In Chad, Jesuit Refugee Service teachers aim to keep school going amid pandemic lockdown

May 14, 2020 CNA Daily News 0

CNA Staff, May 14, 2020 / 08:00 pm (CNA).- As schools in Chad remain closed due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, teachers from the Jesuit Refugee Service are conveying safety measures to prevent the spread of the virus in local communities.

¨We came together to raise awareness among the community. Our students are part of it, so it is important for us to spread the message,¨ Ibrahim Isaakh, a science teacher in Djabal, southeastern Chad told JRS May 11.

For her part, Fatimé Ali Rifa, a teacher in the Touloum refugee camp, Iriba, located in the east of the country, has been recommending frequent handwashing and avoidance of crowds as precautionary measures to the prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

More than 450,000 refugees live in Chad, who have fled from conflicts in Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria, among other countries. Refugees live in camps afflicted by the same poverty and food insecurity faced by most residents of Chad. In addition to refugees, there are more than 150,000 internally displaced people in Chad.

Eighty percent of people in Chad live below the poverty line, and most experience chronic food insecurity.

Schools in the landlocked country, Africa’s fifth largest nation, have been closed since March 19, a move that has brought new challenges to the more than 102,000 refugee students across the country.

“Their academic engagement is at risk of great delay as many refugees lack a TV or radio to be able to follow the telematic classes offered by the government,” the JRS explained in a May 11 release.

For Abdelhamid Ibrahim Radjab, a teacher at Amnabak refugee camp in Iriba, every time he meets the parent of a child in his school area, he reminds them to ask their child to “review the materials they have already learnt at school in order to be ready for their [upcoming] exam.”

As schools in Chad’s refugee camps often serve as points of safety, reconciliation, and community awareness, their closure means that “children are more vulnerable to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as exploitation,” according to the JRS.

“For the students, the closure of the schools affects their schedules, as they won’t be able to finish the programme,” Abdallah Ahmat, a math teacher at Djabal refugee camp said.

“The community is worried; it is not sure what will happen with the future of our children. The question is when is this all going to finish?”

As the Jesuit agency monitors the situation in the semi-desert country, leaders are developing strategies to continue the school calendar.

As a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the disease among students, leaders are considering arranging for each class to include no more than 10 students.

Students may also study from home in groups of three or four;  teachers go from home to home to check what the students are doing and offering them guidance on the curriculum.

The leadership of JRS has expressed confidence in the teachers in its school programs noting, “Throughout all the uncertainties, one thing is clear: the commitment of our teachers has never wavered.”

“We hope that the situation gets better soon to allow the teachers and students to walk back to school. For the moment, and until the end of the pandemic, we will continue supporting our students with home-based learning,” Makka Abdallah Dehie, a primary teacher at Mile refugee camp, Guereda, told JRS.

With programs across 56 countries across the world, JRS runs seven refugee camps in Chad.

Founded in 1980, the mission of JRS is “to accompany, serve, and advocate on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons, that they may heal, learn, and determine their own future.”

 

A version of this story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s African news partner. It has been adapted by CNA.

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St. Peter’s Basilica considers temperature checks when public Masses resume

May 14, 2020 CNA Daily News 0

CNA Staff, May 14, 2020 / 03:30 pm (CNA).- Papal basilicas are considering checking visitors’ temperatures as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus when public Masses resume, the Holy See press office said Thursday.

Representatives of the four major Roman basilicas — St. Peter’s, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran and St. Paul Outside the Walls — met May 14 under the auspices of the Vatican Secretariat of State, the press office said.

They discussed which protocols to adopt in light of the “second phase” of Italy’s lockdown, when public liturgies will be permitted again from May 18 under strict conditions.

Churches in Italy will be required to limit the number of people present – ensuring a one-meter (three feet) distance – and congregants must wear face masks. The church must also be cleaned and disinfected between celebrations.

While St. Peter’s is situated in Vatican City, the three other major basilicas are located within Italy but have extraterritorial status under the terms of the Lateran Treaty of 1929, which means they are properties of the Holy See, itself a sovereign body in international law.

The press office statement said that officials talked about “the need to adopt the most appropriate measures to guarantee the safety of the faithful”, including taking the temperatures of visitors, at least during Sunday Masses and on other holy days of obligation.

Holy See Press Office Director Matteo Bruni told CNA that each basilica would adopt measures that reflected their “specific characteristics.”

He said: “For St. Peter’s Basilica, in particular, the Vatican Gendarmerie will provide for access restrictions in close collaboration with the Inspectorate for Public Security and will facilitate safe entry with the assistance of volunteers from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.”

 

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For Catholics, wearing masks can be an act of charity for neighbor

May 14, 2020 CNA Daily News 4

Denver Newsroom, May 14, 2020 / 03:09 pm (CNA).- Although some people have raised objections to wearing masks as the U.S. continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, doing so can be an act of charity for one’s neighbor, a Catholic doctor said.

“The simple reason [to wear a mask] is primarily to protect others, the secondary reason is to protect oneself. Masks are a barrier to the airborne droplets that can carry the virus and infect anyone who breathes them in,” said Dr. Barbara Golder, a physician, lawyer and bioethicist with a background in pathology.

Golder told CNA that wearing a mask while in public is “a small thing to do, and it may well save lives.”

The United States has seen more than 1.3 million confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, with more than 82,000 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Most people who contract the highly contagious virus show mild or no symptoms, but in some cases, it can result in severe complications or death, particularly for those who are elderly or have underlying health conditions.

With much of the country under quarantine restrictions in recent weeks to slow the spread of the virus, the question of when and how to reopen continues to be a source of controversy.

Public health officials have advised wearing masks in public, in order to reduce the risk of unknowingly transmitting the virus through droplets emitted from one’s mouth when speaking, coughing or sneezing. Many individuals who are infected with the virus do not develop symptoms, meaning that even people who do not feel sick could spread the virus to others.

Based on this federal guidance, many local authorities have issued regulations recommending or requiring that people wear masks in public settings.

These regulations have received a mixed response. Some critics argue that the mandatory regulations – and the fines and other punishments that accompany them – in some states are too harsh, infringing upon essential freedoms. Others worry that the use of masks may be ineffective or even harmful, claims which public health experts dispute.

Others have criticized the wearing of masks as a sign of weakness.

R. R. Reno, editor of the Catholic journal First Things, has been outspoken in his criticism of quarantine measures enacted in New York and other parts of the country. In a series of tweets this week – which were later deleted – Reno encouraged people to eschew masks, which he described as caving to a culture of fear.

“Masks=enforced cowardice,” Reno said in one tweet.

“The mask culture if (sic) fear driven,” he said in another, adding, “It’s a regime dominate (sic) by fear of infection and fear of causing of infection. Both are species of cowardice.”

However, Dr. Golder objected to the claim that following the guidance of public health officials is succumbing to fear or weakness.

“It isn’t fear to exercise prudent care for ourselves and others,” she told CNA. “This is a serious situation…When 60% of the population falls into a risk group because of age or an underlying medical condition such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease, it’s prudent to try to avoid infection.”

Golder acknowledged that conflicting advice early in the pandemic may be confusing, but explained that federal guidance has changed as scientists have learned more about the new virus and how it is spread.

“We now know that it is communicable by aerosol droplets that are expelled by coughing, sneezing, and even, to a certain extent, by breathing,” she said. “We also know that this happens even in patients who are infected and shedding virus but who do not have symptoms.”

For this reason, masks – along with social distancing – are an important tool in fighting the spread of the disease, she said.

“Wearing a mask limits the possibility of dispersing infective particles in the air, as well as reducing the risk of inhaling them,” she said.

Golder noted that small children, those who have breathing difficulties, and those who are physically unable to put on a mask need not wear one, but added that they may want to significantly limit contact with others.

But for most Americans, she said, “wearing a mask is a way of exercising our care for the other, who could be harmed if we do not.”

Leah Libresco Sargeant, author of “Building the Benedict Option,” echoed the idea that wearing a mask is a way of showing love for one’s neighbors.

“It’s much more a question of care than of fear,” she told CNA.

While masks may be somewhat uncomfortable, they are a small inconvenience that can be embraced out of charity for others, Sargeant suggested.

“Mask wearing is a small, humdrum discipline. It’s harder to romanticize than a big gesture,” she said.

“Think about the difference between going on a big pilgrimage and keeping up a habit of daily prayer, including in times of spiritual dryness. We have to do it out of love—there’s no other way to sustain the dull parts of caring for others.”

Dr. Golder acknowledged there are legitimate concerns about government overreach with some of the mandates surrounding masks and other pandemic limitations.

“[I]t’s absolutely true that there has been some overreach of government officials in imposing restrictions in various places,” she said.

“There is a real possibility of infringement of our constitutional rights and those charged with protecting our rights are hard at work to prevent that,” she added, pointing to court rulings blocking some of these regulations as signs that the American system is working.

But ultimately, Golder said, Catholics may want to consider the question of public health not solely from a perspective of rights, but from the viewpoint of service and friendship to which Christ calls us.

“God as man never once asserted his many ‘rights’ against us, maintaining to the last his role as servant and friend,” she said. “I think that might be the model here—How do I as friend and servant act in the presence of others? Wearing a mask might be a good start these days.”

 

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Kenyan bishop: Poor could be exploited in COVID vaccine trials

May 14, 2020 CNA Daily News 0

Nairobi, Kenya, May 14, 2020 / 01:05 pm (CNA).- A Kenyan bishop said testing potential coronavirus vaccines on his countrymen could disrespect human dignity, and amount to a breach of the country’s constitution, especially if Kenyans are not fully informed of the risks involved in testing new drugs.

“Whereas the Covid-19 pandemic is a grave matter at hand, it should not in any way be used to compromise the rights and dignity of the citizens” of Kenya, Bishop James Wainaina of the Diocese of Murang’a said May 7.

Because “vaccines or drugs may have side effects on the citizens, we must be convinced of the safety of the same and preservation of the citizens’ dignity.”

“Everything should be done with maximum openness, and testing should not be carried out on unsuspecting citizens,” he added.

The bishop’s statement came after Kenyan media reports that drugs and vaccines in development to treat COVID-19 could be tested in the country.

“The media has been awash with many messages and video clips talking about the intentions of foreign research agencies to come to Kenya to test some Coronavirus vaccines and drugs,” Wainaina said.

“This matter has left many Kenyans wondering whether the circulating information has been true or not.”

The bishop made particular reference to a May 5 report from Kenya’s highest circulation newspaper, Daily Nation, which claimed that “local researchers participating in an international study are seeking final approval from agencies to test three drugs on Kenyans.”

The bishop said that alleged testing plans are disrespectful to Kenyans and a possible indicator of opportunistic tendencies by foreign agencies to take advantage of the “poor” who are bribed into human subject research unethically. 

“The ‘Glory of Kenya’ that we sing about in our national anthem implies that Kenyans deserve respect,” Bishop Wainaina observed.

“All of us must remain vigilant to the foreign insurgences, including research agencies that plan to come and lure poor Kenyans with money, and instill fear of the disease in order to get people to agree to undergo trials of such vaccines and drugs.”

“Poverty, it must be said, or sickness does not remove the dignity of a person. The dignity of the poor must nevertheless be protected,” he added.

Wainaina noted that Kenya’s constitution requires the opportunity for public participation in decisions concerning a matter as serious as human drug trials.

“The fact that this matter was circulating in the media and the Government failed to address it openly leaves the public with more questions than answers,” Bishop Wainaina noted in his May 7 statement.

According to the Daily Nation, the principal local investigator in the study, Dr. Loice Achieng Ombajo, said her team’s submissions have been approved by a government ethics committee, and are now awaiting final approval from two additional government oversight boards.

“If the two agencies of research mentioned in the Nation Newspaper have already obtained initial approvals, it would be important for our Government to tell Kenyans how they got the approvals,” the bishop said.

“In the spirit of our Constitution, was there any public participation or approval by Parliament?”

The bishop urged “authorities to take the necessary steps, even to deny such agencies entry into our country to carry out trials of vaccines and drugs until the safety of Kenyans and their dignity are guaranteed.”

He pleaded with Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta “not to allow any medical practice, whether by local or foreign agencies, that would compromise the dignity of Kenyan citizens.”

As of May 14, Kenya had recorded 758 cases of COVID-19, including 284recoveries and 42 deaths. There are at least 76,000 confirmed cases across Africa, while at least 4.5 million have been infected globally.

“Kenya is not the worst hit country in Africa and in the world,” the bishop noted.

“One is left wondering about the wisdom of choosing Kenya as the testing ground for the vaccines and drugs.”

 

A version of this story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s African news partner. It has been adapted by CNA.

 

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NY judge upholds Child Victims Act after challenge by Rockville Centre diocese

May 14, 2020 CNA Daily News 0

CNA Staff, May 14, 2020 / 12:01 pm (CNA).- A judge ruled Wednesday that New York’s Child Victims Act is constitutional, rejecting a suit filed by the Diocese of Rockville Centre that claimed the law is barred by the due process clause in the state constitution.

The act opened a one-year window for adults in the state who were sexually abused as children to file lawsuits against their abusers. It also adjusted the statute of limitations for both pursuing criminal charges and civil suits against sexual abusers or institutions where the abuse took place.

“The court finds the Child Victims Act is a reasonable response to remedy the injustice of past child sexual abuse,” Justice Steven Jaeger of the New York Supreme Court in Nassau County wrote in his May 13 decision. “Accordingly, it does not violate defendant diocese’s right to due process under the New York State Constitution.”

Newsday, a Long Island daily, reported that Jaeger “said New York courts have upheld suspensions of time limitations as a remedy in extraordinary cases,” and on this basis he held the law to be a reasonable response.

Sean Dolan, spokesman for the Rockville Centre diocese, said that “We disagree with the court’s ruling on the due process challenge to the Child Victims Act and we are analyzing our options with respect to appeal of this and other issues.”

The law’s one-year window opened in August 2019. It was to have expired Aug. 13, 2020, but was extended by governor Andrew Cuomo this week by five months, to Jan. 14, 2021, due to court delays caused by the coronavirus.

According to Newsday, 44 suits have been filed against the Rockville Centre diocese under the the Child Victims Act. Across the state, more than 1,700 have been filed.

The diocese had filed its motion in November 2019. It said the Due Process clause “allows the legislature to revive formerly time-barred claims only where they could not have been raised earlier,” which it adds “is not so here.”

“The formerly time-barred claims revived by the legislature pursuant to the Child Victims Act all could have been brought within the then-applicable three- or five-year period, after plaintiffs attained the age of majority,” according to the diocese.

The diocese added that the state Court of Appeals “has held that the Due Process Clause allows for the exercise of what it has characterized as an exceptional legislative power ‘to remedy an injustice’ created by circumstances that prevented the assertion of a timely claim.”

It said claims under the Child Victims Act “do not fit within the scope of this narrowly circumscribed legislative authority.”

The Child Victims Act was signed into law in February 2019. In addition to opening a one-year window for suits, it allows child abuse victims to file criminal charges up to age 28, and lawsuits up to age 55. Previously, they had until the age of 23 to file charges or a civil claim.

Dolan said the diocese is committed to providing “pastoral care and equitable compensation” to child sex abuse victims through its independent reconciliation and compensation program.

As of August 2019 that program had paid a little more than $50 million to 277 claimants since its 2017 institution. Between 75 and 80 claims were still being processed, and 370 people had filed claims with the program.

The day the one-year lookback was opened, Bishop Robert Guglielmone of Charleston was named in a lawsuit accusing him of sexually abusing a young man while he was a priest of the Rockville Centre diocese, starting in 1978. The bishop has said he is innocent of the accusation.

In January 2019 Dennis Poust, director of the New York Catholic Conference, told CNA the conference had not opposed the final version of the act, which provided the same protections for child abuse victims in public insitutions, including schools, as it did for private institutions.

Earlier versions discriminated between public and private institutions, but once that was amended “the conference dropped any opposition to its passage,” he said.

When the bill was passed, the New York bishops issued a joint statement saying, “We pray that the passage of the Child Victims Act brings some measure of healing to all survivors by offering them a path of recourse and reconciliation.”

Earlier this month the Diocese of Buffalo asked a federal court to halt all outstanding clergy sex abuse litigation against it as it navigates bankruptcy proceedings.

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