US Christian leaders criticise Trump's Easter coronavirus deadline
Source: The Guardian
US Christian leaders criticise Trump's Easter coronavirus deadline
The Rev Al Sharpton said a premature resurrection will lead to a disaster as Rev William Barber called it the height of hypocrisy
Miranda Bryant in New York and Oliver Laughland in New Orleans
Wed 25 Mar 2020 21.36 GMT
Last modified on Wed 25 Mar 2020 21.51 GMT
US Christian leaders have criticised Donald Trumps Easter coronavirus deadline by which he wants to see much of the country reopened and churches full. One described it as the height of hypocrisy.
As US coronavirus cases and deaths continued to soar, the president said on Tuesday he wanted to reopen large sections of the country by Easter Sunday 12 April when there would be packed churches all over our country.
His comments came despite warnings from White House taskforce members Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, the latter saying she was deeply concerned about New York and its surrounding area.
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It is the height of hypocrisy for Trump to suggest that Easter is a time to defy public health recommendations and reopen America, said pastor and activist the Rev William J Barber II.
Jesus challenged oppression and cared for the poor, while Trump ignored the pandemic of poverty and tragically dismissed intelligence about the coronavirus. We need a resurrection of Jesuss concern for the most vulnerable, not a capitulation to corporate greed that could cost millions of lives.
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Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/25/trump-coronavirus-easter-christian-leaders-respond