While our thoughts naturally turn to the Spanish Flu pandemic when trying to make sense of Covidtide, remembering the much more recent AIDS epidemic is also essential. More than a generation ago, the Irish moral theologian, Enda McDonagh, wrote an essay about the theological implications of the AIDS epidemic that still resonates today.

  Two years ago,  on the centenary of the Spanish flu pandemic, Kevin Hargaden wrote about the need to address structural injustices  in society and in our health system to prepare for the next global pandemic, and reminded us that Christians have always tended to the sick and marginalised.

  In many ways, the book of Exodus is the cornerstone of the bible. The story of liberation from slavery and the idea that God identifies with the oppressed is the bass-line for Jesus’ ministry. But there was always one part of the narrative that I struggled with, says Kevin Hargaden.