A US diocese cited COVID-19 and the subsequent “precipitous decline in revenue” for halting its participation in an independent compensation program for victims of clerical abuse. The Diocese of Camden, New Jersey released a statement last week saying it “is fast approaching a point where it will not be able to continue to borrow the Read more
A Catholic pastor has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation after writing several articles advising his congregants not to fear the virus. Washington, D.C. health officials told those who attended recent services to quarantine after Monsignor Charles Pope of the Holy Comforter Saint-Cyprian Roman Catholic Church was diagnosed. Pope has been a vocal Read more
As Alicia Nava flipped through family photographs the morning of July 25, she said solemnly from behind a floral print mask, “We were taking precautions.” Three weeks before, she was in the hospital battling COVID-19, as were five of her relatives. Three remain hospitalized for the virus, including her father, Adolfo, who has been on Read more
A draft letter signed by Brazilian bishops is causing an uproar in the Brazilian media and church, as it hits out hard at the government. In the letter scheduled to be presented to the executive committee of the bishops’ conference, over 150 bishops accuse the federal government of “inaction and omission” in combating the coronavirus Read more
Human trafficking victims need greater protection says the Vatican-based international network of Catholic charities. Insufficient attention “was paid on the collateral damage of the ongoing pandemic, especially on migrants and informal workers, who are now more exposed to trafficking and exploitation,” Caritas Internationalis says. Caritas voiced its concerns to highlight the plight of human trafficking Read more
A Catholic convent in Michigan says it lost 13 nuns to coronavirus (COVID-19) in just two months – 12 of them between Good Friday, 10 April and 10 May. The 13th nun initially survived the virus but later died from complications in June. Ranging in age from 69 to 99, women were members of the Read more
A collection of Pope Francis’s lockdown sermons, prayers and other messages has been published by the Vatican. “Strong in the Face of Tribulation: The Church in Communion – A Sure Support in Time of Trial,” also includes resources for times when physical access to the sacraments is not possible, plus other Church blessings and prayers. Read more
Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican’s charitable organization, joined Pope Francis in his call for the debt forgiveness for the poorest countries, while condemning the fact that for many regions “there are two pandemics,” COVID-19 and hunger. “Two major crises require immediate and determined action by people of goodwill, leaders and all members of the human community,” Read more
According to Italy’s national statistics institute, Italy is likely to see a significant decline in the number of babies born in the period following the COVID-19 pandemic. In their 2020 annual report, Istat, Italy’s national statistics institute, predicted that the climate of uncertainty and fear caused by the coronavirus may result in 10,000 fewer births Read more
Staff at the Pope John XXIII hospital in Bergamo — once the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy — announced they had no more patients with coronavirus in their intensive care unit. After 137 days of trying to keep critically ill patients alive, staff gathered July 8 for a moment of silence to remember Read more