Physicians of the Soul: The Armenian Clergy in the Era of Coronavirus

Last week, I interviewed several healthcare professionals in the Armenian American community for their thoughts and recommendations on the global COVID-19 pandemic. This week, the clergy of the Armenian Church were my focus. Both Catholicoi of the church have made the historic decision to close all church services to the public until at least April 9th for public health concerns. Due to the various social distancing regulations in each state, an actual return to normal church life could be even longer. Given the difficult circumstances, I asked several local priests what they were doing in their communities to continue the church’s mission.