NY Bishop Explains Why St John Divine Cathedral Is Working with Fundamentalist Group During Pandemic

As millions of worshipers around the globe enter the month of April preparing to celebrate Holy Week, Passover and Ramadan in the age of coronavirus, Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan is set to open its doors to 400 beds for non-COVID-19 patients to make more space in the hospitals for those suffering from the coronavirus. But there's a catch: The city is partnering with the Christian fundamentalist group Samaritan's Purse, led by Franklin Graham, a virulently Islamophobic, anti-choice and anti-LGBTQ preacher. Last week, the group erected an emergency field hospital in Central Park to treat spillover patients from Mount Sinai Hospital. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has promised to send aides to monitor the group to prevent discrimination against patients. We speak to Bishop Clifton Daniel, the dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, who says he rejects the values of Samaritan's Purse but welcomes their help regardless. "We are in the business of saving lives and helping people," Dean Daniel says. "If you are in the desert dying of thirst and somebody hands you a glass of water, you don't check their driver's license. You just say 'thank you.'"