In Hong Kong, churches have moved to Life.Church's Open Network Church Online platform as well.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has implemented a temporary suspension of all worship services across the globe as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 25 March, all
temples were temporarily closed worldwide. Some LDS members were involved in providing aid to international communities where members reside. On 4 April, LDS church President
Russell M. Nelson called for a worldwide
fast to take place the following Friday stating: "I invite all, including those not of our faith, to fast and pray on Good Friday, April 10, that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened, and life normalized." They described a fast as "going without food or water for either two consecutive meals or 24 hours." LDS Charities donated food healthcare supplies to 16 countries affected by COVID-19. The church partnered with Project HOPE to offer
personal protective equipment or PPEs, Moms Against Poverty and INTERSOS, a disaster relief nonprofit. The LDS church donated protective and respiratory supplies to China and food to local food distributions in the United States. On 6 May 2020, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a video, as they try to decide when worship services will return to gathering after being suspended during the COVID-19 outbreak. "We will continue to be prayerful and proceed with an abundance of caution. Your safety and well-being will always be our utmost concern," said President Russell M. Nelson.
Islam in
Rey, Iran Muslim scholars highlighted the importance of pandemic regulations such as quarantine, social distancing, travel ban, and face masks as according to the teachings of the
Prophet.
Religious masses Many Muslim jurists came to a
consensus on the need to avoid praying in masses, despite congregational prayers being a demand in Islam during normal times. Prior to
lockdown measures, Malaysian officials reported on 20 March that 624 of the nation's 1,030 COVID-19 cases were linked to a gathering organized by the
Tablighi Jamaat missionary movement at a mosque outside of Kuala Lumpur from late February. The
Islamic Society of North America, Muslim Medical Association of Canada and the Canadian Council of Imams recommended that congregations suspend gatherings including
Friday congregational prayers, which would otherwise be compulsory for all male Muslims. Mosques within the United Kingdom have suspended congregations, including traditional Friday prayers as government documents revealed that social distancing might need to be implemented in Britain until autumn. Burhan Kesici, speaker of the
Islamic Council for the Federal Republic of Germany, said that many mosques had financial difficulties due to reduced donations, which are usually collected after prayers. The
Dome of the Rock has closed, though Muslim prayers are still occurring in the
Temple Mount. Religious leaders in both
Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia have strongly urged people to pray in their homes and avoid going to Mosques for regular and Friday prayers. Turkish
Directorate of Religious Affairs imposed a nationwide ban on prayer gatherings in mosques, including Friday prayers.
Imam Reza Shrine,
Fatima Masumeh Shrine,
Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine and
Jamkaran Mosque in Iran were closed temporarily. Friday prayers were also suspended in Iran. In Southeast Asia, mosques have closed in
Malaysia, Singapore and
Brunei. The
Indonesian Ulema Council issued a
fatwa advising Muslims to pray at home and avoid mosques where the disease had spread severely. There were several
fake news and misreports of Tablighi members not cooperating with authorities, hiding their travel history and going into hiding, while police authorities in some states had announced set up bounties for information regarding the attendees. This incident also led to a rise in
Islamophobic and
communal sentiments in India. A large number of cases in Southeast Asia were tied to another large
Tabligh Akbar religious event held in late February 2020. In
Pakistan, mosques were allowed to remain open, in midst of opposing pressures of medical fraternity of Pakistan and conservative outlook of clergy and masses. The scientific community criticised this motion, expressing their concerns over how far people will follow negotiated list of rule points in practice and may lead to the continuance of the pandemic. The
President of Pakistan mediated a 20-point consensus (
ijma) with the
clergy, detailing precautionary measures to be followed during festive Islamic religious gatherings during the lock down period. Selected people were given entry passes which were required to enter the mosques, and are subject to strict timing and regulations. Attendees were also mandated to be vaccinated as vaccines began to be distributed. However, the restrictions were occasionally tightened, including complete closure, as cases fluctuated from time to time.
Celebration of Ramadan and Eid There is concern that the virus may be hard to control during the travel and gatherings around
Ramadan,
Eid al-Adha, and
Eid al-Fitr. Congregations for
Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan were cancelled in several countries as mosques worldwide were shut down. Council of Senior Scholars from Saudi Arabia urged the
Muslim world in general to prepare for Ramadan while abiding to precautionary and preventive health measures regarding acts of worship, which includes avoiding gatherings such as communal
Iftar and
Suhur meals. Muslims in certain countries were unable to afford livestock to slaughter for
Eid al-Adha on 31 July 2020 due to price increases as a result of the pandemic.
Somalia was one country reported to be impacted, and in parts of West Africa the price of livestock had doubled. On 5 March, the Saudi government added further steps towards the Great Mosque of Mecca and
Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, which included a temporary closure of the Great Mosque for sterilisation purposes. On 20 March, both mosques were closed to the public, and the closure continued throughout Ramadan. The
hajj pilgrimage beginning 28 July 2020 only had about 1,000 pilgrims, a sharp decline from the previous year's 2.5 million. Pilgrims were restricted to those already in Saudi Arabia between the ages of 20 and 50 years of age who had been approved as part of an online screening process. They were required to agree to follow strict protocols including quarantine before and after the hajj.
Judaism praying on their porches due to closure of Synagogues. April 2020 in
Borough Park, Brooklyn At the
Western Wall, thousands of Jews gathered to
pray on 15 February for an end to the coronavirus pandemic and this was led by Chief Rabbi of
Safed Shmuel Eliyahu. However, even when the government prohibited collective prayings with a
minyan (public prayer quorum of 10 people or more) on 30 March, a special exemption was provided so that prayers could continue at the Western Wall three times a day. Many gatherings related to the Jewish celebrations of
Purim and
Passover were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The
chief rabbi in the United Kingdom advised the suspension of Jewish worship in synagogues. Other religious leaders called for introspection and improvement.
Hinduism , Temple
Ram Mandir in the heart of Bhubaneswar is seen deserted. The festival of
Panguni Uthiram, which is usually associated with processions, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nepal government has given permission to only 25 pilgrims at once in the holy
Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. On 9 March 2020, thousands of devotees participated in
Attukal pongala, a festival where offerings are made to a Hindu goddess, despite the "high alert" issued by the state government in India. The
Hindu festival of
Holi was celebrated with caution before governments started enforcing lockdowns Other Hindu festivals such as
Navaratri,
Ram Navami,
Hanuman Jayanti, and various regional Hindu
new year days such as
Vaisakhi,
Nyepi,
Ugadi,
Gudi Padwa,
Bohag Bihu,
Vishu,
Pahela Baishakh,
Jude Sheetal,
Pana Sankranti,
Navreh,
Cheti Chand,
Puthandu,
Aluth Avurudda,
Sajibu Nongma Panba,
Bwisagu, and
Mesha Sankranti have to all be celebrated at home by Hindus around the world due to the strict lockdown in India and elsewhere. Prayer services have been live-streamed for viewers to watch at home. On 2 April 2020, thousands of devotees assembled in temples in various parts of
West Bengal on the occasion of
Ram Navami ignoring social distancing norms prescribed by the government during the ongoing nationwide lockdown period.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebration was also widely impacted in India. In
Mumbai, which is the epicenter of the festival, saw a muted version of the festival. There were height restrictions placed on the idols placed by mandals, to not exceed 4 feet. This was also done keeping in mind the
city's corporation creating over 100 artificial ponds for immersion to avoid large crowd gathering at centralised areas. The most popular mandal
Lalbaugcha Raja conducted a blood donation camp throughout the festival and did not install an idol for the first time since its 86 years of ritual. Despite concerns surrounding the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 in the country, the Hindu spring festival of
Holi on 29 March 2021 was met with large crowds, with many of them flouting health and safety guidance such as
social distancing.
Jainism Mahavir Jyanti, the major festival of
Jains associated with the birth of
Lord Mahavira that falls on 6 April 2020 is usually celebrated by taking out large
Procession has been cancelled throughout the country and the followers of the religion have been instructed to carry religious rituals at home by the religious leaders.
Sikhism The
Sikh Coalition recommended the cancelling of services at
gurdwaras. The Central Sikh Gurdwara Board has recommended that elderly Sikhs stay at home, though it has permitted weddings that have been scheduled to proceed.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee offered a helping hand to treat coronavirus-positive patients at its hospitals.
Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee provided its rooms to hospital staff as they were facing harassment at the hands of landlords and neighbours.
Buddhism Buddhists in Singapore and around the world adapted, observing
Vesak Day virtually for the first time. In the morning of Vesak, several Buddhist temples and centres kicked off the online celebrations – hosting morning puja, guided meditation and talks. Puja is a reflective ritual that is meant to deepen one's appreciation of Buddha and his teachings and calm one's mind. Thailand's Sangha Supreme Council has ordered all temples under its jurisdiction both in the country and overseas to suspend all religious rituals for the Visakha Bucha Day, to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. However, a religious service held at Wat Bowonniwet Vihara will be broadcast live on the temple's Facebook page. The service will begin at 7 pm with monks circling the temple with lighted candles, followed by a sermon from the abbot and prayers until the morning of the following day. The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, which allows visitors to experience monastic life in one hundred and thirty-seven temples, has suspended that program. The
Buddhist Churches of America have cancelled services for the spring
Higan holiday and other events at many of their temples. The Dalai Lama expressed in a
Time magazine article that there is a need to fight the crisis with compassion. The Buddhist spiritual leader emphasized "from the Buddhist perspective we have the capacity to use our minds to conquer anger and panic and greed." He stated, "The outbreak of this terrible coronavirus has shown that what happens to one person can soon affect every other being. But it also reminds us that a compassionate or constructive act – whether working in hospitals or just observing social distancing – has the potential to help many." Venerable
Phra Paisal Visalo, a respected monk in
Theravadin tradition, offers a Buddhist perspective on this turbulent situation, "We have to find a careful balance between carelessness and craziness. We should be aware that the coronavirus is not the only dangerous virus that is spreading in our society. Fear is also harming our minds and affecting our humility, causing us to become selfish and to look down on those who are infected. Therefore, recognizing that we need to act to prevent COVID-19 from infecting our body, we should also ensure that we prevent our fear of COVID-19 from infecting our mind. Let's support each other on both levels. This situation has great potential to help each of us to reduce our selfish behaviors and attitudes and increase our generosity in support of each other. We need to stay connected and encourage people to express their goodness from within, which ultimately helps others."
Unitarian Universalism The national office of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations is strongly recommending that congregations plan for ongoing virtual gathering and operations through May 2021. This will apply to worship, events, committee meetings, staff meetings, one-on-one visits, rites of passage, and more. While smaller gatherings may be able to resume sooner if conditions improve, planning for virtual operations that could continue for a full year is advisable.
Druze Ziyarat al-Nabi Shu'ayb is a
Druze festival called
Ziyara celebrated between 25 and 28 April which is officially recognized in Israel as a public holiday.
Mowafaq Tarif, the current spiritual leader of the
Druze community in Israel, announced that the traditional festivities of the
Ziyarat al-Nabi Shu'ayb were canceled for the first time in the history of the
Druze community due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. == Legal issues ==