Friday, July 17, 2009

Swine Flu Spirituality

General prayers for the developing situation regarding swine flu


Heavenly Father,

giver of life and health:

comfort and restore those who are sick,

that they may be strengthened in their weakness

and have confidence in your unfailing love;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Creator and Father of all,

we pray for those who are ill.

Bless them, and those who serve their needs,

that they may put their whole trust in you

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


An influenza (flu) pandemic happens in the UK, everyone will need to play a part in managing how it affects our society. At such a time, faith communities have an important role. Strong leadership from faith communities is vital when large scale incidents trigger concerns about social cohesion. Moreover, large scale fatalities raise specific issues for faith communities that need to be addressed.

Faith Communities and Pandemic Flu: Guidance for faith communities and local influenza pandemic committees provides valuable guidance on the faith dimension of a flu pandemic. It provides tools and a roadmap for good practice, and should be read alongside the more general emergency planning guidance Key Communities, Key Resources: Faith Communities and Civil Resilience. (June 2008)

The revised document (May 2009) updates previous guidance (issued June 2008) for faith communities on the same issue. It has been drawn up over several months and in consultation with other Government Departments, including Cabinet Office and the Department of Health, as well as the Faith Communities Consultative Council under the chair of Monsignor John Devine of the Catholic Bishops' Conference along with representatives of the Church of England, Methodist Church, British Muslim Forum, Hindu Council UK, Sikhs in England, Agency for Jewish Education and the Inter Faith Network for the UK.

Although the guidance has not been developed as a direct response to the present outbreak of Swine Flu in Mexico, it should serve as a useful source of reference to those involved at various levels in all faith communities when considering the impacts that a pandemic will have on society.




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