Washington National Cathedral rings funeral bell for 30 minutes to mourn 300,000 COVID-19 deaths

The Washington National Cathedral honored the memory of the 300,000 Americans who have died of coronavirus by tolling its mourning bell 300 times on Tuesday — once for every 1,000 dead.

It took 30 minutes to ring the 12-ton bell 300 times, and the Very Rev. Randy Hollerith, dean of the cathedral, said he has "grown weary of tolling this bell. I don't want to toll this bell anymore. I don't want to lose any more lives. I don't want us to think this is normal, or that it is just the price we must pay for living in a free society. God forgive us if we find ourselves tolling this bell again at 400,000 lives lost."

The names of COVID-19 victims are on display in the cathedral's Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea, and they are also included in a weekly service of remembrance. The cathedral said the ringing of the bell "cannot replace the lives lost, but we hope it will help each American mourn the toll of this pandemic."

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