It is with a litany of twenty-seven names, twenty-seven people who died of Covid-19 among his parishioners and their families, that Father Christophe began mass on Sunday morning at Papeete Cathedral on this day of prayer dedicated to victims of the epidemic called by the Polynesian government.
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"
Faced with the threat, we will certainly be stronger in the unity and in the union of our people, with the support of our heavenly father
", wrote Édouard Fritch the president of the government who called for "to
unite in prayer and intentions of peace and healing, Sunday September 5 on the occasion of the International Day of Charity
”.
A restricted and televised ceremony
The law of separation of the Churches and the State of 1905 does not apply in Polynesia, territory where religion is very present, the Protestant Church Ma'ohi and the Catholic Church sharing the majority of the faithful.
An ecumenical ceremony therefore preceded the day of meditation.
In a small committee due to confinement, it was broadcast delayed on local television channels.
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Mounted in the pulpit, in this very luminous cathedral, the stained-glass windows making colored spots on the white walls, Father Christophe took advantage of this call to meditation to tell how he was "
shocked, saddened
" by "
the hateful comments
" circulating on social networks between supporters of anti-Covid vaccination and its detractors.
"
Christians must be models of brotherhood and respect the other, even if he is from the opposite camp
", he hammered in front of the hundred parishioners present, all wearing the mask, and seated at good distance from each other.
The Archbishop of Tahiti, Monsignor Jean Pierre Cottanceau, took a stand for vaccination.
But for Father Christophe, "
even if it is a medical necessity, this should not be done to the detriment of respect for the person
", he said at the end of the service.
"Other ways to convince" exist
With the health pass, “
where is the medical confidentiality?
It's intrusion.
There are other ways of convincing someone,
”assures this priest, who wears a beard and long hair, in a soft voice.
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When some homeless asked Father Christophe to help them get vaccinated, he organized a vaccination session thanks to the distribution of meals made by the parish. "
Of the 250 people who now live in the street, at least 140 are vaccinated
", but, "
it is at their request, and the aid given to them is not conditioned on the vaccine
", assures t -he. And if we ask him if he himself is vaccinated, he explains with a smile that he is not, but he does not rule out doing so one day.
François Pihaatae, president of the Protestant Ma'ohi Church which advocates “
respect for the law, freedom and dignity of people
”, also explains that he is not vaccinated “
for the moment
”. “
Maybe I will when I travel, to attend meetings,
” he explains. "
Since the introduction of the vaccine, the state or the government had said that it was not compulsory,
" he recalls.
If a member of the congregation wants to be vaccinated "
it is his right
", underlines the pastor. “
We do not advocate anti-vaccination. We leave the possibility or the freedom to everyone. It is the fact that the State imposes it that poses a problem,
”he assures us. As of September 3, authorities had registered 480 people who had died from Covid-19.
