“We are still deep in the middle of this coronavirus pandemic. We have already lost almost 80,000 people in Germany to the virus. And despite the vaccination campaign, victims of the pandemic are once again filling the beds in intensive care units,” says HVD board spokesperson Erwin Kress. The Humanist Association of Germany considers it inhumane for contemporaries to continue to deny the danger of the coronavirus. This already fails to recognize the circumstances under which most COVID-19 victims died: alone, without comfort, without relatives being able to say goodbye. “We must show solidarity in this crisis. We must take note of the great suffering of the bereaved and support them wherever possible,” continued Kress.
The Humanist Association of Germany therefore welcomes the fact that the suffering of the bereaved is being recognized and that their loss is being publicly expressed: On April 18, 2021 at 1 p.m., Federal President Steinmeier will host a central memorial service for those who died in the corona pandemic at the Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin. Due to the pandemic situation, only the representatives of the other constitutional bodies and five representatives of bereaved families will attend the commemoration on site. However, each of us can express our sympathy, grief and condolences by lighting a candle in memory of the victims and the bereaved. Ideally, this can be done at the time of the memorial service.
Christian Lisker, Project Manager for Humanist Celebration Culture in the Berlin-Bandenburg regional association, emphasizes: “In the face of death, all people are equal, regardless of gender, origin, age and world view. Such a memorial service is therefore a humane and humanistic act.”
As announced last year, the Humanist Association Berlin-Brandenburg will mark the Sunday of the Dead on November 21, 2021 as a public celebration in memory of the worldwide victims of the pandemic, the deceased and their loved ones. More information here.
