Lent, the spiritual season of prayer and sacrifice, has an extra pull to it this year because once again — and now for the third time — it will be under the cloud of the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus
Filipinos Can Get Ashes on Foreheads for First Time in Two Years
Priests in the Philippines will be allowed to mark the foreheads of Catholics on Ash Wednesday, ending a two-year ban on the Lenten tradition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shoppers Still Missing Century 21 in Bay Ridge
The Century 21 Department Store on 86th Street closed its doors in December 2020, and more than a year later, the massive retail space on one of Brooklyn’s busiest shopping strips remains an empty shell — a symbol of the lingering effect the COVID-19 pandemic on the city’s businesses.
Court Blocks Vaccine Mandate for Businesses, Allows it for Health Workers
The Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision Jan. 13 blocked a rule by the Biden administration that would have required employees at large businesses to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or wear masks and get tested each week for the coronavirus.
Vatican Mandates COVID-19 Vaccines or Recovery for Employees, Most Visitors
The Vatican has updated its rules to stem the spread of COVID-19 and will require all its employees to be vaccinated against the virus or prove they have recently recovered from the disease.
Philippine Bishop: Hoarding Medicine During Pandemic Hurts the Poor
A Catholic bishop in the Philippines has warned people against bulk buying and hoarding medicines like acetaminophen and cough syrup to alleviate COVID-19 symptoms.
Italian Bishops Issue New Guidelines as COVID-19 Cases Surge
As coronavirus cases continue to increase across Italy, the country’s bishops issued new guidelines and restrictions meant to curb the spread of infection among the faithful.
Pandemic Calls for ‘Significant Effort’ by International Community Including Vaccination Campaigns, Pope Says
The COVID-19 pandemic calls for an urgent reality check against baseless information and for increased efforts so everyone has access to vaccines, medicines and diagnostic tools, Pope Francis told diplomats from around the world.
Boston College Health Director Sees ‘Optimistic Scenario’ With Omicron
Philip J. Landrigan strongly supports COVID-19 vaccine mandates. As the director of the Boston College Global Public Health Program, it’s his medical perspective on how to keep hospitalizations and death rates down even if cases climb. It’s his theological perspective, too, as a teacher at a Jesuit university.
No Lockdown of Churches, Bishop Brennan Says
As fears about the Omicron coronavirus variant continue to rise in New York City, Bishop Robert Brennan is seeking to alleviate Catholics’ worries that churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn might be locked down.