Dozens of people have contracted COVID-19 and at least two people have died from it after attending the Evangelical Good News Chapel in Saint-Léonard, Montreal. Despite this sad record, Pastor Steve Gesualdi preaches every Sunday comparing vaccines, masks and the health passport to “a system out of the book of Satan”.
Most of the faithful at Good News Chapel in Saint-Léonard refuse to testify with their faces uncovered for fear of reprisals. The community of about 500 people is tightly knit, and the taboo is deeply rooted. But Carol Mastracchio “can’t take it anymore”. The nurse contracted COVID-19 from a loved one who attends church, and the sick are multiplying around him because of the Sunday gatherings. “Fortunately, I am vaccinated, far from life support and death. But those who are not vaccinated are in the hospital now, he says. I can’t tell you how the neglect [des leaders religieux] makes me sick. “
His frustration is shared by at least a dozen people who revolve around the church located on Boulevard Couture. According to their testimonies collected by THEe Homework, vaccines are hated there, masks are ridiculed, and social distancing is seen as heresy.
This muffled anger resonates with a lady whose family member has recently been in intensive care. “She had been told about the vaccine, but she said, ‘It’s okay, I’ll be protected.’ […] Before being entubated, falling asleep, she said that she should have been vaccinated, that she should have listened to us. “
” [Le pasteur] makes us feel that we don’t have enough faith. The result is that the world is piling up in an emergency, ”said another lady close to the evangelist community.
Reports from the Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal on the outbreaks that have occurred since October speak of an outbreak triggered during a religious rite practiced on the territory of the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île -de-Montreal, without naming it.
As of October 18, 7 cases linked to this outbreak were reported, then a dozen the following week. On November 2 and 9, the toll of active cases still stood at 12 infections each week. The last statement, which dates from November 30, still reported 10 active cases.
Carol Mastracchio estimates that around fifty people could have been infected during religious ceremonies. Another community member believes “dozens of people, for sure” have contracted COVID-19 on the church grounds.
These statistics could be even higher, believes a source whose family member was seriously ill with COVID-19 after frequenting the place. “They are encouraged not to get tested. Many will do a home test, but they will not report it, because then they would have to report their contact cases and name the church. They don’t want to be excluded from the community because of it. “
The vaccine, “the mark of the beast”
This wholesale rejection of sanitary measures is encouraged in words covered by Pastor Steve Gesualdi. In his most recent sermon, delivered in English and webcast, he invites us to draw a parallel between the vaccine and the “mark of the beast” described in Revelation, the book of the Bible. This devilish symbol will be “accepted with full and informed consent”, he preaches, inviting his listeners to “reflect” and “make the connections”. He also slams a “salvation that comes from Big Pharma and not from God alone”.
“I prefer to live a short life knowing that I have obeyed God, rather than living a long life with fear and uncertainty in front of me”, he thus pronounced in front of hundreds of faithful, last Sunday.
Contacted by The duty, Good News Chapel spokesman Mark Sorella denies the parallel between the vaccine and the “mark of the beast” and says his church follows all public health rules. “The vaccine is a choice people have to make. It’s a personal choice. This is why we are not taking a position. It is not a religious choice. It’s a personal choice, ”he proclaims.
The non-compliance with health rules by some members of the Good News Chapel has reportedly been repeatedly brought to the attention of local public health authorities, said an internal source in the network, who requested anonymity. But in the absence of official complaints against the religious group lodged with Public Health, the latter could not intervene. Only the police forces have the power to crack down on violators of health rules, confirmed the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
The police visited the scene last Thursday, following a report of non-compliance with health rules. No statement of offense has been issued, indicates a spokesperson for the Montreal Police Department.
Denied words
During the passage of To have to When we left the office last Sunday, the pastoral service refused our requests for explanations while urging us to leave. Church members claimed that no sanitary measures were being observed inside the building that day.
The Good News Chapel made headlines last February for defying health rules and bringing in more worshipers than the government allowed.
The words of Mark Sorella are also denied by all the testimonies collected by The duty. A man who claims to have attended church for decades confides that any adherence to sanitation measures is mocked within the community. “I have a friend who still attends services and has chosen to put on a mask. People ask him why he wears a mask and tell him he doesn’t need one. God will protect him. That’s the kind of sermon they have. “
A former senior member of this Christian community protests against the deviation of worship by Steve Gesualdi. “It’s not just a religious belief anymore. We no longer speak of belief, faith or values. We are talking about life or death. “
With Isabelle Paré