Rome Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- For Iraqi Christian and Yazidi communities still recovering from the destruction wreaked by the Islamic State, the coronavirus poses significant risks, NGOs have said in a joint statement.
“Th… […]
Vatican City, Apr 22, 2020 / 11:10 am (CNA).- Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with members of the Roman curia on Wednesday to discuss the gradual reopening of Holy See offices as Italy prepares to end its national lockdown.
The heads of Vatican dicasteries decided to implement a “gradual reactivation of ordinary services” starting in May, while “safeguarding the health precautions to limit contagion,” according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office April 22.
Italy’s strict lockdown is scheduled to end May 4 after 55 days of mandatory quarantine for the entire country.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced April 21 that he will be releasing a plan to slowly lift the coronavirus restrictions and reopen businesses.
“I wish I could say: let’s reopen everything. Immediately. … But such a decision would be irresponsible. It would bring up the contagion curve uncontrollably and it would frustrate all the efforts we’ve put in so far,” Conte wrote in a Facebook post published April 21.
After over a month of lockdown, more than 100,000 people are currently ill with COVID-19 in Italy after 183,957 total cases were documented by the Italian Ministry of Health.
When the Diocese of Rome announced the suspension of all public Masses one day before the national lockdown was declared, there had been a total of 87 coronavirus cases documented in Lazio, the region surrounding Rome. As of April 21, there are 4,402 active cases reported in the same region with an additional 1,130 people recovered and 363 deceased.
Vatican City itself has reported nine cases of COVID-19 among its employees. The most recent confirmed case was reported by the Holy See Press Office this week after the patient was hospitalized.
“Appropriate sanitisation and checks were carried out among those who had had contact with the interested party on the only day of his presence at the workplace in the two weeks prior to the response, all with negative results,” Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni said April 20.
Bruni has repeatedly said that Vatican City is implementing measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in coordination with the Italian authorities.
St. Peter’s Basilica and square, the Vatican Museums, and several other public offices in the Vatican City State have been closed for more than six weeks.
CNA Staff, Apr 22, 2020 / 10:37 am (CNA).- In his column on Tuesday, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles said that in God’s providence, the pandemic is calling us to remember our need for God and to deepen our solidarity.
“The deepest questions raised by this pandemic are about God and his designs,” the president of the US bishops’ conference wrote April 21 at Angelus News. “Where is he and what is he saying to us in this moment — what is he saying to his Church, to the nations of the world, to each of us in our own personal circumstances?”
“I see God calling us, in a most dramatic way, to realize how much we need him, how we cannot live without him,” he answered. “But I also see God calling us to a deeper sense of solidarity, to realize that we are responsible for one another, that we depend on one another and we have to take care of one another.”
The archbishop recalled that in the early years of Christianity, amid epidemics, non-Christians “marveled at the charity and compassion of Christians” as they cared for the sick.
That service continues today, he said, noting online Catholic education, meals provided for poor children, food pantries, and financial assistance given to those in need of food, clothing, and shelter.
“It is inspiring and beautiful. Through the witness of your love, our neighbors can see the presence of the risen Lord, even in this time of affliction and adversity,” Archbishop Gomez wrote.
“God is asking us to share in the insecurities and deprivations that define ordinary life for millions of people in nations around the world. We are being forced to do without what most of our brothers and sisters never had to begin with.”
He said the struggle caused by the inaccessibility of the sacraments “is a hard cross to bear,” but added that “maybe God is asking us to share in the sufferings of the millions of Catholics who live under regimes that repress or persecute the faith. These brothers and sisters of ours hunger and thirst for the sacraments and cannot receive them. This is their daily reality.”
The archbishop acknowledged that while he is grateful to be connected to the people of his local Church through, for example, livestreamed Masses, “a ‘virtual Mass’ is still virtual … it is not the same as seeing one another face-to-face, drawn together in the fellowship of Christ.”
Archbishop Gomez urged the people of Los Angeles to “intensify our prayers and sacrifices” for those who live in areas where the Church is repressed or persecuted.
“Let us join our sufferings to Our Lord’s passion in his living Body, his Church. Let us offer our sufferings for every person who is bearing greater burdens than we are.”
CNA Staff, Apr 22, 2020 / 09:30 am (CNA).- A 45-minute phone call between Pope Francis and French president Emmanuel Macron revealed “a lot of convergence” between the two leaders on the coronavirus crisis, the president’s office has said.
French officials told reporters April 21 that the pope and Macron had discussed the debts of developing countries, aid to Africa, the need for a global ceasefire and the importance of a united Europe.
“There is a lot of convergence in vision and in the answers,” the Elysée said.
The Holy See press office made no official statement regarding the conversation, in line with its policy of not commenting on private talks between the pope and world leaders. But the French version of the Vatican News website reported the Elysée’s account of the discussion and noted that Macron had renewed his invitation to the pontiff to visit France.
Macron summarized his conversation with the pope in a Twitter post April 21. He said they had spoken about “the ordeal that humanity is going through and what it requires of us: to support Africa and help the poorest countries; to alleviate suffering by a universal truce in conflicts; and to show a supportive and united Europe.”
Last week Macron echoed Pope Francis’ appeal in his Easter Urbi et Orbi message for debt relief for the world’s poorest countries amid the coronavirus crisis. In a televised address April 13, Macron called for debt cancelation “on a massive scale.”
After the discussion with the pope, Macron spoke to representatives of French religious groups, including Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, president of the French bishops’ conference.
According to the newspaper Le Figaro, Macron suggested that public religious services could possibly resume in France in mid-June, but with a limited number of worshipers.
Vatican City, Apr 22, 2020 / 06:30 am (CNA).- Commenting on the celebration of Earth Day during his general audience Wednesday, Pope Francis urged people to show solidarity with the weak and vulnerable and to protect humanity’s common home.
Acco… […]
Vatican City, Apr 22, 2020 / 04:30 am (CNA).- The crucifix is not just a symbol or wall decoration, it is the entire expression of the love of God, who sent his Son to die for us and for our sins, Pope Francis said at Mass Wednesday.
“How … […]
Rome, Italy, Apr 22, 2020 / 03:16 am (CNA).- Living under coronavirus-caused quarantines and stay-at-home orders, many Catholics may find themselves unable to practice the faith in the ways to which they are accustomed.
When you can’t attend Mas… […]
Denver Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 12:40 am (CNA).- In the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Courage International has announced that it will host online its annual conference to support Catholics who minister to people with same-sex attraction.
Courage International is a Catholic group for those who experience same-sex attraction and are seeking to live chaste and faithful lives. Its Truth and Love Conference seeks to provide practical and spiritual guidance on the topics of homosexuality and sexual identity to pastoral ministers and lay professionals.
While it was originally scheduled to take place in the Diocese of Arlington, the conference will instead take place for its several hundred participants on the online platform Zoom on April 27-29.
Ann Schneible, communications director for Courage, told CNA that when people register for the conference, they will be given a secure code and detailed instructions on how to participate.
During each talk, she said, participants will be able to type questions directly into Zoom. These questions will then be answered by the speakers during the Q&A period at the end of each presentation.
All of the participants will be invited to Monday’s keynote address and the following plenary sessions on Monday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, registrants will be able to choose talks from one of three tracks – pastoral care, mental health, and sexual identity.
The theme of this year’s conference is called “Be not afraid: Affirming the truth about sex and identity.” It will mark the 100th birthday of Pope John Paul II and declare him the official patron of the Truth & Love initiative, the section of the Courage ministry focusing on providing resources to those who minister to people with same-sex attraction.
Schneible said the title is inspired by the beginning words of his 1978 inaugural homily: “Do not be afraid. Christ knows ‘what is in man.’ He alone knows it.”
Schneible explained, “This theme is relevant to our work because whenever we are ministering to someone who experiences same-sex attractions or questions about their gender identity, the compassion we show cannot be separated from the truth about human dignity and authentic happiness. With Pope Saint John Paul II as our patron, we pray for his intercession as we continue to speak the truth fearlessly and with love.”
Father Philip Bochanski, executive director of Courage International, told CNA that the writings and messages of John Paul II are important to the Church’s understanding of human dignity, sexuality, and the human body. He said the pope also had a way of sharing the truth with an essence of love.
“He was able to perceive the trends in the way that the culture looks, and how to answer those kinds of cultural misunderstandings with the perennial truth that comes from the gospel through the Church,” he said.
“He did it with such compassion. That’s [why] he’s going to be our model. Not just what to say, but how to say it. How to speak the truth in love.”
The list of speakers at the virtual conference will include experts in pastoral care, theology, and mental health. Speakers include Bishop John Keenan of Paisley, a Courage chaplain in Scotland; Helen Alvaré, a professor of law at Antonin Scalia Law School of George Mason University; and Suzanne Baars, a licensed professional counselor and marriage and family therapist.
[Bishop Keenan will] talk about his experience over the last few years as a chaplain and how that has affected his understanding of pastoral ministry. We’re going to have Helen Alvare… talk about some of the legal implications of the legislation that’s being passed … about sexual orientation and gender identity and how that might affect parishes and schools and other institutions,” he said.
Bochanski also highlighted some of Tuesday’s talks, which will be divided into three separate categories: pastoral care, health care, and gender identity discordance.
He said the first track, pastoral care, will look at conveying Church teaching and creating a welcoming environment in parishes and schools. It will also examine how those in pastoral ministry can come to understand the experience of those with same-sex attraction.
The second track, on mental health care, will be directed toward health professionals. He said it will review a psychological experience, involving family dynamics, relationships, and self-identity, of those with same-sex attraction.
The third track will analyze gender discordance – when people view themselves as a different gender than their biological sex. The talks will include insight from healthcare professionals on genetics and body chemistry, as well as a philosophical perspective, Bochanski added.
“I think it reflects the reality that people, in general, are multifaceted and need to be supported and nourished on different levels simultaneously. We tried to keep in mind all those different aspects of pastoral care and family life and just the different ways that we’re going to encounter people so that the folks who participate are going to be equipped for all of those,” he said.
Washington D.C., Apr 21, 2020 / 08:00 pm (CNA).- When the coronavirus epidemic passes, Americans can’t simply return to their old habits, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has said.
“We won’t properly absorb the lessons from the coronavirus cris… […]
Rome Newsroom, Apr 21, 2020 / 05:00 pm (CNA).- Public Masses will resume in Austria on May 15, the country’s chancellor has said.
Sebastian Kurz made the announcement at a press conference in Vienna at noon local time April 21.
Fr. Peter Schipka, secretary general of the Austrian bishops’ conference, confirmed that public liturgies would begin again from May 15, according to the Austrian Catholic news agency Kathpress.
Kurz said at the press conference that church services will “naturally” still be subject to certain restrictions. In particular, churches will have to ensure “that the distance rule is observed everywhere,” Kathpress reported.
Kurz, a Catholic, also announced the news on Twitter April 21, alongside other measures to ease the lockdown in Austria.
“It is good that we can go the way of reopening and there is also light at the end of the tunnel for the economic development of our country,” he tweeted.
“Our motto for the next phase is clear: as much freedom as possible, as much restriction as necessary.”
A statement on the website of the Federal Chancellery of Austria said that church services will be permitted “subject to certain conditions and safety regulations to protect health”.
The statement added that Susanne Raab, the country’s minister of education and cultural affairs, will share further details, in consultation with religious communities, on Thursday, April 23.
Responding to the news, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna tweeted: “We will soon be able to celebrate the Eucharist together with great joy and responsibility.”
He added: “Faith needs both: the celebration together and the personal relationship with God. This is where Christianity comes from. The community of the Church is something essentially different from a club or a group of friends.”
Austria, which has a population of 8.9 million, was one of the first European countries to enter lockdown. The first two cases of coronavirus were confirmed on February 25. From March 16 onwards, Austrians were ordered not to leave their homes except for reasons such as essential work or shopping.
Almost 15,000 people have contracted COVID-19 in Austria and 491 people have died as of April 21, according to Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
© Catholic World Report