The Archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew has a dual concern, people’s safety and respecting the wish of some to return to Mass. In a letter, Tuesday, to priests and lay pastoral leaders, Dew approved the celebration of weekday Masses. He also says the archdiocese is seeking to clarify whether the lifting of the 100-person Read more
Last week, three events involving the Catholic Church may have caught the attention of vaccine sceptics. One event concerned prominent Catholic leader and vaccine sceptic, US Cardinal Raymond Burke. He admitted he’s still having breathing difficulties after being hospitalised for COVID-19. Another involved a decree formalising the Vatican’s decision regarding its employees. Secretary of State Read more
As restrictions drag on and the number of infections rises, more Australians are asking when lockdowns can cease. Federal politicians and business leaders have argued the case for a quick ending while claiming the authority of scientists. Science being science, the relevant questions have been tied to numbers. They have asked: How few cases should Read more
In mid-September, the director of the Wellcome Trust, Jeremy Farrar, suggested that Covid-19 was here to stay. “I think that politicians across the world are sort of pretending you can have your cake and eat it,” Farrar told the German podcast Pandemia. “(They’re claiming that) You can have zero deaths, no control measures, vaccinate if Read more
Controversial vaccine denier Cardinal Raymond Burke describes his recovery from COVID as ‘steady but slow’. In a letter to his followers who are praying for him, Burke says he is experiencing difficulty in recovering from Covid-19 and is challenged to regain certain fundamental physical skills for daily living; among them, he lists general fatigue and Read more
A striking feature of Australia’s path through the Coronavirus has been the coming out of epidemiologists and social biologists. From being little known members of small institutes they became rock stars, invited to press conferences, deferred to by politicians, selectively chosen for comment by the media, but also resented by representatives of big business and Read more
Australian Archbishop of Tasmania, Julian Porteous, is requesting a conscientious exemption to a Covid public health directive for a small group of priests. Porteous has written to Tasmania’s health minister, Jeremy Rockliff asking for the exemption. He says he is “obligated to respect the decision of those members of the clergy who have a conscientious Read more
Pope Francis said Wednesday he didn’t understand why people refuse to take COVID-19 vaccines, saying “humanity has a history of friendship with vaccines,” and that serene discussion about the shots was necessary to help them. “Even in the College of Cardinals, there are some negationists,” Francis said Wednesday, en route home from Slovakia. He noted Read more
As news spread that a person with Covid-19 had attended his church, John, who does not wish to use his real name, made sure he got tested as soon as possible. He had been at the Assembly of God Church of Samoa on August 15, for an all-day event involving the church’s 27 congregations from Read more
Church congregations in Wales “who have shown the power of love in action at a community level” during COVID are receiving praise from Rev Andy John, the Bishop of Bangor. “We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts and say how proud we are of what you have given in the service Read more