title: Church Fragmentation and the Pandemic
abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on religious rituals across different religious groups worldwide and has prompted both social and ecclesiastical changes. This chapter examines the extent to which church fragmentation has shaped the response of four Eastern Christian groups to the pandemic. Religious responses initially took on a conservative approach until the entire hierarchy of the church decided on how to address the crisis. This has led to a number of innovative solutions, particular