Archive

Vatican City, Mar 21, 2020 / 06:00 am (CNA).- As more Catholics around the world find themselves unable to receive the Eucharist due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pope Francis provided an example of a spiritual communion prayer that can be said from home. “My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy… Read More »

Denver, Colo., Mar 21, 2020 / 04:00 am (CNA).- The policy of social distancing means that the newly-homebound are seeing less of coworkers than they did just weeks ago. They’re seeing fewer friends too. But they might be seeing a lot more of their family, or their roommates. And that isn't easy. For some, especially… Read More »

Washington D.C., Mar 20, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- Efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus should not be used to override ethical restrictions on the use of aborted fetal tissue in medical research, Catholic bioethicists warned on Thursday. The warning came after some scientists called for the lifting of a ban on use of tissue… Read More »

Rome, Italy, Mar 20, 2020 / 11:53 am (CNA).- Two convents, one in Rome and one in a town nearby the capital city, have been isolated as the majority of religious sisters in the communities tested positive for COVID-19. According to Italian news agency ANSA, 59 sisters have tested positive for coronavirus between the two… Read More »

Jerusalem, Mar 20, 2020 / 11:30 am (CNA).- As Easter is approaching, the Holy Land is enduring tough times: the sacred sites are shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, and pilgrimages have come to an end. These events “meaningfully impact our religious communities, especially for the lack of the Eucharist,” Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa told… Read More »

Vatican City, Mar 20, 2020 / 11:05 am (CNA).- Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, has said that the coronavirus pandemic may justify the use of general absolution, in extraordinary circumstances, for Catholics unable to go to individual confession. The Apostolic Penitentiary in Rome is responsible for issues touching the sacrament of penance… Read More »

Buffalo, N.Y., Mar 20, 2020 / 10:30 am (CNA).- A Catholic hospital in western New York will become the state’s first hospital entirely dedicated to treating COVID-19 patients, it announced on Thursday. Catholic Health, a hospital network serving the western New York area, said on March 19, that the Sisters of Charity Hospital, St. Joseph Campus… Read More »

Vatican City, Mar 19, 2020 / 02:17 pm (CNA).- The prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life on Wednesday encouraged religious to intensify their prayer during the coronavirus outbreak, and to obey requests of religious and civil authorities for health's sake. “The most effective testimony we can provide is, in first place, the… Read More »

Portsmouth, England, Mar 19, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- The bishop of Portsmouth, England, has encouraged his flock to remain steadfast in prayer during the COVID-19 outbreak, telling Catholics they will remember how they lived this Lent “for many years ahead.” “As Catholics, we must tackle this crisis with spiritual as well as human resources,”… Read More »

Belfast, Northern Ireland, Mar 19, 2020 / 01:01 pm (CNA).- An English Member of Parliament and a US Congressman have joined calls for the British government to repeal the law dealing with abortion provision in Northern Ireland so the local government can legislate on the topic. John Hayes, the Conservative MP for South Holland and… Read More »