“COVID Theology”, or the “Significant Storm” of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

The article examines various theological aspects of the perception of the coronavirus pandemic in the global Orthodoxy in general and the Russian Orthodox Church in particular. Among other aspects, it touches upon issues pertinent to the practices of celebration and distribution of the Eucharist under the conditions of hygienic restrictions. It also explores Christological arguments in support of each practice. The article proposes some particular interpretations of both phenomenology and etiology of the so-called Covid dissidence. It argues that artificial polarization on the ideological grounds between the so-called “liberals” and “conservatives” is one of the reasons why many bishops, priests, and lay people in the Russian Orthodox Church mistrust the quarantine measures.