Metaethnographic Research

Background: The literature reviews discussed quantitative and qualitative data, and investigated the emerging themes on how the pandemic change the landscape of the Catholic tradition.

 

Methods: The researcher conducted a systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines (Moher et al, 2009). Journal Articles and credible websites relevant to the Catholic faith and COVID-19 were identified and analyzed. The researcher chose to limit the search to articles published on or after December 2019, when the first case was identified in Wuhan, China leading to an ongoing pandemic.

 

Results: Twenty-Nine (29) of the Journal Articles from 12,328 unique articles resulting from the search terms matched the inclusion criteria. The articles took the shape of five non-mutually exclusive categories of analysis: 26 were expert statements, 2 contained original research, and 1 literature review. All the included journal articles were published in English and in 2020. Of the 29 articles included for final analysis, 9 were from the United States, nine from the United Kingdom, five from Switzerland, two from South Africa, and one each from the Philippines, Canada, Brazil, and the Netherlands.The major themes in ascending order of prevalence were bioethics (3 articles, 10.34%); Catholic Schools (4 articles, 13.79%); Theodicy (6 articles, 20.69%); Epidemiological (7 articles, 24.13%); Religious Rituals (9 articles, 31.03%); and Pastoral Mission (11 articles, 37.93%).

 

Conclusions: This study represents a systematic literature review on Catholic Faith and COVID-19. Given that the pandemic had struck us for more than a year and led us to a new normal, the researcher attempted to discover how COVID-19 change the Catholic church landscape. The researcher identified an increase in articles with vigorous discussions particularly with the following themes: Epidemiology, Theodicy, Bioethics, Religious Rituals, Pastoral Mission, and Catholic Schools. The discussion presented by themes can be indicative but not exhaustive. These themes are just a starting point of a productive dialogue. The researcher is aware that heuristic and innovative approaches will emerge larger over time. There is a need for further research.

 

Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Faith, Religion, Catholicism, Pope Francis