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Wim
Simons' webcasts on Facebook have drawn worshippers from across
Dutch-speaking Belgium and the Netherlands as well as his
regular churchgoers.
"It has really grown. In this time of crisis, people may be
looking for some inner peace such as through a moment of
blessing," he said before one of his daily services.
One Sunday, his online audience was over 30 times larger than
the 150 people Simons says he usually sees at St Martinus church
in Herk-de-Stad, a small town in Limburg in eastern Belgium,
where coronavirus infections have been highest.
Special Easter services in the coming week could see it increase
further, especially after channel TV Limburg broadcast some of
his services on local television.
The 38-year-old priest now holds an hour-long service from his
empty church at 6 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays and a half-hour
prayer slot at 9 p.m.. There is an earlier service on Saturday
and a mass on Sunday morning.
And Simons may continue tending his virtual flock even after the
lockdown is lifted: he says the popularity of his webcasts has
made him aware of people, like those in care homes, who would
like to attend services but are unable to do so.
(Reporting by Yves Herman and Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by
Catherine Evans)
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