A theological perspective on the pandemic crisis

ABSTRACT

The Covid-19 pandemic crisis has traumatically confronted us with the fragility and mutual interdependence of humans, as indeed of all living beings on the planet. In fact, limitation (finitude) and relationship are constitutive features of human life, as can be seen by reflecting on the universally human experience of being born insofar as it is received from others, life -as well as the meaning to which it is intrinsically inherent- is marked by a passive (or affective) dimension. The experience of loss and vulnerability provoked by the pandemic should therefore not be treated as an inconvenience to be removed, but as a necessary step in the process of meaning elaboration. Biblical revelation allows for a theological interpretation of the universally human experience that promotes the logic of fraternity. A task that, as Pope Francis urges, is common to all religious traditions. © 2021 Societa Editrice il Mulino. All rights reserved.