Senior Fellow Katherine Marshall contributed a section on religion and COVID-19 to the Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion and Diplomacy's annual resource, which helps foreign policy actors understand the intersection of religion and key global issues. She describes religious communities as critical actors in the COVID-19 emergency. Responses include action to cancel or adapt physical gatherings or (less positively) to maintain them, changing pertinent practices (like serving communion), actual and planned messages (positive and less so), countering (or fostering) discrimination and related violence, and active outreach and support to vulnerable and poor communities. Given wide diversity of leadership and communities, robust and tailored strategic engagement is needed for the immediate future. In times of turmoil positive religious support should provide vital aid to communities. Marshall concludes that reflection should begin now on the religious dimensions of how to engage in recovery, address the longer-term impact, and draw out lessons for future action.
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