Is Nature Smiting Us with a Virus?

Pope Francis presides over a moment of prayer on the sagrato of St Peters Basilica on March 27.

 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in[o] hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes[p] for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Romans 8:22-25

Religion brings out the worst and best of people in a time of crisis. Christian congregations and agencies are doing their best to support the most vulnerable during this COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of Christians have stayed home during the holiest time of the year, choosing not to gather for worship to "flatten the curve" of the spread of the deadly virus. Of course there are the nutbars of every religion who insist that it is their right to come together, regardless of the threat. Some claim that they are protected by the blood of Jesus from this plague. I wonder if they have doctors or if they look down on those who've received chemotherapy when they develop cancer?

It shouldn't surprise us that some are claiming that this is God's judgement on the world or on their particular nation. So, why would the Creator smite the vulnerable elderly, who are often the most religious people in our societies, and the selfless healthcare workers who are caring for them? A TV preacher has offered goofy exorcisms of the virus, as though it could be banished by his histrionic prayers. It's bizarre.

During this past week Pope Francis mused in an email interview with The Tablet and Commonwealth magazines, that this pandemic may be one of "nature's responses" to humans ignoring the current ecological crisis.He also said  the outbreak offered an opportunity to slow down the rate of production and consumption and to learn to understand and contemplate the natural world.

While I appreciate that Francis is attempting to bring a perspective on all in this in the context of the climate crisis it feels dangerously close to personifying nature as a force which metes out punishment akin to an angry God or a malevolent Satan. I suppose we're all trying to make sense of this invisible enemy.

We are told that in areas where peoples' lungs are compromised by air pollution there is a much higher risk of dying from this respiratory illness. We have also come to take for granted travel around the globe, and we know that this has allowed the virus to spread rapidly. 

I do agree with the pontiff that this is an opportunity to reconsider how we define the "good life". Can we appreciate that the global disruption of how we do business and provide healthcare and govern ourselves in this crisis may be a foretaste of something much more catastrophic if we ignore the "signs of the times" of the ecological emergency?