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—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…
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…
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…
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…
CNA—More than half a million people took part Sunday in the re-dedication of England to Our Lady Sunday, organizers have said. The English bishops had originally asked Catholics to gather in churches and cathedrals for the re-dedication at noon March 29. They were forced to change their plans when the government imposed a lockdown across…
In Italy, one of the worst hotspots for coronavirus, mayors take to social media and, most recently, to drones, the latter of which was just approved by the Italian government. Italian Mayors Mince No Words in emotional pleas on YouTube (English translation included): Italian…
I could never have fathomed all the things that have happened in our country during March 2020. I must admit that particularly over the last two weeks, I have been in somewhat of a “funk” because of the Coronavirus pandemic and all the uncertainty surrounding it. The news cycles on TV have been bad for…
C&L—Luca Salvi (see featured photo) works at the Alzano Lombardo Hospital in Bergamo, Italy, one of the hotbeds of the epidemic, where everything has changed—from the conception of work to relationships amongst colleagues. “What is happening makes us reflect on our consistency,” he says. For over thirty years, Luca Salvi, an orthopedic doctor, has only…
A frivolous amount of media dust has arisen regarding a proper name for the virus turned pandemic. Some say it’s wrong if the name offends anyone. Others callout leaders for not being politically correct in the name they use. But there’s no ethical merit in naming a thing according to whether or not it offends.…
CNA—Cardinal Peter Turkson sent a message Wednesday encouraging Catholics to see the sacrifices required to slow the spread of coronavirus as a chance to deepen their relationships with God and their neighbors. “Prayer is our strength, prayer is our resource. Here then is the favorable moment to rediscover the fatherhood of God and our being…
The 14th Archbishop of New Orleans, Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond, is the first New Orleans native to serve as archbishop in the 216-year history of the archdiocese. He is also the first U.S. bishop known to have tested positive for the coronavirus. In a statement, Archbishop Aymond states: Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, I have been…
On March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord, at Noon, Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and the Primate of all Ireland, will join with bishops and priests from throughout the island nation in consecrating the people of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for strength and protection from the Coronavirus,…
CNA—In the past week alone, more than 3,000 people have died in Italy after contracting the coronavirus. Among the dead are at least 60 priests this month, according to local media reports. “I pray to the Holy Spirit to give us the gift of light and strength. Everyday I do the Via Crucis asking the…
CNA—A Franciscan friar is the first person known to have died as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the District of Columbia. Brother John-Sebastian Laird-Hammond, OFM, was hospitalized with the virus last week, and died Friday, the Washington Post reported. The friar, who also was a permanent deacon, had been in residence at the Franciscan…
CNA—As state health officials plan for health care rationing during the coronavirus pandemic, lawyers, ethicists and theologians are warning that denying care on the basis of age or disability violates federal law. “There’s always the temptation when things get rough, and when you’re looking at rationing situations and looking at triage, to fall into the…
Amid increasing spread and panic regarding coronavirus COVID-19, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following statement on behalf of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB)—ed. With the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus, we are confronted once more with the fragility of our…
Geniuses often are thought to be absent-minded. Archimedes was so preoccupied with a mathematical diagram he was constructing during the invasion of Syracuse in Sicily in 212 BC, that he told a Roman soldier about to slay him: “Let me finish my numbers.” He was not professorially absent-minded, but present-minded. His obligation to truth took…
