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.
Vatican
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.
As Coronavirus Spreads, So Does Pope’s ‘Virtual Parish’
As many of the restrictions imposed early on by Italy to fight the COVID-19 coronavirus begin to be adopted elsewhere, the number of Catholics unable to get to Mass, or at least strongly discouraged from leaving the house to do so, is growing.
Vatican Says Public Will Not Be Admitted to Papal Holy Week Liturgies
“The liturgical celebrations of Holy Week will take place without the physical presence of the faithful,” a notice on the Vatican’s website says.
UN Secretary General Guterres to Receive Path to Peace Award
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres will receive the annual top prize from the Path to Peace Foundation – the major charitable organization established to support the work of the Holy See Mission to the U.N.
As Italy’s Coronavirus Fears Spike, All Public Masses Suspended Until April 3
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.
Pope Skips Penance Service With Rome Clergy Due to Mild Cold
Pope Francis did not attend a traditional penitential service with priests of the Diocese of Rome due to a mild cold, the Vatican said.
Survivors Storm Rome to Mark Anniversary of Global Abuse Summit
This week, clerical abuse survivors from around the world have flocked to Rome to mark the one-year anniversary of Pope Francis’s global summit on child protection, which took place at the Vatican in February of last year.
Pope Francis Says International Debt Can’t be Paid at ‘Price of Unbearable Sacrifices’
Speaking at a summit in Rome with some of the world’s most powerful financial officials, Pope Francis said the fact that five million children under five will die this year due to extreme poverty is something that should motivate the world to act.
