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Catholic Church official in France says there may be new material and psychological woes when coronavirus lockdown is over
By Héloïse de Neuville | France
When France issued home confinement measures to counter the spread of COVID-19, the Archdiocese of Paris, like many other places, had to find ways to continue its programs for feeding and caring for the homeless.
It was able to do so with the help of city officials and other associations.
As the country starts taking steps to gradually ease the lockdown, Msgr. Benoist de Sinety -- vicar general of the Archdiocese of Paris -- warns that the Church and society should brace themselves for new challenges.
He spoke with La Croix's Héloïse de Neuville.
La Croix: How did the archdiocese's program for the homeless come about?
Msgr. Benoist de Sinety: From the first day of confinement, we noticed that the only living people remaining in the empty streets were the homeless.
We could see only them, left to themselves. It was striking.
At the same time, however, the conventional ways of showing solidarity were turned upside down.
The overwhelming majority of volunteers were no longer able to carry out their missions.
The archdiocese quickly contacted the city of Paris, which commissioned the Association Aurore (a volunteer assistance organization) to make 5,000 meals a day.
They were looking for ways to distribute them throughout the capital since everything was closed and travel was very limited.
It was to this mission that we were able to provide support. Thanks to the Parisian network, we were able to start distributing 1,600 meals a day in 24 parishes, and now 29.
You needed to step up quickly, faced with the influx of people in need?
Yes, very soon we realized that the demand was higher than expected, so we started to produce our own baskets.
We were welcomed on the premises of Stanislas College (on the Left Bank), which made their canteens and cold-storage rooms available to our volunteers.
Thanks to donations and the volunteers who responded to the call of the diocese, we set up a meal production line.
We distribute a total of 3,200 baskets every day, and not just for the homeless. We were struck by the arrival of a whole new group of people that was in need.
Which are these new households that are now in need food assistance?
Families who, due to the closure of school lunch rooms, no longer have the means to manage the extra food costs.
Poor workers, students who have lost their part-time jobs, elderly people who used to go to solidarity restaurants, which are currently closed... and then there are all the people who work in the informal economy and who no longer have any resources.
How do you see the role of Christians in the post-confinement period?
I am afraid that today we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
At the end of confinement, we will see a wave of material and psychological distress. The parishes must be prepared to alleviate this suffering.
We will do everything we can to maintain our programs and adapt them to accompany impoverished families.
As Christians prepare to return to Mass in June, they must understand that this cannot be done without putting themselves at the service of those around them.
It should be remembered that the day of the institution of the Eucharist - Holy Thursday - is also the day for the washing of feet.
Together they form the one Eucharistic mystery. One does not go without the other.
From the first of June until the end of the summer, we will maintain five or six large distribution centers, following the model of what the association Août Secours Alimentaire does, which creates moments of conviviality around the distribution.
Do you regret the government's choice to continue to ban gatherings in places of worship?
If we can understand this decision in so far as sanitary conditions may not have been followed everywhere, the way it was presented, without distinction, in the midst of a bunch of other measures, can be seen as a form of contempt.
There is a sense that there is a form of political unease in talking about religion. It was a bit of a dry announcement.
We would have appreciated it if there had been explanations and an official word of recognition for the good being done by the Churches and people of faith who are coming to the aid of the population through numerous initiatives.
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