Peru: Archbishop fills cathedral with images of over 5,000 COVID-19 victims

Archbishop in Peru had the entire cathedral filled with the self-portraits of over 5,000 victims of COVID-19 on June 15 in a bid to criticise the country’s health system. According to Archbishop Carlos Castillo while the coronavirus cases continue to be at an upswing in Pery and South America as a whole, the medical facility in the region “is based on egotism and on business and not on mercy and solidarity with the people”. With the World Health Organisation (WHO) calling South America as the “new epicentre” of COVID-19 pandemic, Peru has recorded over 232,992  confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 6,860 deaths. 

According to an international media agency, hundreds of people who died of coronavirus infections have lost their lives without receiving any medical assistance while some did not have the financial resources to afford the treatment. Moreover, an economic contraction of at least 12 per cent in 2020 has been predicted for Peru. Amid these trying times, the cleric called for solidarity with the poor. Castillo noted that apart from COVID-19 pandemic, a more challenging time is approaching the nation that is famine.

“An even harder moment is coming,” Castillo said. “It would be terrible if in the times to come we have thousands of these photos,  but dead of hunger.”

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Reportedly, it was the church workers who spent several days to attach the portraits of the victims that included frontline fighters, children, grandparents and some were even infants. At least 84 pews were already filled with the images after which Castillo ordered thousands of photos to be attached to the base of the columns in the cathedral. Among these images, there were stills of children hugging grandparents or woman dancing with her son.

Image Source: AP

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Second in Latin America

Meanwhile, Peru has emerged as the second worst-hit country in Latin America, just after Brazil. According to John Hopkins University, Brazil has reported 888,271 COVID-19 cases till now with 43,959 deaths. Although, Peru was one of the first nations on the continent to announce stringent precautionary measures to curb the spread of coronavirus including stay at home orders, lockdown and border closings. Peru’s nearly 20 per cent population is below the poverty line and has failed to contain the virus till now. 

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(Inputs/Image: AP)