LANDSKRONA, Sweden (CNS) – Sweden’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic could make way for much-needed reflection and conversion in the country, said Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm.
“I think it’s a time of conversion for Sweden,” Cardinal Arborelius told the Catholic News Service on January 8. ‘We now have more than 9,000 deaths for a fairly small population. If we compare with the other Nordic countries, we must realize that we could not do what we had to do. ”
At the outset of the pandemic, as countries around the world enforced restraints and social distance measures, the Swedish government took a more relaxed approach, underestimating the need for similar restrictions.
As of January 8, an estimated 9,262 people have died from the coronavirus, which is the highest in the Nordic region. By comparison, neighboring Denmark had 1,487 deaths, while 584 people died in Finland and 467 in Norway.
Furthermore, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, in a broadcast on Swedish national public television on 17 December, made an extraordinary blunt assessment of the government’s handling of the pandemic, declaring that he believed ‘we have failed’.
“The people of Sweden suffered terribly in difficult circumstances,” the king said. ‘One thinks of all the families who have not yet been able to say goodbye to deceased family members. It is a difficult and traumatic experience not to be able to say goodbye warmly. ”
Cardinal Arborelius told CNS that government authorities have now realized that it is not enough to recommend precautionary measures, and that they are reaching an agreement with the fact that ‘we could not protect the elderly’.
‘I think when the king gave his speech, it was a sign that Sweden was aware that we were not capable of doing what we had to do’ to confront the pandemic.
Nevertheless, the cardinal said that the change in the government’s approach has led to greater cooperation and financial assistance to faith-based charities, including Caritas Sverige, the Catholic Church’s charity in the country.
“Caritas here in Stockholm and elsewhere could distribute food, especially to the needy,” Cardinal Arborelius told CNS. “I think the authorities have realized that they need to do more to help everyone in need.”
Caritas Sverige, he added, also mobilized its voluntary outreach and organized a group of young people to distribute food and resources to those in need.
‘I would say that many people have also woken up to be more generous and to be helpful to others. So, in a sense, I think it’s a little better now, ‘he said.
He also said that the Swedish government had ‘paid more attention to our needs’ and that the authorities, even in a secular society, realized that churches and faith communities were important in combating the pandemic.
“For the first time, I received a Christmas card from the prime minister,” he said. “It’s a small sign that in a situation like this, they see that faith communities are important to the country.”
However, Cardinal Arborelius said he was concerned about a new law passed by the Swedish parliament on January 8, which would give the government power to close businesses and restrict visitors to public areas to prevent the spread of the virus. .
“We were a little critical, because so far we are only allowed to have seven people in the church for religious services and mass, even though it is a large church,” he told CNS. “This is now one of our biggest concerns: trying to persuade them to do as in other Nordic countries that count the distance between people and not the total number of people visiting the church.”
While the government ‘did what they could to limit the number of people’ in public places, there are still ‘many people in some restaurants (while in the churches, there are very few people’.
“People naturally ask questions,” he said. ” Why do they listen to the voice of commercial agents and not so much for religious or cultural events? ‘So there’s a discussion going on. We hope that somehow it will be possible to find a good standard where we can protect (and) people in the church that we can offer more opportunities for people to come. ‘
While the government does not ‘always do what we ask of them’, the cardinal said: ‘we see more openness and more comprehensive attitudes towards the faith community in a crisis situation because the authorities know that so many people in their congregations, their churches and their faith communities. ”
Cardinal Arborelius told CNS he hopes the new year will be a moment of profound reflection and hopefully repentance that will help people ‘become more aware of heaven, eternal life and faith’.
‘We are very thankful that the Holy Father has given us this year from Saint Joseph, because it can be very hopeful to realize that we have Saint Joseph as our protector and our helper; the father of the Holy Family is also our father. ”
“This is my prayer: hope for all of us (who) have seen so many events,” including the recent invasion of the US Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
“All these things will help people to see that we need to repent, we need to be serious, we need to be more loving and caring, we need to get closer to Jesus and be a people of prayer, a people of righteousness, peace. and reconciliation, ”said Cardinal Arborelius.
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