Netherlands: COVID-19 infections on the rise. Bishops release video to support the faithful and invite to prayer

A video message of support from the seven Bishops of the Netherlands and the Military Ordinary was released on the Dutch Catholic Channel katholiekleven.nl today. As the country is facing an “alarming” rise in infections, new restrictions were imposed by the government. On Friday, 9 October, the Bishops called on parishes and religious communities to reduce the number of people allowed to attend individual celebrations to 30. In the video, the Bishops also expressed their “concern for the most vulnerable in our society”. Each of them, in about 8 minutes, proposed a verse from Scripture that can help at this time. For instance, Mgr. Hans Van den Hende, President of the Bishops’ Conference, quoted Saint Paul’s words – “nothing can separate us from the love of Christ” –, explaining them as follows: “It is Paul who speaks. He, who has been through a lot, says: Christ’s love does not let us down, and we, too, should not let Him down and keep trusting in His Word”. The Bishops also invited to prayer. “May the coronavirus pandemic make us realise that the life we have is not in our hands, but in those of Divine Providence”, Card. Willem Eijk said in the video.
Sarah Numico