Catholic agencies and individuals around Aotearoa-New Zealand are busy working from home and still-open “essential services” supporting communities in need during the Level 4 COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown. Work that is less visible nationally but very important locally is happening everywhere. Foodbanks and soup kitchens are two very busy basic services working hard behind the scenes. Read more
Father Maurice Carmody met the funeral directors — at the required social distance – by the roadside outside his home, which is close to the parish church, to conduct a simple funeral rite. Standing near the open rear door of the hearse, he said the prayers of final commendation while the family watched and prayed Read more
In New York, the US state hit hardest by Covid-19, the pandemic has disrupted life for millions. Non-essential businesses have been ordered to shut their doors and New Yorkers asked to remain at home as much as possible. But at least one part of daily life will now have a chance to resume. Today, governor Read more
A multi-cultural team comprising staff and students from the University of Otago’s School of Pharmacy has been aiding New Zealand’s fight against the COVID-19 virus. Read more
A group of nuns have reportedly volunteered to be locked inside a coronavirus hit nursing home in Poland after numbers of staff there were dramatically reduced by infection and quarantine measures. According to the Polish TV site TVN24, 10 sisters from the Congregation of St. Dominic stepped in when a coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in a Read more
Residents in a Hamilton suburb were concerned when a woman from a local church knocked on their door on Good Friday and presented them with pamphlets espousing religious views. Her actions were in breach of Alert Level 4 rules. Read more
A Catholic priest was charged in Kenyan court on Thursday with spreading the coronavirus, the second person to face such charges in Kenya. Kenya, which has 234 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 11 deaths, has banned all public gatherings, limited the number of mourners at funerals, imposed a daily curfew and restricted movement in Read more
Three months ago, if you had asked who are the most important people in the U.S. economy, the response would have been investors, CEOs, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, bankers and others who are well rewarded by the marketplace. They all make scads of money. The response is much different today. Essential workers are now nurses, doctors, Read more
Society must support female domestic violence victims during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, says Pope Francis. Abuse during the crisis is increasing all over the world, he says. Women are helping in many frontline roles helping society cope with the pandemic, he says. Praising their efforts, he made particular mention of women in frontline roles such Read more
The Pope’s vision for a post-pandemic church will balance institutional rules and regulations with a more free-form church that responds to people’s pastoral needs creatively. Explaining his point, he gave the example of an Italian bishop who asked him if it was allowable to offer general absolution to hospitalised Covid-19 patients in isolation. A canon Read more