A US priest has become the first clergyman in the country to have amended a previously declared diocesan ban on public Masses since the coronavirus outbreak. Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces, New Mexico has lifted a diocesan ban on the public celebration of Mass, issued guidelines for distribution of Holy Communion, and told priests…
Fr Seán Maher I walk into the wounded Christ in our world today. This walk begins with a phone call. ‘Naas Hospital’ flashes up on the screen of the phone. And you know that this means some more Covid-19 patients need to be anointed. You answer the phone and hear that there’s three patients on…
Catholic bishops in Germany have voiced their disapproval at Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision not to lift the ban on public church services. Despite allowing thousands of shops to reopen, Merkel said the ban on public church services should remain until further notice. She also announced that a state secretary of the interior ministry would talk…
A feature film about the story of the children of Fátima has been delayed until near the end of the summer due to the coronavirus. The historical drama, directed by Marco Pontecorvo and distributed by Picturehouse, was originally scheduled for release on April 24, but has now been pushed back until August. “The circumstances that the…
An Egyptian priest has played down the threat of a failed terrorist attack by a jihadi group on Christians which was neutralised by security forces last week. The group, who have been linked to the Islamic State, was preparing to attack the country’s Christian community during Easter. Fr Rafic Greiche, head of media committee of…
A Co. Cavan-based priest has hit out at a newspaper over what he described as a “cheap shot” against well-known chef Neven Maguire. Fr Charlie O’Gorman hit out at a recent article in the Sunday Times which he believed had been critical of Mr Maguire. In a subsequent letter to the newspaper Fr O’Gorman, formerly…
If it becomes necessary to treat some and not others, this must be based on defined criteria and not the personal discretion of doctors writes Martin M. Lintner “I would never have thought I would have to experience the necessity of triage again in my life,” an older colleague who remembers well the grim…
A group of doctors in Tuscany has received a bishop’s permission to distribute Holy Communion to those infected by the coronavirus. Bishop Giovanni Nerbini of Prato made the six doctors extraordinary eucharistic ministers, allowing them to give Communion to over 100 patients on Easter, according to Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference. Dr…
Christopher White A new study in the US finds that while young people are experiencing heightened levels of loneliness and isolation as a result of social distancing, they are not experiencing a decline in their Faith. Among those surveyed, 35% of respondents said that they are actually experiencing an increase of Faith and 46% attested to…
While the coronavirus means we can’t travel, we can still be transported to the heart of the faith writes Ruadhán Jones The practice of making pilgrimage has a long history in the Church, reaching back to the 4th Century. Christians would travel to the sites of Christ’s life, or to the graves of martyrs…