The COVID-19 quarantines, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders are the perfect opportunity for conversion: for individuals, for the church and for governments, Pope Francis said in an interview.
International News
Andrea Bocelli to Livestream Easter Performance From Empty Duomo Cathedral
On Easter Sunday, there will be music for hope as one of the world’s most talented artists, Andrea Bocelli, performs from inside the Duomo, Milan’s most famous cathedral.
Analysis: Why the Vatican Might Want to Send a Thank-You Note to Australia’s High Court
Obviously, the primary beneficiary of Tuesday’s decision by Australia’s High Court to overturn the sexual abuse conviction of Cardinal George Pell is Pell himself. The 78-year-old prelate was definitively acquitted and is now a free man after more than 400 days in prison, mostly in solitary confinement.
Pell Acquitted of Abuse Charges and Will be Released From Australian Prison
Australia’s highest court unanimously acquitted Cardinal George Pell of child abuse on Wednesday, marking a stunning turn of events for the 78-year-old prelate who had previously been the most senior Catholic official to be found guilty of sexual abuse.
Pope on Palm Sunday: Life, Measured By Love, Is Meant to Serve Others
With a small procession down the vast and empty central nave of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis began the first of a series of Holy Week liturgies celebrated without the presence of the faithful from the general public.
Coronavirus Draws Prayers to Saints Who Cared for Plague Victims
Saints can get a bad rap because sometimes people assume they lived in deep piety removed from the burdens of everyday life. But a quick look at the saints known for their ministry to the poor and outcast, the sick and dying, particularly during times of plagues, casts these men and women in a different light.
Vatican Approves Special ‘Mass in the Time of Pandemic’
The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments has approved a special “Mass in the Time of Pandemic” to plead for God’s mercy and gift of strength in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pope: ‘We Implore You … Wake Up, Lord!’
On Friday, March 27, under a persistent light rain coming down from a gray Roman sky, and facing an empty St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis imparted a special Urbi et Orbi, the blessing “to the City [of Rome] and to the World” that is normally only given on Christmas and Easter.
Priests in Ireland Under Pressure to Celebrate Funeral Masses During the Pandemic
Despite regulations established by civil and ecclesiastical authorities to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, many priests in remote areas of Ireland are feeling pressure to celebrate funeral Masses. In rural parishes, funerals are “big occasions for the community,” according to Father Brendan Hoban, co-founder of the Irish Association of Catholic Priests.
Sisters’ Work During 1918 Spanish Flu Seen as Model for Crisis Today
Catholic nuns emerged as the unexpected heroes in the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic that killed hundreds of thousands in the United States and millions worldwide.
