HO CHI MINH CITY (UCAN): Churches and pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, have offered to receive the urns containing the ashes of those who died of Covid-19 as a consolation to their families.
“The contagious Delta variant outbreak is severely affecting the physical and emotional health, livelihood and lives of people,” Father Peter Nguyen Thanh Tung of Thi Nghe Parish said on August 9.
“The parish will receive the urns of Covid-19 deaths free of charge as a way to partly share the inconsolable grief of families who have suffered the tragic loss of beloved relatives amid the coronavirus pandemic. Those urns will be placed in a columbarium in the church’s compound,” Father Nguyen said adding that urns from other parishes would also be accepted.
The priest said the parish would take in urns of Covid-19 victims until social distancing measures and lockdown are lifted.
“When religious activities return to normal, the parish will hold solemn requiems for those who have died of Covid-19 as at the moment the parish cannot celebrate funerals or rites for the dead due to movement restrictions,” he announced, while expressing his deep sympathy to the families of victims.
On August 7, the authorities in Ho Chi Minh City decided to use the municipal budget to pay the costs of cremation for those who succumbed to the Covid-19 coronavirus. Each case costs an estimated 17 million dong [$5,800].
The army has been assigned to transport the urns of the dead to their families. For those urns that families could not receive, local pagodas will take them and pray for victims until their families receive them.
On August 11, Venerable Thich Thanh Phong, head of the city’s Buddhist Charity Committee, said Long Hoa pagoda would temporarily receive urns of Covid-19 victims regardless of faith without charge. Six urns have been placed in the pagoda.
He said the pagoda also receives urns of those who have died of other diseases during the pandemic as their relatives could not bring them home.
The committee offers free coffins amid the Covid-19 outbreak. Monks will pray daily for the victims.
On August 9, the central committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha requested all pagodas across the country to set up altars and pray for the souls of Covid-19 victims in the coming Vesak season.
The contagious Delta variant has been developing with strong outbreaks, rapid spread and a high mortality rate in Vietnam since late April.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s Covid-19 epicentre, has reported some 150,000 infections out of the country’s 293,301 cases. The country has reported 6,472 deaths.
