Ethical, Political and Religious Challenges for the Easter Ritual in Covid Times: Sacred Time in (Non)Sacred Online Space
Ethical, Political and Religious Challenges for the Easter Ritual in Covid Times: Sacred Time in (Non)Sacred Online Space

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyzes the ethical and unethical perspectives in mediacommunication from the political discourse and journalistic discourse to thediscourse of the representatives of the Orthodox Church, in the context of the crisisgenerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The content analysis of these discourses has asa reference dimension the agreements signed by the Ministry of Interior and theRomanian Orthodox Church to prevent the spread of the virus during the Easterholidays, a form of communication that goes beyond the paradigm of institutionalcollaboration. Does the limitation of the spread of the virus become an ethical orunethical cause for the restriction of freedom? Is the way in which the RomanianOrthodox Church disapproves of the ban on the believers’ participation in theResurrection service during the pandemic a matter of ethics, in defense of humanrights, or a purely theological issue? The symbolic arguments related to officiatingservices in the physical presence of the congregation are transferred to the virtualspace. On the other hand, the present study follows the reactions of the public in the(trans)ritualization of the Easter holidays, the analysis between “sacred space,”“hierophanic time” and “digital environment,” through the media and institutional platforms on Facebook. In the digital environment, the symbolic effectiveness of the religious rite was continued and the online medium did not confiscate the rite but strengthened and sustained its situatedness in sacred time. If the sacred space is only the one related to the temple, the church, the sacred time can be experienced beyond the church space, through prayer and meditation or through the comments of parishioners who attest to live participation in the religious ritual during online services.

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