SW News: With the pandemic situation in India going from bad to worse, the Church too has been severely affected. According to a report published in a Catholic publication, as many as 117 Catholic priests have died of coronavirus in India in the past month. A report in Indian Currents states that on average, four priests die each day as the pandemic claims close to 4,000 lives in the country daily.

Fr Suresh Mathew OFM Cap, who is the editor of the magazine, said between April 10 and May 14 as many as 117 priests died of the pandemic. Speaking to UCA News, the priest said the list is incomplete as they do not have complete details of the priests who died during the second wave of the pandemic. Of the 117 fatalities, 48 hail from different religious congregations. Jesuits are the worst hit as they have lost 19 priests. Fr Mathew said losing four priests can be devastating for the Church as there are only 30,000 priests in the country.

Bishop Gerald Almeida of Jabalpur diocese in Madhya Pradesh state said many priests are dying because they do not receive timely medical intervention. His diocese has set up a quarantine center for priests and nuns to ensure they receive care and medical attention. Here, at least 26 nuns and 14 priests are undergoing treatment.

The bishop said priests and nuns have been told to report to the facility in case they suffer from any of the COVID symptoms. Since mid-April, the country has been reeling from the onslaught of the second wave with more than 300,000 new cases daily. The health system is buckling with hospitals stretched to the limits because of lack of beds, ventilators and oxygen supplies.