Catholic News Service: “Amid Pandemic, Health Care Professionals Find Support, Strength in Faith”
The NCBC’s Father Tad was quoted in a March 23, 2020, news story by Catholic News Service:
Father Tad Pacholczyk, who is a neuroscientist and an ethicist and director of education on the staff of the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, said COVID-19's sheer novelty and speed to transmission has been a significant stressor for the medical community.
"It quickly acquired a larger-than-life quality, even as debate continued about how virulent it really was and what steps might constitute a proportionate response," he told CNS, adding that the public's panic and fear are palpable.
Actions and decisions motivated by fear, however, usually don't result in the best outcomes, he added.
"Our Lord himself counsels us never to give in to fear. The Old and New Testaments remind us at least 365 times to "be not afraid," Father Pacholczyk said. "Through prayer, and through our camaraderie with God and one another, Christians can offer ... a deeper trust and hope that can overcome fear's hegemony."