"We need bishops who are trying as hard as priests are to attend to the spiritual needs of people," she said. "They are making decisions that impact our spiritual lives and we need explanations of them. We need them to tell us how we can keep our spiritual lives alive."
The "We are an Easter People" open letter said that if the government prohibits priests ministering to the sick in the hospital or their homes, bishops should "make a personal and formal request of civic leaders to permit such ministry with assurances that all due precautions will be taken." They should find ways for priests to provide the anointing of the sick, "especially to those at risk of dying."
While priests who minister to the sick are encouraged to take precautions like wearing personal protective equipment, such equipment has been the subject of a nationwide shortage. Smith acknowledged the shortage and said health care professionals should have priority for their use. In many places, she added, there is not a shortage. She added that an increase in manufacturing could eliminate a shortage before long.
The open letter lists more than 20 project endorsers, including Catholic commentators, video bloggers and others. More than 24,000 internet users had signed the letter as of Tuesday afternoon.
Project endorsers include Thomas Farr, president of the Religious Freedom Institute; former abortion clinic manager Abby Johnson; Phillip F. Lawler, editor of Catholic World News; and Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, founder and president of the Ruth Institute; Catholic speaker Mary Beth Bonnaci, a Catholic speaker; podcaster Matt Fradd; author and movie producer Steve Ray; and Daily Wire columnist Matt Walsh.
In mid-March 2020, after the coronavirus had begun to devastate Italy, Farr told CNA that bans on religious gatherings due to high rates of deadly infection can be justified, but may not target a particular religion or religion in general. They should be based on "overwhelming evidence," with clear time limits.
"Speaking as a Catholic for whom the sacraments are not optional, and are necessary to health and welfare, however, I would hope that the Italian Church, or the Church in any jurisdiction would do everything it could reasonably do to make the sacraments available in ways that would be consistent with just authority," Farr said.
"We invited people who have large followings in the Catholic community who would have an interest in having the sacraments and having their bishops explain their choices," Smith told CNA.
One open letter endorser, Peter Kwasniewski, is an independent scholar who signed a 2019 letter accusing Pope Francis of heresy. Another endorser, YouTube video caster Patrick Coffin has expressed skepticism regarding media reporting and the government response to the coronavirus.
In a March 28 YouTube video titled "The Truth About the Commie Virus," Coffin discusses "media-fueled hysteria" and "hyperbole" about coronavirus models. They are "misleading, because they are incomplete," he said in the video and its description. After presenting his interpretation of a medical journal article co-authored by Dr. Anthony Fauci, Coffin declared "We are burning the house down to kill a termite."
A March 24 video from Coffin is entitled "Did Pope Francis Help Cause the Covid-19 Pestilence?"
Project endorsers have "a wide variety of views," Smith told CNA. "They are endorsing us; we are not endorsing all their positions."
Both expert opinion and public opinion about the coronavirus response have changed in recent months. Two separate surveys from a Public Agenda-USA Today-IPSOS and ABC News-IPSOS suggest a vast majority of respondents now support canceling large-scale events. Most Americans now say they are avoiding large gatherings or crowds, and a significant minority now say they avoid religious services.
The letter's request, Smith told CNA "is one that helps us grow in the virtues that enable us to do all the good things we should be doing now. We should speak of our love for Jesus and our need for Jesus. Our belief that He is truly there in the sacrament and just being close to him is a powerful experience of intimacy with the divine."
Kevin J. Jones is a senior staff writer with Catholic News Agency. He was a recipient of a 2014 Catholic Relief Services' Egan Journalism Fellowship.