Author: casciatalbert

Rome Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- For Iraqi Christian and Yazidi communities still recovering from the destruction wreaked by the Islamic State, the coronavirus poses significant risks, NGOs have said in a joint statement.  “The public health system in Sinjar and the wider Nineveh Governorate was decimated by ISIS during its brutal occupation and genocidal campaign in Iraq, beginning in 2014,” the letter stated. “An impending humanitarian and security disaster looms large in Iraq. … There is a significant attendant threat to global security if ISIS uses…

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Washington D.C., Apr 21, 2020 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- Last week, Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces became the first bishop in the United States to roll back the ban on the public celebration of Masses. His decision, and the reasons he gave for it, have highlighted a growing tension: while Church leaders try to comply with state regulation, some local authorities insist that any religious practice should be curtailed. Amid that tension, bishops face the challenge of balancing competing goods, and as they tackle that challenge, new ecclesial leaders could…

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Vatican City, Apr 20, 2020 / 03:40 am (CNA).- Freedom is found in the Holy Spirit who provides the strength to fulfill God's will, Pope Francis said in his Monday morning Mass homily. “Prayer is what opens the door to the Holy Spirit and gives us this freedom, this boldness, this courage of the Holy Spirit,” Pope Francis said in his homily April 20. “May the Lord help us to always be open to the Holy Spirit because it will carry us forward in our life of service to the…

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Vatican City, Apr 19, 2020 / 07:00 am (CNA).- Here is the full text of Pope Francis' homily on Divine Mercy Sunday, delivered April 19 at Santo Spirito in Sassia, Rome. Last Sunday we celebrated the Lord’s resurrection; today we witness the resurrection of his disciple. It has already been a week, a week since the disciples had seen the Risen Lord, but in spite of this, they remained fearful, cringing behind “closed doors” (Jn 20:26), unable even to convince Thomas, the only one absent, of the resurrection. What does…

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Washington D.C., Apr 18, 2020 / 04:28 pm (CNA).- Development of an effective, safe and widely available vaccine for the novel coronavirus is deeply important, but its development should avoid unethical links to abortion, said pro-life leaders in a letter to the Trump administration. “It is critically important that Americans have access to a vaccine that is produced ethically: no American should be forced to choose between being vaccinated against this potentially deadly virus and violating his or her conscience,” said the April 17 letter to Dr. Stephen M. Hahn,…

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London, England, Apr 17, 2020 / 06:00 am (CNA).- The coronavirus crisis could have a “catastrophic effect” on the finances of England’s most prominent Catholic cathedral, officials have said.  An appeal for donations on the website of Westminster Cathedral, the mother church of Catholics in England and Wales, said the pandemic “has brought to the cathedral a very real threat to its financial stability”. The cancelation of public Masses would significantly reduce the cathedral’s income, the statement explained.  The cost of running the cathedral is currently $3 million per year,…

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Washington D.C., Apr 16, 2020 / 05:00 am (CNA).- Archbishop Christophe Pierre was appointed apostolic nuncio to the United States in April 2016, after the archbishop had served as nuncio in Mexico, Uganda, and Haiti. As apostolic nuncio, Pierre is the Holy See’s diplomat to the United States, and the representative of Pope Francis to the U.S. bishops, and to all Catholics in the country. Pierre, who celebrated 50 years of priesthood this month, spoke with CNA about living the Catholic faith during the coronavirus pandemic. Your Excellency, throughout this…

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