INTERNATIONAL
The Southern Cross, March 25 to March 31, 2020
5
Psychologist: Faith can help us deal with Covid-19 crisis BY PERRY WEST
W
HILE the coronavirus has people scrambling for tinned foods, facemasks, and especially toilet paper, one Catholic psychologist has encouraged people to take deep breaths and remain calm. The World Health Organisation labelled the coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, a world-class pandemic this week. Since then, panic and anxiety have become common experiences. Dr Christina Lynch, a supervising psychologist for St John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado, said that fear of the pandemic is normal. But even in the global health crisis, she said, peace is not beyond our reach. “Being frightened about something that we don’t understand is normal. I think the first thing we have to do is normalise our emotions and realise it's okay. We all are uncertain. We don’t know what the future holds,” she said. “We fear the unknown. We want to be in control.” Amid the anxiety, people have rushed to local supermarkets to stock up on medicine, hand sanitiser, and, curiously, toilet paper, with even fights breaking out over rolls of two-ply. Dr Lynch said that the hoarding of toilet paper conveys a panicked
mob mentality taking root. But there are means to remain calm in the face of the upcoming storm. She offered a few techniques to help quell rising anxiety levels. Dr Lynch encouraged people prone to anxiety to pay close attention to expert advice on avoiding the virus, such as washing hands, wiping down surfaces, and limiting interactions with large crowds. She said that for most people, following substantiated advice will help diminish any sense of panic and worry. She also suggested Catholics can make the practice of handwashing an opportunity for prayer. For example, she said, washing hands while saying a Hail Mary takes about 20 seconds, the expert-recommended amount of time at the sink. (See also the infographic on page 2.) Dr Lynch said there are also plenty of spiritual practices to help Catholics handle anxiety. She suggested Catholics look up the devotional practices recommended by their local diocese. Even if churches have cancelled their Masses, she said, Catholics can also watch the Mass online, she said. “We’re so blessed to have our faith, the Catholic faith, because we have so many tools from a spiritual perspective. I think this is a great opportunity because we're so busy in our daily life that we can use this
to actually develop some spiritual habits, and incorporate them in this attempt to reduce anxiety,” she said. “Maybe develop a habit of just spending five to 15 minutes every morning when you first get up. Maybe get up a little bit earlier and just pray, whether it's silent”, reading scripture or praying a decade of the rosary, she said. Dr Lynch urged people to monitor their intake of media, especially news sources that have politicised the virus or promoted fear. “Some of the things that we know we can do to counteract fear is limit your media coverage from sources that want to instil fear. “Like, those that politicised the virus or those that only focus on the bad stuff that’s happening with the virus or what could happen rather than the facts,” she advised. Dr Lynch acknowledged that the virus is likely to spread and there is a chance that many people will be impacted. She emphasised the value of taking practical steps in being prepared for self-quarantine. And she encouraged Catholics to see the spiritual opportunity in the weeks ahead. “We’re so used to being in control. This is a great opportunity to know that God’s in control and to just give him more control and pray a prayer of trust to God every day.”—CNA
Scientists: Museum of the Bible’s Dead Sea Scroll collection fake
T
HE Museum of the Bible in Washington DC announced that its entire collection of “Dead Sea Scroll” fragments has been proven to be forged, according to tests conducted at its request. The museum housed a collection of 16 fragments it claimed to be part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are considered to be some of the oldest extant Biblical manuscripts. However, in 2018 the museum announced that, according to an external analysis, five of the 16 scroll fragments were probably forgeries. National Geographic reported that tests concluded all 16 fragments were forgeries. A series of scientific tests of the fragments was conducted by Colette Loll, founder and director of Art Fraud Insights, and a team of researchers. “After an exhaustive review of all the imaging and scientific analysis results, it is evident that none of the textual fragments in the Museum of the Bible’s Dead Sea Scroll collection are authentic,” Ms Loll stated. Some of the fragments’ characteristics “suggest they are deliberate for-
One of the fake Dead Sea Scrolls from the Museum of the Bible at high magnification. (Photo: Art Fraud Insights) geries created in the 20th century”, she said. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by Bedouin shepherds in the 1940s, in caves in Qumran. The Museum of the Bible was opened in 2017 and claims to be the “world’s largest museum dedicated to the Bible”. Its chairman of the board is Steve Green, who is also the president of the craft chain Hobby Lobby. When the museum was under construction in 2015, Mr Green touted that the museum’s collection
of biblical items was one of the largest private collections in the world. On Friday, Ms Loll praised what she saw as “transparent” efforts by the museum to publicly announce the forgeries instead of simply removing them from display. The process can be copied elsewhere to identify other fake artifacts, she said. In 2017, the US Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint and a stipulation of settlement, in which Hobby Lobby agreed to send back around 3 500 artifacts to Iraq that it had purchased in 2010, despite warnings from experts that some of the items were probably stolen from archaeological sites in Iraq. Most of the artifacts were shipped into the US by foreign antiquities dealers who made false statements on shipping labels and gave fake provenances and invoices, according to the justice department.—CNS
UN: End Syria’s 10-year civil war
H
UMANITARIANS caring for displaced Syrians in and outside their country are calling for an end to Syria’s brutal civil war as it enters its 10th year. The magnitude of displacement, death and destruction in Syria marks one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises right now, the United Nations and human rights groups have said. Henrietta Fore, executive director of the UN children’s agency, said the situation “has never been more pressing”, in a statement issued in the Jordanian capital, Amman. “More than 9 000 children have been killed and injured in the conflict, while close to 5 000 have been recruited into the fighting,” she said. “Nearly 1 000 education and
medical facilities” have also been attacked and destroyed...while “more than 2,8 million children are out of school”, the statement said. “Stop hitting schools and hospitals. Stop killing and maiming children,” UNICEF urged, saying the agency needs access to reach those requiring humanitarian assistance. Juliette Toma, the UNICEF Middle East and North African regional communications chief based in Amman, said: “Every ten hours for the last six years, a child has been killed in Syria, a statistic that is pretty staggering.” More than half of Syria’s population of 23 million have been driven from their homes, while 80% of the population lives beneath the poverty line, according
to the United Nations. Half the country lies in ruins. Meanwhile, Fr Emanuel Youkhana, a priest, or archimandrite, of the Assyrian Church of the East, runs Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq. CAPNI helps Syrian Christians and Kurds who escaped to northern Iraq due to the recent Turkish military invasion in northeastern Syria, as well as Iraqi Christians and Yazidis uprooted by ISIS. “CAPNI is providing a nonfood distribution to these people, including bedding, kerosene heaters, and kerosene, especially during these bitter winter months,” Fr Youkhana said. “None of them returned to Syria,” following Turkey’s military offensive in the region last October, he said.—CNS
The statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in the grotto in the French shrine. (Photo: Alessio Di Cintio/CNA)
Lourdes closes for first time in history
T
HE sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes has closed for the first time following new restrictions in France to slow the spread of the coronavirus. “For the first time in its history, the sanctuary will close its doors for a while. Pray with us the novena to the Immaculate,” Mgr Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, rector of the Lourdes sanctuary, said. No public Masses will be offered in the sanctuary due to national measures announced to curb the spread of the virus. Following the closure of Lourdes, Auxiliary Bishop Antoine Hérouard of Lille called on Catholics to participate in a novena to Our Lady of Lourdes to pray for the sick who have been infected with the coronavirus. “The sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is a privileged place of prayer for and with the sick,” Bishop Hérouard said. The sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France is built upon the site where the young Bernadette Soubirous witnessed Marian apparitions, beginning on February 11, 1858. The shrine also holds a spring of water which is said to have miraculous healing properties. While there have been more
than 7 000 miraculous recoveries attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes at the French shrine, only 70 cases have been officially recognised by the Catholic Church. A miraculous recovery must generally be a complete, spontaneous, and immediate healing from a documented medical condition. The last official miracle attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes was declared in 2018. “In these troubled times, where many…because of the coronavirus, look to the future with concern, let us ask the Lord through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, to renew us in confidence, hope and peace of heart,” states the opening prayer of the Lourdes coronavirus novena. “Mary, because you are the smile of God, the reflection of the light of Christ, the abode of the Holy Spirit, because you chose Bernadette in her poverty, you are the morning star, the gate to heaven and the first resurrected creature, we pray to you and entrust our lives to you at a time when so many men and women fear for their health. Assist the sick and caregivers, welcome those who are dead, and be a comfort for families,” the prayer concludes.—CNA