April was New Zealand’s deadliest month for Covid-related deaths since the pandemic began, according to recently-released statistics. New Zealand’s COVID-19 death toll has increased more than tenfold over the past two months. The government’s decision to keep schools and non-essential businesses open and to remove most public health restrictions is being blamed for the spike. Read more
There’s no doubt Covid changed the clergy. In New York, anyway. During the deadliest months of the coronavirus pandemic, when many New Yorkers most needed their faith communities, houses of worship were either closed or operating with limits on attendance. The solace of grieving with family and friends, the comfort of the communal rituals of Read more
A funeral director has published a video exposing the heartbreaking reality of lockdown funerals. It shows a grieving daughter calling messages of sorrow as the hearse carrying her mother drives into a cemetery without her. New Zealanders in Level 3 lockdown are facing tight restrictions, with all funerals and tangihanga limited to 10 people. Distressingly, Read more
The Government is “seeking to rape me of my God-given right to worship Christ”, says Christchurch pastor Carl Bromley. He made the claim after police confronted him during the weekend for hosting a church service during a pandemic lockdown. Bromley, the Life Connection Missionary Baptist Fellowship founder, insisted on holding a church service on Sunday Read more
Several Irish Catholic dioceses are defying a government ban on celebrating sacraments of initiation. They are planning to hold the ceremonies from mid-August. Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin says after consulting with clergy, baptisms, First Holy Communions and confirmation ceremonies will be held. The regulations for general religious services will be followed. “The mission of Read more
The Republic of Cameroon’s government has approved the traditional medicine recipes a Catholic archbishop developed to help treat COVID-19 patients. The archbishop says they help save ‘even people on respirators’. The Republic’s Public Health Ministry authorised sales of Archbishop Samuel Kleda’s medicinal recipes as an “adjuvant” or supplementary aid to fighting COVID-19 infections. “This is Read more
Police in Ireland have fined a Catholic priest for celebrating public Masses during a nationwide lockdown. The Gardaí (police) fined Fr. P.J. Hughes, 500 euros (NZ$830) after he offered Masses with a small number of parishioners present. This was the second time Hughes defied the gardai’s request to lock the church’s doors when he celebrated Read more
Nine great apes at the San Diego Zoo – four orangutans and five bonobos – made veterinary history in recent weeks as the world’s first non-human primates known to be vaccinated against COVID-19, zoo officials said on Thursday. One of the recipients was a 28-year-old female Sumatran orangutan named Karen, who had garnered headlines at Read more
A Pew Research Center poll has found the coronavirus pandemic has strengthened the religious faith and family bonds in many parts of the world. The poll focused on 14 countries with what Pew calls “advanced economies”. It was released in late January. Of the Americans surveyed, 28 percent said the pandemic had strengthened their own Read more
Ash Wednesday on Sunday is a possibility. Cardinal John Dew and Bishop Patrick Dunn identified the option in messages to pastoral leaders and people in their respective dioceses. “If the Alert Level changes back to Level 1 on Wednesday night, we will look at having the belling and distribution of the ashes at Masses next Read more