Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Catholic Democrat, has encouraged residents in the state to follow his lead and participate in three days of fasting and prayer for those affected by COVID-19.
At a press conference updating Louisianans about the coronavirus on Thursday, Edwards announced his intention to engage in three days of fasting and prayer, beginning on Monday and concluding on Wednesday. The governor said he “received a request” to participate in this form of “spiritual diet and exercise” during a “conference call with hundreds of pastors across the state of Louisiana.”
Edwards urged his fellow Louisianans to “please join me and the first lady and faith leaders across Louisiana, regardless of your denomination or your religion, and we would ask that you join us in prayerful reflection and fasting.”
“We’ll be doing lunch fasting for those three days … and certainly praying as well, praying for the people of Louisiana, praying for those who are sick, praying for those who care for those … who are sick, and certainly praying for the families of those who have passed on,” he said.
Edwards had previously called on Louisianans to join him in a day of fasting and prayer in late March, when the coronavirus pandemic first began to grip the United States, the Catholic News Agency reported. His latest call for fasting and prayer comes as the state has recorded more than 13,000 new coronavirus cases in the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
With a population of more than 4.6 million, some 90,000 Louisianans have tested positive for the coronavirus and 3,543 have reportedly died of complications from the virus. The state has the 12th highest number of coronavirus cases among all 50 states and ranks No. 11 in the number of coronavirus deaths, according to The New York Times.
Archbishop Gregory Aymond of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a statement in support of Edwards “inviting us to prayer and fasting.”
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SOURCE: Christian Post, Ryan Foley
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