Pope urges virus lockdown obedience amid church-state debate
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis waded into the church-state debate about virus-imposed lockdowns of religious services, calling Tuesday for “prudence and obedience” to government protocols to prevent infections from surging again. Francis’ appeal came just two days after Italian bishops bitterly complained that the Italian Government offered no provisions for Masses to resume in its plan […]
US passes a million coronavirus cases while states roll back restrictions
Washington DC/New York City, USReuters The number of confirmed US coronavirus cases topped one million on Tuesday – representing a third of the global total – even as some states eased restrictions in the face of an economy battered by the pandemic. With President Donald Trump’s economic adviser forecasting an unemployment rate of more than […]
South Korea says North Korea’s absent Kim may be trying to avoid coronavirus
Seoul, South KoreaReuters Fear of catching the coronavirus could have kept North Korean leader Kim Jong-un away from state ceremonies for a key holiday in mid-April, a South Korean minister said on Tuesday as speculation swirled over Kim’s whereabouts and health. Under Kim Jong-un, North Korea has expanded its arsenal of nuclear weapons and long-range […]
Environment ministers seek fair, green coronavirus recovery
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Government efforts to help economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic could also tackle inequality and climate change through investment in energy-smart buildings, electric vehicles and other green measures, officials and economists said on Monday. As 30 nations joined a two-day virtual climate dialogue, co-chaired by Germany and Britain, policy makers stressed that […]
Books: ‘Ordinariness’ no barrier to faithful service
NILS VON KALM reads ‘Faithful Witness in a Fractured World’…
Prince Harry helps mark 75th anniversary of Thomas the Tank Engine
London, UKReuters Britain’s Prince Harry is helping Thomas and Friends celebrate their 75th anniversary by introducing a special episode which features the cartoon trains as well as some members of the royal family. Fictional train Thomas the Tank Engine came to life in 1945 as a character in The Railway Series books by Rev Wilbert […]
Australian state permits home visits, opens beaches as coronavirus lockdown eases
Updated: 3.10pmSydney, AustraliaReuters Australia’s most populous state said on Tuesday it will relax some restrictions on movement, as beaches reopened amid hopes a policy of widespread medical testing will help sustain a decline in new cases of the coronavirus. Bondi Beach and two neighbouring beaches in Sydney were reopened to local residents on Tuesday after […]
US military chaplains pivot to serve soldiers in virus outbreak
Fort Bragg, North CarolinaAP Major Brian Minietta’s eyes are locked down the barrel of a camera lens. He sways gently back and forth in silence, then his gruff voice belts out, in singsong: “A little patience…yeah, yeah!” He finishes the chorus – it’s the 1989 Guns N’ Roses hit Patience. And he tells the Green […]
Holiness or wholeness?
Why is Christianity both scorned and praised in our world? PICTURE: John Simitopoulos/Unsplash Some see Christianity as emphasising holiness; a purity you must guard. Others see Christianity as emphasising wholeness; a completeness you are compelled to share! In Jesus’ day people had the first view. ‘Uncleanliness’ or ‘sin’ was something you caught. As a result […]
Catholic Church: Wartime Vatican archive shows how much Pius knew about the Holocaust, says researcher
TOM HENEGAN, writing for Religion News Service, reports on what researchers have found so far with regard to the role of Pope Pius XII during World War II following the opening of the Vatican Archives…