February 28 marks four years since COVID-19 was first reported in Aotearoa New Zealand. Many of us are probably surprised this virus is still causing a pandemic. The World Health Organization refers to COVID-19 as a continuing pandemic. As Scientific American put it recently, it “has been the elephant in every room — sometimes confronted Read more
The world seems to have lost the climate change gains made during the pandemic. After a slowdown of global carbon emissions during the pandemic, fossil fuel levels are bouncing back to higher levels than ever before. They’re forecast to rise 1 percent worldwide – reaching a new record that’s likely to soar even further when Read more
While some people bunkered down during the Covid lockdowns, Gerarld Arbuckle wrote a book! The award-winning author’s new book is about the Church in a post-COVID world. In “The Pandemic and the People of God“, internationally renowned theologian and anthropologist and New Zealand-born priest, Gerald Arbuckle SM, weaves together insights from life, anthropology and theology Read more
According to the American Bible Society’s 11th Annual State of the Bible Report, more Americans are turning to the Bible than they have in prior years, and they are reading it more often. 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
Even though the world is facing a pandemic that may limit many people’s ability to celebrate the sacraments, particularly those people who are in isolation, quarantining or hospitalized with COVID-19, confession by phone is still most likely invalid, said Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary. Read more
The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis will not visit Rome’s Piazza di Spagna this year for the traditional veneration of Mary on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception due to the pandemic. Instead, Francis will mark the feast day with “an act of private devotion, entrusting the city of Rome, its inhabitants and the Read more
In an op-ed published by the New York Times on Thanksgiving, Pope Francis defended some of the social distancing restrictions that have been enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Francis applauded governments that have been “acting decisively to protect health and to save lives” by “imposing strict measures to contain the outbreak.” And some Read more
Mourners were banned from saying the Lord’s Prayer at a funeral as it could “spread the coronavirus”. Bosses at a council-run crematorium said if more than one person joined in, it counted as “chanting” and was not allowed. Minister Alison Davies, 53, was left in tears at the ban at the funeral of a 94-year-old Read more
The pandemic is highlighting and exacerbating social problems, especially inequality, Pope Francis said at his General Audience last Wednesday. Focusing his talk on the fourth of his “Healing the World” series, Francis is urging everyone to check statistics to see how many children are dying of hunger because of a poor distribution of wealth and Read more