Archbishop compares COVID-19 to last days of Jesus

The head of Australia’s largest Catholic archdiocese has compared the upheavals of COVID-19 to the last days of Jesus on Earth.

Archbishop Peter Comensoli. Picture: Supplied

The head of Australia’s largest Catholic archdiocese, Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli, has compared the upheavals of COVID-19 to the “chaotic chronology’’ of the last days of Jesus on Earth in his Palm Sunday Mass.

The Mass was streamed from St Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday.

“In this disorienting time of coronavirus which is imposing such change on our lives are we not being called back to trust in what matters?’’ Archbishop Comensoli said. “Our optimism for technologically enhanced lifestyles and unfettered progression have proved to be woefully fragile and inadequate in the face of this world engulfing contagion. Simpler realities, less optioned lifestyles and greater stewardship of one another and our common home and more intentional relationships … these seem to be the locations in which we will find ourselves once more. Similarly, gestures of tenderness and closeness, courageous signs of service and care witnesses to trust and hope these are the signs of our stillness in the storm.’’

Last week, in an interview with a Rome-based magazine, Archbishop Comensoli said Australia could face scenes reminiscent of those in northern Italy if the COVID-19 pandemic worsened.

In Crux magazine, Archbishop Comensoli said the images coming from areas such as the northern Italian town of Bergamo, where coffins line church floors and family members are forbidden from holding regular church funerals, were “not our reality yet, but it’s coming’.

“We’ll eventually get to a stage (of) what you’re living through at the moment,” he said.

Italy’s current death toll, of 15,300 from 124,000 cases is the worst in the world. But it is rapidly being overtaken by Spain, which now has 126,000 cases that have resulted in 12,000 deaths.

Archbishop Comensoli told The Australian he was not in the business predicting how bad the situation could become in Australia. “I’m not a scientist or a doctor so I’ll just say this,’’ he said. “I think it will get worse before it gets better. I just wanted to make the point to the magazine that Australia was at an earlier stage than Italy.

As Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews discusses declaring a Stage 4 lockdown in his state, Archbishop Comensoli said he was grateful to Mr Andrews for making representations to the national cabinet for Easter liturgies to proceed with servers, cantors and several priests, but no congregations. Many of the liturgies will be streamed to thousands of parishioners at home. Social distancing in the churches would be strictly observed, as outlined by Scott Morrison on Friday.

The Archbishop said the only positive side of the crisis was it had started to rekindle prayer in many households, with strong interest in the streamed services made available from many churches. The church had become more creative in how it reached out to people, he said.

“We’ve been saying for decades and decades that faith is at home and in the parish, and now it’s literally at home,” he said.

On Tuesday, when Melbourne priests would normally be gather at St Patrick’s Cathedral in the lead up to Easter for the annual Chrism Mass, where the oils used in the Sacraments for the coming year are blessed, the Archbishop has invited 300 serving priests and 100 retired priests to join him on Zoom to pray and talk together.

Archbishop Comensoli also said he had a sense the crisis was shifting people’s priorities, prompting them to think about what was really important.