Catholic bishops across the United States have banned public Masses and opted for a virtual celebration of the sacraments as the nation continues to be roiled from the COVID-19 pandemic, but throughout the country, governors are issuing mixed guidelines on policies for houses of worship.
While Catholics in the U.S. continue to grapple with fallout stemming from the clergy abuse scandals, new polling suggests that Catholics have a higher opinion of the Church than they did this time last year.
At the heart of the European coronavirus crisis in northern Italy’s city of Bergamo, six Catholic priests have died during the past week from the disease and, as of Sunday, over 20 priests were hospitalized.
On Sunday evening the Italian bishops’ conference announced the suspension of all public Masses and liturgical celebrations until April 3 amid growing fears surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, after the Italian government ordered the closure of all cinemas, museums and theaters.
Dorothy Day was once considered by the FBI as a “dangerous American,” but the Catholic Church may one day soon declare her to be a saint.
Responding to a government appeal for citizens to stay home in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the administrator of the Hong Kong diocese has suspended public Masses until the end of the month, including the Ash Wednesday service marking the beginning of the Lenten season.
Proclaiming his successor as “exactly the man our church needs,” Archbishop Charles J. Chaput introduced Bishop Nelson J. Perez, whom Pope Francis named as the next archbishop of Philadelphia, at a Jan. 23 news conference in Philadelphia.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Bayside and its parish school were vandalized on Saturday evening, Jan. 11 by someone who spray painted the name of MS-13, an international street gang, by the main entrances of both the school and church, according to the church’s Facebook page.
At least one person has died and one Catholic Church was destroyed by the latest of a series of earthquakes to rock Puerto Rico.
A major gathering of ecclesial heavy hitters focusing on the future of the priesthood concluded with a call for a reimagining of priestly formation – one that incorporates the laity and women in the process and better reflects the racial and cultural diversity within the U.S. Church.
