ABSTRACT
Until 2019, major health targets were on a comparatively good track. Yet with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of this progress has been halted or even reversed. Illness, suffering and death, but also tending to the sick and infirm are traditional domains of many religions. The COVID-19 pandemic shows the interrelationship of religion and health on many different levels, while it also brings out the ambivalence of religion. For example, while religious gatherings repeatedly became super-spreader events, faith leaders were also instrumental for disseminating and legitimising basic hygienic information, not least in Global South countries. Azza Karam, Secretary General of Religion for Peace, illustrates this discussion by providing multi-religious perspectives on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
