As the UK reaches a devastating milestone, the diocesan bishops echo calls from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to join together in a prayer for the nation.
In the last week of January 2021, the UK’s Covid-19 death toll sadly passed 100,000.
Speaking to BBC Radio Oxford’s Lilley Mitchell, Bishop Steven said,
“The sorrow across the nation is really quite hard to take in… These are not just statistics – every figure represents a person and a family and a loss.”
Bishop Steven speaks on BBC Radio Oxford
Speaking on BBC Three Counties Radio, Bishop Alan Wilson echoed the Bishop of Oxford’s sentiments. Looking to the positive stories of the crisis, he reflected,
“I think what’s also happened in this time is some of the compassion and the humanity, the spirit for community and some of the connections between us have come out in unexpected ways.”
He reflected on a local church who brought their pupils together with VE Day veterans via Facebook. They were able to share their wisdom in a new way, and the experience was appreciated at all levels.