By Lisa Monteiro
Panaji: Catholic priests in Goa, both diocesan and religious, now lead by example by getting vaccinated.
“I took the vaccine the moment the announcement was made that it was available for the under-60 age group,” said Father Eugene D’Silva, rector of the Redemptorist seminary in Varca.
Among those vaccinated is an 81-year-old who had undergone bypass surgery in the past. “We have encouraged all our students too, now that it’s available for everyone above 18,” Father D’Silva said.
The Catholic Church hasn’t put any blocks to taking the vaccine, with Pope Francis and Oswald Cardinal Gracias also having received the jab.
“The Church is not against the vaccine. Faith and science always go together,” said Father D’Silva.
According to him, the Church and faith need science, and “we cannot rely on miracles alone. The Church believes that science is ultimately God’s work, and God has given wisdom to people to make the earth a better place. Science and the Church have to work together for the betterment of humanity.”
He also said that it’s important to appreciate the work of scientists, and that “we have a responsibility to protect not only ourselves but others too”, adding, “a person does a disservice to humanity by refusing to take the vaccine.”
In Mapusa, principal of St Britto’s high school, Father Simon D’Mello, has also taken his first jab and is awaiting the second.
“We believe that God himself has given us the vaccine for protection, and he has to do this through humans,” he says, specifically addressing Catholics who are reluctant to get vaccinated.
God has given people the intelligence and wisdom to take care of their own lives, he explained. “We believe that vaccines that have come out within such a short period of time are a miracle. If people are waiting for God, He is already telling them that the vaccine is here, and to protect yourselves.”
During the second wave, government statistics revealed that a majority of mortalities were among those who weren’t vaccinated despite many falling in the eligible category.
Although people cannot be forced to get vaccinated, the superior at Carmelite Monastery, Margao, Father Sylvester D’Souza, said that God has given people the responsibility to look after themselves.
“We believe everything, even medicine, is a gift from God,” he told The Times of India “We must do whatever is possible and God-given to protect ourselves, and leave the rest to God. The scriptures too praise medicine as a gift from God. We must be thankful to God for all these means, and use them to the best of our ability.”
In Assolna, parish priest Father Sertorio Rodrigues, who is diabetic, has gone a step further to tackle vaccine hesitancy, working together with parish council members, volunteers and the panchayat to get as many persons vaccinated and protected as possible.
“God has given us the means of this vaccine so that the pandemic can be wiped off,” he said. “It’s better to stay safe. We must put our trust in God, but at the same time, we cannot be jumping into the river saying God will protect us.”
Source: The Times of India
What George Nedumparambil says is largely true. I believe that faith and science are two sides of the same coin, both striving for truth, and both susceptible to change. Science teaches us how things happen. Faith often teaches us why things happen. They are compatible, not adversarial.
Priest D’Souza says, ” Faith and science always go together,”. That was not true at least until renaissance movement and French Revolution in Europe. He credits God for the vaccine. Credit to scientists behind its coming in a short space of time sounds more like an afterthought. If God wanted to do something, God could have simply willed the virus away. As of now, in the race of Faith v/s Science, it looks like the latter is a clear winner. The faith industry appears to be in serious threat as people have survived without Sunday Mass for more than a year. To stay relevant to humanity faith alone is not sufficient but it should be accompanied work. Catholic Church is blessed with lot of wealth and this must be used to bring succor to the people who lost their dear and near ones in the pandemic.