Archive

London, England, Mar 24, 2020 / 11:30 am (CNA).- The bishops of the United Kingdom have ordered the closure of all Catholic churches, even though they were exempted from shuttering by the countrywide stay-at-home order. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued the lockdown directive on Monday evening. The rules restrict when and for what purpose… Read More »

Baton Rouge, La., Mar 24, 2020 / 07:40 am (CNA).- The Catholic governor of Louisiana has asked fellow citizens to pray and fast on March 24 for those affected by the coronavirus. Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) announced on Monday evening that he and the state’s First Lady will fast on Tuesday, in the middle of… Read More »

Fatima, Portugal, Mar 23, 2020 / 02:11 pm (CNA).- On Wednesday, nations from around the world can be consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in a liturgy to be celebrated at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, built in the place where in 1916 and 1917 the… Read More »

Washington D.C., Mar 23, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- The Senate on Monday failed for the second straight day to advance consideration of a stimulus package to respond to the new coronavirus. The senators failed to deliver the 60 votes necessary to proceed on a shell bill to consider the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic… Read More »

Bergamo, Italy, Mar 23, 2020 / 01:01 pm (CNA).- Mario Enzler’s mother always wanted a big family. “My mother wanted twenty children, but got only me,” Enzler said with a laugh. Enzler, a former Swiss Guard for St. John Paul II, is an Italian expat living in New Hampshire with his wife and five children.… Read More »

Vatican City, Mar 23, 2020 / 12:40 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Raymond Burke has written a letter encouraging priests and bishops to work constructively with civil authorities to meet the spiritual needs of Catholics during the coronavirus pandemic. Acknowledging the “sadness” and “fear” which the pandemic has brought with it, the cardinal reflected Saturday that “Oftentimes,… Read More »

Washington D.C., Mar 23, 2020 / 11:33 am (CNA).- The Archbishop of New Orleans has tested positive for coronavirus. He is the first U.S. bishop known to have tested positive for the virus, which is now a global pandemic. “Recently, I had very mild symptoms, which included fever only. Out of an abundance of caution,… Read More »

Washington D.C., Mar 21, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- Catholic author and commentator Ross Douthat said that a “decadent society” plays a role in declining birth rates, as cultures and couples lose a sense of hope in the future. Discussing his new book, “The Decadent Society: How We Became Victims of Our Own Success,” the… Read More »

New York City, N.Y., Mar 21, 2020 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- As the coronavirus pandemic spreads across the United States, the ministry of hospital chaplains is essential for patients and health care professionals. One New York priest told CNA on Thursday that hospitals are the front line for saving souls, as well as lives. “The… Read More »

Augsburg, Germany, Mar 21, 2020 / 09:00 am (CNA).- Most of the community at the European seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter are sick from coronavirus, and the community is relying on providence and uniting itself with the sick throughout the world. “The virus did its work in the seminary, and now the… Read More »