Many Christians have never heard of the practice of fraternal correction, even though it is a clear directive of Our Lord in Scripture. It consists of the responsibility to warn others that their behavior may be placing their salvation at risk, either because of the action itself or because their action might lead others to sin (scandal). In the Gospel of Matthew (18:15), Our Lord tells his followers: “If your brother sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses’” (NABRE).

If one is acting in a sinful manner, one not only puts his or her soul in jeopardy but may put other souls in jeopardy as well. As St. Thomas Aquinas put it, “God is offended by us only when we act against our own good.” God only wants our well-being and flourishing. Obviously, God is also offended when we act against the good of others, which would constitute an act of injustice.

How might this moral obligation bind us in a time of pandemic when a person’s irresponsible actions may constitute a grave peril to one’s health, the health of one’s loved ones, and the health of one’s neighbor? In light of the gravity of the current pandemic of the highly contagious COVID-19, there is a grave moral obligation to follow the directions of public health authorities who have been charged with the health and well-being of the entire community.

Many public authorities have mandated that non-essential businesses within their jurisdictions close entirely. Schools, colleges, and universities have been closed and are doing their utmost to continue their educational activities remotely. However, individual citizens are also to take certain actions individually to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. These actions, which are mandated or strongly suggested by public authority, are in fact not that onerous. Citizens should remain in their homes except out of necessity, such as the need to obtain food or health care, and they should maintain “social distancing” of at least six feet.

Yet despite the fact that these measures are rather simple to observe, some people refuse to do so. Regrettably, younger people have been congregating on beaches during spring break or have had organized parties. Some young families are even gathering in parks and socializing with one another since their children are home after school closures.

Many government reports have indicated that those who are at highest risk of serious illness or even death from COVID-19 are the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Many young people, considering themselves unlikely to contract the disease, have continued to congregate and to party, thereby significantly increasing the risk of transmission of the disease among themselves and to the older population. It has been suggested that the very high spike of infections from the disease in New Orleans is the result of the crowds of young people who gathered for Mardi Gras when individuals did not even know they were carriers of the virus. Public authorities have appealed to the natural love one has for parents or older relatives to convince them to avoid congregating, and so increasing the risk of spreading the virus.

Some older people, such as professionals and businesspeople, have ignored travel restrictions. Other older citizens have ignored the mandatory closing of houses of worship. In early March the First Assembly of God Church in Greers Ferry, Arkansas, held a program despite warnings against holding church services. The pastor, his wife, and 34 members of the congregation shortly afterward tested positive for the coronavirus, with a number of them having to be hospitalized. The pastor stated later: “One singular act of stubborn independence can have far-reaching effects on someone else’s life.”

Certainly, those who willfully place at risk their health and perhaps the health and even life of their neighbor cannot be without sin. This disregard for one’s neighbor might be so egregious that Christians might be morally obliged to “correct” their brother or sister.

Traditionally one is obligated under pain of sin to engage in fraternal correction if the action of the other endangers one’s salvation or if the action of one’s brother or sister is grave and constitutes an act of injustice against a third party. Not heeding the directives of public health authorities and government agencies could indeed place one’s neighbor at grave risk.

Another condition which would necessitate fraternal correction is that there is no one else who is better positioned to deliver the correction. Under the current circumstances this would certainly require one to assume the responsibility to correct family members and friends or, perhaps, even one’s associates at work. Customarily there is supposed to be the well-grounded hope that the admonition will be heeded to make the correction morally obligatory. However, under the current grave dangers of spreading the novel coronavirus, that obligation is heightened. Also, in admonishing another, one may raise his or her consciousness of the need to correct his or her own behaviors for the benefit of others as well.

Human beings were created by God to live in community. And it is precisely because we were created to live in community that we are our brother’s keeper and have the responsibility to correct him if he errs—for his benefit and those around him. In the end, fraternal correction is not an act of chastisement but an act of solidarity and love.

Copyright © 2020, The National Catholic Bioethics Center, Philadelphia, PA. All rights reserved.