Katherine Marshall considers the positive and negative roles played by faith actors and religious institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a commentary piece published by the World Politics Review. Marshall highlights how faith actors can be both part of the problem and part of the solution in the pandemic, from spreading misinformation to encouraging people to follow social distancing. She then explores the experience of past health crises including Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and Zika to highlight the challenges and possibilities of integrating faith actors in health response. The wisdom of ancient faith traditions, according to Marshall, is needed now more than ever to address the global challenge of COVID-19. Marshall concludes by noting how the current pandemic underscores the critical imperative to bring religious voices to policymaking tables.
Opens in a new window