Religious View: The Most Reverend Mark Strange urges the public to keep to the advice and keep safe during coronavirus lockdown

Religious view by The Most Reverend Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross & Caithness and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church

I had to do something last week that I never believed I would have to do, as Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church I signed a notification that temporarily closed all of our churches for worship and worst of all they had to close for private prayer. As I saw it appear on the website I confess that I wept.

Our Cathedral in Inverness has held three services a day for 150 years and it has been open for private prayers every day since it was built, now it is almost silent. I cannot travel to it and the Provost of the Cathedral is trying to maintain a solitary vigil in the that holy place, offering prayers every evening at 5.30pm.

Yet amidst that sadness and emptiness we are also seeing and hearing of hope. The digital services we are trying to provide have had many more worshippers than we would normally have, Also people of all faiths and of none are busy finding ways to help their neighbours, to provide care, a listening voice and the basic needs of life. I have sat day after day in my office at Arpafeelie and the phone and the emails have flooded in “are you alright Bishop, can I help, what do people need”.

At home I am working alongside a very different group of people in my office than usual. My wife, Jane is running a virtual Bishop Eden’s School classroom from one end and in the middle my daughter is continuing her work for Cairn Housing, life is very different. Our other daughter and our son and daughter in law are not with us and I can feel the concern you all have for the family you can’t reach out and touch.

I am also very aware of the fear and the panic that can so easily set in when we are faced with such a dreadful pandemic. The reaction of people has not always been helpful and we can often see the darker side of society at such times. But slowly, as reality sinks in people begin to realise that we need each other, we need to interact and we need to share and we appreciate that all the more, as things begin to shut down.

Please be assured that the church ministers and leaders across the city are still holding you all in prayer, that prayer is being offered by all faiths in our community, please keep to the advice and keep safe, we will all have a role to play in rebuilding relationships once a new virus free dawn arrives.

God bless you all and do all you can to ensure that this city, the heart of the Highlands stays warm.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.