St. Catherine of Siena was born March 25th, 1347, when the world stood at the brink of the very pandemic for which the word “quarantine” was invented. In Italian, “quaranta giorni” – forty days – was the allotted time that ships were required to remain offshore before landing. The Bubonic Plague, also known as the…
CNA, Diocese of Brooklyn—Fr. Brendan Buckley, OFM. Cap., had never heard of the Zoom before this past March and the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. After his home in the Diocese of Brooklyn became a center of COVID-19 illness in the United States, he learned. With the help of two parish employees, he has now…
CNA—Elderly and disabled coronavirus patients have the same right to life-prolonging treatment as others, the bishops of England and Wales have said, including Bishop Paul Mason (featured image). In a statement April 20, the bishops noted that the pandemic had placed immense strain on Britain’s National Health Service (NHS). “With the escalation of the coronavirus,…
ACI Prensa/CNA—While most of the students at the San Fulgencia Seminary in Cartagena, Spain, returned home when the country declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic, one seminarian felt a different calling. With a background in medicine, first-year seminarian Abraham Martínez Moratón asked permission of the rector at his seminary to go back…
CNA—The Grand Master of the Order of Malta Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre died early Wednesday at the age of 75. Dalla Torre had been in treatment for throat cancer in Rome in recent months. He is remembered by the Order of Malta for his kindness, appreciation of the arts, and charity towards the poor and…
CNA—Italy’s bishops have criticized Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte for failing to lift the ban on public Masses. The Italian bishops’ conference Sunday released a statement denouncing Conte’s decree on “phase 2” of the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, which it says “arbitrarily excludes the possibility of celebrating Mass with the people.” During a press conference April 26…
The current coronavirus analysis and findings of Nobel Prize recipient Luc Antoine Montagnier and his peers are not only fascinating, but they deliver insight about Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) that few could discern. These findings do not seem to be commonly heard on sound-byte mainstream news. The article below does a good job of exposing these scientific…
CNA—The Bishop of Las Cruces, New Mexico, has lifted a diocesan ban on the public celebration of Mass, issued guidelines for distribution of Holy Communion, and told priests they may resume sacramental ministry if they follow state-ordered health precautions. “We [as priests] have been called by Christ and ordained to serve the people of the…
“Washington’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic is upending one of the most durable patterns of American politics. Throughout history, national emergencies have led to a more powerful and centralized federal government and to the transfer of federal power from Congress to the executive branch. This time, the federal response rests largely on state and local…
UK-based Learn Bonds—Millions of Britain’s small businesses are desperate for cash to cover wages a month into the coronavirus lockdown – but the alternative finance industry feels the government has left them with their noses pressed against the window while high street banks dither over approvals. That is certainly the view of Funding Options chief executive Simon Cureton…
Breitbart, Crux—Both China and Taiwan have donated masks and medical supplies to the Vatican in recent days but while the Vatican thanked China publicly it has kept silent over Taiwan’s generosity. As Breitbart News reported, on April 9 the Vatican issued a glowing public statement thanking the People’s Republic of China for donations of medical…
When the Coronavirus pandemic first hit, the Catholic Church was among some of the first organizations to “self quarantine.” Public worship was quickly shut down, including Masses and confessions. Unfortunately, as time has passed and safety procedures are being developed, little effort has been made to reopen the sacraments, even during Easter week, and even…
On April 8, 2020 (and again on April 13 and 14, 2020), the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued new “Frequently Asked Questions” providing clarifications regarding various aspects of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans established through sections 1102 and 1106 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act or the Act). The…
Big corporations are increasingly in the business of social politics these days. It’s all under the banner of corporate social responsibility (CSR). And Boston-based Cone Communications reports that the public’s appetite for it is growing. The consulting organization’s research points to 2017 as a watershed year saying that it marked the moment when consumers demanded…
An interesting article, written by a London-based human rights lawyer working on counter-terrorism laws and states of emergency, published in an African news journal and concerning important observations applicable to all, even in the U.S.—ed. African Arguments—The pandemic is a real emergency and the perfect excuse for a power grab. We must monitor abuses and…
We at Catholic Business Journal wish you and your loved ones an especially blessed Holy Week and Easter Triduum during this unusual time in the world. The quarantine forces us to reflect on how much we take for granted—shopping when and where we want, full shelves, internet, hopping in a car, freely going where and…
CNA—Paris—One year after the world watched the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris burn, the Archbishop of Paris will display the relic of Christ’s crown of thorns for veneration during a Good Friday broadcast. “When Mary is at the foot of the cross, she knows that from the most absolute evil God can always draw a…
Vatican News, CNA, CBJ—Catholics around the world are invited to pray virtually before the Shroud of Turin on Holy Saturday, as the world struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic. This rare public showing begins at 5pm local time (Turin, Italy) on April 11, 2020. It will be broadcast live on television and live-streamed on social…
CNA—After more than 14 months in prison, Cardinal George Pell said he was always hopeful about the High Court decision which acquitted him of all charges and released him from incarceration on April 7. Shortly after his release from prison, the cardinal told CNA that, while he had kept faith he would be eventually exonerated,…
April 2, 2020-See byline details at end of article—Bottom Line: The CARES Act contains two loan programs which could potentially impact faith-based organizations. As of this writing, there are significant unanswered questions about the impact acceptance of these funds would have on a recipient’s ability to pursue its mission and maintain its religious identity. We are…
