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
Posts Tagged ‘Pandemic’
Lord’s Prayer banned at funeral
Thursday, October 15th, 2020Mourners 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
Pandemic highlights social problems and inequality
Sunday, August 30th, 2020
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
Vatican, WCC issue joint document on charity during pandemic
Sunday, August 30th, 2020The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the World Council of Churches – WCC – have jointly called on Christians to reflect on charity and “the importance of interreligious solidarity in a world wounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.” The PCID and WCC on Thursday released a joint document “Serving a Wounded World in Interreligious Solidarity: Read more
Makers of sacramental wine, altar bread suffer economic hit due to pandemic
Monday, August 24th, 2020With the global pandemic practically shutting everything down for months, the sacramental wine and altar bread business has suffered like other businesses in the country, with COVID-19 preventing most indoor public celebrations of the Mass. Catholics are for the most part unable to attend Mass in person and receive the Communion host and consecrated wine. Read more
100,000 dead Brazilians: Bishops accuse government of inaction
Monday, August 3rd, 2020
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
Pope Francis called on politicians to create jobs so that economies can relaunch
Monday, August 3rd, 2020Pope Francis called on politicians to create jobs so that economies can relaunch from the lockdowns imposed to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The pope, speaking after the traditional Sunday blessing, said that “without work, families and society cannot go forward. Let us pray for this, because this will be a problem in the post-pandemic period, Read more
New Zealand an example of virtuous pandemic policymaking
Monday, July 13th, 2020
Bolstered by scientific evidence, virtue ethics can help nations reopen not just economically but morally, too, according to a post in The Conversation. New Zealand is held up as an excellent example of virtuous pandemic policymaking even considering its advantages in having wealth, low density and no land borders say Mary Elizabeth Collins and Sarah B Read more
‘We didn’t even know where to begin.’ Nuns describe facing the pandemic in developing nations
Thursday, July 9th, 2020
Europe and the United States experienced firsthand the brunt of the pandemic, witnessing its tremendous death toll and impact on society. But some Catholic nuns, on the front lines in helping the poor and vulnerable, described on Tuesday (June 23) the challenges and human cost of fighting COVID-19 in the developing world. “We didn’t even Read more
Health, wealth both integral to society’s managing of pandemic
Thursday, June 11th, 2020
Americans must move past the health-wealth dichotomy that dominates public debate about how to manage the current pandemic to find a way forward, said a panel of Catholic scholars during a webinar June 2. “Either you want to kill Grandma or you want to destroy the economy and leave millions of people unemployed, and people Read more