Italian authorities on Thursday (May 7) gave the go-ahead for public Masses starting May 18, after the government and Catholic bishops struggled to find an accord that would ensure safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic. A protocol allowing Catholic faithful to attend Mass was signed Thursday by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte; the president of the Read more
Posts Tagged ‘COVID-19’
Singapore deploys robot ‘dog’ to encourage social distancing
Monday, May 11th, 2020Singapore is trying a new way to get its residents to stay away from each other. On Friday, the government announced it would start deploying Spot, Boston Dynamics’ famous yellow and black canine robot, at one local park. The four-legged robot “dog” will patrol the area starting this weekend and broadcast a pre-recorded message to Read more
Myanmar’s fashion garment workers lose jobs
Thursday, May 7th, 2020
Over 60,000 factory workers in Myanmar have already lost their jobs since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. Among them are those working in the garment factories that supply some of the world’s biggest fashion brands. The United Nations says the situation will worsen; predicting half Myanmar’s garment workers will be out of work. Read more
Electronic Eucharist here to stay? Opening the liturgical debate
Thursday, May 7th, 2020
COVID-19 has done more to enliven the liturgical debate than anything else in the last decades. The vast amount of material produced in the run-up to Easter was astounding. It’s been a long time since I have seen so much that guided, challenged and questioned our liturgical response to lockdown. It was as if the Read more
The ethics of contact tracing apps
Thursday, May 7th, 2020
Tracing those who have been exposed to Covid-19 is an important step in winding down socially and economically crippling lockdowns. Manual tracing is resource-intensive and ineffective. A number of countries, including Singapore and Australia, have adopted smartphone apps using Bluetooth. New Zealand seems likely to follow a similar path. These apps vary in detail but Read more
Covid-19 never a better time to talk about death
Thursday, May 7th, 2020
There has never been a more critical time than now to think about who you would want to speak up for you should you become sick and dying, and what matters to you most. “Contemplating one’s death may be the most profound form of meditation. Death is the backdrop of life, and at times like Read more
Closed churches are foretaste of the future
Thursday, May 7th, 2020
Closed churches are likely to become closed for good in the not-too-distant future, says Monsignor Tomas Halik. This won’t be because of outside forces like the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but because of the Church’s unwillingness to reform, he suggests. Halik says we should take notice that in many countries churches, monasteries and seminaries have been Read more
Pope prays for people dying alone during pandemic
Thursday, May 7th, 2020
People dying alone during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic were the focus of Pope Francis’s prayers in his Mass on Tuesday. Francis dedicated the Mass to people dying alone or who have already died, saying: “Today we pray for the deceased who have died because of the pandemic. “They have died alone, without the caresses of Read more
Bishops ask parish priests to consult as they prepare for Alert Level Two
Thursday, May 7th, 2020
The New Zeland Catholic Bishops have suggested that parish priests consult with each other and with their parish councils about how they can provide the sacraments and pastoral care when COVID-19 Alert Level Two is announced. The bishops believe that each parish will need its own approach to ensure continued the safety of both the Read more