COVID-19 has reminded us all of the need to live up to one of the noblest human instincts – to protect the vulnerable.  This instinct has always found particular expression in the revelations, traditions and pastoral practices of the major religions.

The vulnerable can be those who contract the disease itself, those left behind after a loved one succumbs, or those affected by COVID’s collateral effects such as poverty due to loss of income, the collapse of markets and fragile subsistence economies. In many countries of the Global North the elderly have been particularly vulnerable, with many dying alone in care homes.  Domestic violence and child abuse and neglect have soared. In a number of regions, there are active violent conflicts which constitute major obstacles to responding to the disease and social and political fault lines are deepening.

Religious leaders have a particular expertise in identifying and looking after the needs of those afflicted by the disease.

In this webinar with members of KAICIID’s own multireligious Board of Directors, we will examine questions such as the social, pastoral, political, economic and cultural challenges presented by this escalating crisis, and explore how religious leaders have acted upon their responsibilities to intervene in response to the pandemic. How have they engaged in efforts to represent the emerging needs of local societies to policymakers? What should religious leaders be saying to policy makers and the public, as the disease progresses through parts of the globe less empowered to deal with its social and economic effects?