Metropolitan Alexander of Latvia Urge Faithful to Follow the Advise of Health Care Institutions

Pic – OCP Media Network

OCP News Service – 1/9/21

Riga-Latvia: In his latest appeal (14th August 2021) Metropolitan Alexander of Riga and Latvia, the Primate of the Latvian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) urged the faithful to follow advise from the health care institutions to tackle COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Metropolitan the measures of epidemiological safety and sanitary control recommended by the Latvian authorities are followed by the Orthodox Church. Clergy, monastics, and faithful should understand the civic responsibility. But we do not stop our prayers, firmly believing that God’s mercy will not leave us. God’s help is given to us through the Sacraments of the Holy Church, as well as through the efforts of doctors, so necessary for us today. With our prayers we try to support them.

The Metropolitan urged his flock to follow the recommendations and advice of health care institutions. He also stated that the Latvian Orthodox Church has never and nowhere called upon its faithful to refuse or evade vaccination or other medical actions recommended in connection with the epidemic. The church’s medvon, by definition, cannot and should not be used for anti-vaccination calls. The subject of the church sermon is the gospel of Christ the Savior of the world, of the salvation of the human race, of faith, of peace, of love and good works.

Christianity teaches about human freedom, the Church leaves it to each of us the freedom to decide on vaccination for ourselves. At the same time, the Church steadily reminds believers that everything in the world exists only by the Providence of God. Accepting the achievements of official medicine, we see in this the action of the Providence of God, aimed at the common good, the Metropolitan concluded.

Source:
OCP News Service