lifesitenews--2020-03-16--Coronavirus shows how socialism fails, bureaucrats make things worse

March 16 , 2020 ( American Thinker ) — My online friend Jeffrey Satinover compared the president to an ultrasonic whistle “ that causes all of the vermin to rush frantically out of their hiding holes , and you suddenly realize how infested the place is.
” This week ’ s presser was a masterstroke that exposed the lie of socialism versus capitalism , central power versus federal systems with its diffusion of power and responsibility , and the effects of a dynamic leader versus conventional ones .
In the process , we can see how Trump ’ s fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and globalized production is a critical part of national health and security .
Porous national borders aid the spread of infectious disease , and given China ’ s mendacious two-month secrecy about the Wuhan virus outbreak , the president ’ s shutting down travel from China gave us a bit more time to cope with its spread despite the Chinese-created lag .
Europe ’ s E.U.-mandated open borders policy , in contrast , has made the continent the new epicenter of the pandemic .
Banning all flights of non-U.S. citizens and permanent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done also gives us more time to respond .
On Sunday , all of Spain shut down .
Poland , defying the E.U.
, has closed its borders .
Italy with hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers is a sad case where the medical facilities are so overwhelmed that doctors , suffering great emotional pain in the process , must remove life-saving equipment from the old and infirm to save younger patients .
Italy is a country that highly values its elders .
As American Thinker reported , “ [ t ] he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beds .
There ’ s not enough staff .
There ’ s no free market to step in and pick up the slack .
It ’ s not allowed.
” Adding insult to injury , the E.U .
requires open borders of its member states yet has refused Italy any help .
Consider this a lesson to remember : in a pinch , no matter how much one-world blather national leaders mouth , they look after their own interests first ( expecting us , of course , to be the exception ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It took the House Democrats until Thursday to finally withdraw from the calendar a vote on the bill to severely limit the president ’ s right to impose travel restrictions , and it fought bitterly to prevent the construction of the wall , which , along with other measures by the administration , has largely stemmed illegal entry into the country .
Joe Biden this week tweeted , “ A wall will not stop the coronavirus .
Banning all travel from Europe — or any other part of the world — will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it will slow down and already has slowed down the transmission enough to give us breathing room to take action .
As he ’ s learned nothing over his many decades on Earth , Bernie Sanders cites the virus as proof we need socialized medicine .
In fact , socialized medicine is killing people , and free markets are saving them .
While countries like Italy are hamstrung by government controls in dealing with it , America ’ s biggest companies have stepped up to the plate , offering space in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the production and development of test kits , vaccines , and information technology ; and providing assistance to the homebound .
Vice President Mike Pence tapped into the broad private sector to battle the virus .
And these companies promptly and significantly responded — Roche , Google , Walmart , Target , Walgreens , CVS , Quest Diagnostics , Signify , LabCorp , and LHC !
I couldn ’ t help comparing Pence ’ s creativity and executive skills with Joe Biden ’ s when , as the vice president , he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a laser on a three-letter word [ sic ] : J-O-B-S. ” In fact , the one part of the U.S. that did not respond well was the federal bureaucracy — not private industry , not the White House .
A State Department official ignored a presidential order to hold returnees from China overseas in quarantine .
Worse , due to a 1938 regulation , inattention and foot-dragging in the CDC , and the bureaucrats there and in prior administrations , the CDC was not prepared and actually hindered a faster response .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the New York Post : “ In short , ” John Hinderaker concludes , “ the last thing we need to effectively combat pandemics is a more centralized and bureaucratic health care system.
” Reason has more on the issue of dated , cumbersome government controls and how they made the epidemic worse : Seattle infectious disease expert Dr. Helen Chu had , by January , collected a huge number of nasal swabs from local residents who were experiencing symptoms as part of a research project on flu .
She proposed , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ samples for coronavirus infections .
As the Times reports , the CDC told Chu and her team that they could not test the samples unless their laboratory test was approved by the FDA .
The FDA refused to approve Chu 's test on the grounds that her lab , according to the Times , `` was not certified as a clinical laboratory under regulations established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services , a process that could take months . ''
In the meantime , the CDC required that public health officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the agency .
That test released on February 5 turned out to be badly flawed .
The CDC 's insistence on a top-down centralized testing regime greatly slowed down the process of disease detection as the infection rate was accelerating .
A frustrated Chu and her colleagues began testing on February 25 without government approval .
They almost immediately detected a coronavirus infection in a local teenager with no recent travel history .
Chu warned local public health officials of her lab 's finding and the teenager 's school was closed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strongly suggested that the disease had been circulating throughout the western part of Washington for weeks .
We now know that that is likely true .
Did the FDA and CDC functionaries commend Chu for being proactive ?
Not at all .
Washington state epidemiologist Scott Lindquist recalled , `` What they said on that phone call very clearly was cease and desist to Helen Chu .
Stop testing . ''
On February 29 , the FDA finally agreed to unleash America 's vibrant biotech companies and academic labs by allowing them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus that causes COVID-19 .
Due to red tape , the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. will be worse than it should have been .
Those who advocate for more government control assume , I suppose , that old procedures and regulations will periodically be reviewed and reformed .
I ’ ve never seen that happen .
Have you ?
The hampering regulations here dated back to FDR in 1938 .
After the swine flu botch , they knew this , even if they ’ d earlier overlooked it .
The straitjacket was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead of streamlining the testing system , under Obama , the CDC expanded its mandate beyond its core mission of preventing and controlling infectious diseases to look at things clearly peripheral to it .
( I recall that one big effort of the CDC was to study gun violence , which , ironically for Obama ’ s apparent purposes , ended up demonstrating that guns played a significant self-defense role , and the majority of the deaths by gun were self-induced — that is , suicides . )
There ’ s reason to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ socialist medicine with its necessary rationing of care ( and that means the earlier death of the elderly and infirm ) .
Compare in the presser this week Dr. Anthony Fauci ’ s plea to take necessary measures to protect our valued elders with the views of Joe Biden ’ s health adviser , Ezekiel Emanuel , who thinks there ’ s no reason to live beyond 75 and encourages people above that age to avoid flu shots and opposes “ life-sustaining interventions , ” vaccines , and antibiotics for the elderly .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Emanuel would make an exception for him . )
I confess : until I realized the impact on workers , communities , and our national security , I , too , thought it sensible to have goods produced where it was cheaper to produce them .
It was Trump who first sounded the alarm on the loss of our manufacturing capacity that made me see things in a different light .
It may not be a national security or health issue to have sneakers produced abroad , but it makes a big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the Chinese have a chokehold on the production of essential pharmaceutical goods .
We are trying to end this by bringing pharmaceutical production back home — maybe even to depressed Puerto Rico , where many such facilities once were located .
Joe Biden doesn ’ t think China ’ s a problem — or at least he didn ’ t until , as usual , he backstroked away from it when criticized .
But it is a problem , as China threatens to cut off our supply of drugs needed to fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration ’ s brilliant handling of the crisis , the media , like the Democratic Congress ( which tried to insert things in the emergency appropriation like a sidestep of the Hyde Amendment prohibition on federal abortion funding ) , the press continues its war on the president and good sense .
There are many possible examples , but here are two .
Ace of Spades HQ documents how Jim Roberts celebrated the fall in the Dow and then deleted his tweets when it rose again like Lazarus after the presser .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher , his grave-dancing tweet appeared premature , [ s ] o he just deleted it .
He didn ’ t explain why .
He just zapped it and hoped no one noticed .
Well , I did .
After deleting his tweet , he shifted tactics : He now acknowledge [ s ] the markets were rising but claimed this was because Trump was passing out various undeserved goodies to corporations.
” Peter Wehner , like many anti-Trump former Republican presidential courtiers , penned for the Atlantic the latest “ Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus would end his re-election chances .
It obviously didn ’ t hold up well , lasting for but a few hours , but let me rub his nose into some of his odorous offering .
He claims that the virus was spreading while the administration was doing nothing , and in so doing , he establishes only that he was so far out of the administration loop that he had no damn idea how much was being done by so many in the administration and how efficiently and rationally it was handled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has-beens are relying on were made in China .
This article first appeared at the American Thinker .
It is published here with permission from the author .

Exposing the lie of socialism versus capitalism, central power versus federal systems with its diffusion of power and responsibility, and the effects of a dynamic leader versus conventional ones.
March 16, 2020 (American Thinker) — My online friend Jeffrey Satinover compared the president to an ultrasonic whistle “that causes all of the vermin to rush frantically out of their hiding holes, and you suddenly realize how infested the place is.” This week’s presser was a masterstroke that exposed the lie of socialism versus capitalism, central power versus federal systems with its diffusion of power and responsibility, and the effects of a dynamic leader versus conventional ones. In the process, we can see how Trump’s fight against open borders, bureaucratic red tape, and globalized production is a critical part of national health and security.
Open Borders
Porous national borders aid the spread of infectious disease, and given China’s mendacious two-month secrecy about the Wuhan virus outbreak, the president’s shutting down travel from China gave us a bit more time to cope with its spread despite the Chinese-created lag. Europe’s E.U.-mandated open borders policy, in contrast, has made the continent the new epicenter of the pandemic. Banning all flights of non-U.S. citizens and permanent residents from Europe as the president has done also gives us more time to respond. On Sunday, all of Spain shut down. Poland, defying the E.U., has closed its borders. Italy with hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers is a sad case where the medical facilities are so overwhelmed that doctors, suffering great emotional pain in the process, must remove life-saving equipment from the old and infirm to save younger patients. Italy is a country that highly values its elders. As American Thinker reported, “[t]he central planners don’t have enough beds. There’s not enough staff. There’s no free market to step in and pick up the slack. It’s not allowed.”
Adding insult to injury, the E.U. requires open borders of its member states yet has refused Italy any help. Consider this a lesson to remember: in a pinch, no matter how much one-world blather national leaders mouth, they look after their own interests first (expecting us, of course, to be the exception).
Congress is late getting this first principle. It took the House Democrats until Thursday to finally withdraw from the calendar a vote on the bill to severely limit the president’s right to impose travel restrictions, and it fought bitterly to prevent the construction of the wall, which, along with other measures by the administration, has largely stemmed illegal entry into the country.
Joe Biden this week tweeted, “A wall will not stop the coronavirus. Banning all travel from Europe — or any other part of the world — will not stop it.” True enough, but it will slow down and already has slowed down the transmission enough to give us breathing room to take action.
Socialism versus Free Markets
As he’s learned nothing over his many decades on Earth, Bernie Sanders cites the virus as proof we need socialized medicine. In fact, socialized medicine is killing people, and free markets are saving them.
While countries like Italy are hamstrung by government controls in dealing with it, America’s biggest companies have stepped up to the plate, offering space in their facilities for drive-in testing; speeding up the production and development of test kits, vaccines, and information technology; and providing assistance to the homebound. Vice President Mike Pence tapped into the broad private sector to battle the virus. And these companies promptly and significantly responded — Roche, Google, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Quest Diagnostics, Signify, LabCorp, and LHC! I couldn’t help comparing Pence’s creativity and executive skills with Joe Biden’s when, as the vice president, he said his job was to “focus like a laser on a three-letter word [sic]: J-O-B-S.”
In fact, the one part of the U.S. that did not respond well was the federal bureaucracy — not private industry, not the White House. A State Department official ignored a presidential order to hold returnees from China overseas in quarantine. Worse, due to a 1938 regulation, inattention and foot-dragging in the CDC, and the bureaucrats there and in prior administrations, the CDC was not prepared and actually hindered a faster response. Power Line quotes Cato:
[O]fficials at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stymied private and academic development of diagnostic tests that might have provided an early warning and a head start on controlling the epidemic that is now spreading across the country. … [T]he CDC required that public health officials could only use the diagnostic test designed by the agency. That test released on February 5 turned out to be badly flawed. The CDC’s insistence on a top-down centralized testing regime greatly slowed down the process of disease detection as the infection rate was accelerating. … On February 29, the FDA finally agreed to unleash America’s vibrant biotech companies and academic labs by allowing them to develop and deploy new tests for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
And then the New York Post:
Overregulation of diagnostic testing has played a major role in this delay[.] … Test protocols using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were publicly available shortly after Chinese researchers published (or described) the sequence of the virus in mid-January. The World Health Organization (WHO) used a freely available German procedure to create a test kit, shipping 250,000 tests to 159 laboratories worldwide. … CDC testing criteria have precluded recognizing community spread because of requirements stipulating recent travel to China or exposure to an infected person. Adherence to these guidelines delayed testing in the first probable case of community transmission[.] … The FDA has not allowed the experienced and highly skilled professionals at public-health, academic and commercial laboratories to set up their own laboratory developed tests (LDTs), and no manufactured test kits have been authorized for sale in the US. In Europe, several companies, at least one US-based, have regulatory approval to sell test kits there.
“In short,” John Hinderaker concludes, “the last thing we need to effectively combat pandemics is a more centralized and bureaucratic health care system.”
Reason has more on the issue of dated, cumbersome government controls and how they made the epidemic worse:
Seattle infectious disease expert Dr. Helen Chu had, by January, collected a huge number of nasal swabs from local residents who were experiencing symptoms as part of a research project on flu. She proposed, to federal and state officials, testing those samples for coronavirus infections. As the Times reports, the CDC told Chu and her team that they could not test the samples unless their laboratory test was approved by the FDA. The FDA refused to approve Chu's test on the grounds that her lab, according to the Times, “was not certified as a clinical laboratory under regulations established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a process that could take months.” In the meantime, the CDC required that public health officials could only use the diagnostic test designed by the agency. That test released on February 5 turned out to be badly flawed. The CDC's insistence on a top-down centralized testing regime greatly slowed down the process of disease detection as the infection rate was accelerating. A frustrated Chu and her colleagues began testing on February 25 without government approval. They almost immediately detected a coronavirus infection in a local teenager with no recent travel history. Chu warned local public health officials of her lab's finding and the teenager's school was closed as a precaution. The teen's diagnosis strongly suggested that the disease had been circulating throughout the western part of Washington for weeks. We now know that that is likely true. Did the FDA and CDC functionaries commend Chu for being proactive? Not at all. Washington state epidemiologist Scott Lindquist recalled, “What they said on that phone call very clearly was cease and desist to Helen Chu. Stop testing.” On February 29, the FDA finally agreed to unleash America's vibrant biotech companies and academic labs by allowing them to develop and deploy new tests for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Due to red tape, the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. will be worse than it should have been.
Those who advocate for more government control assume, I suppose, that old procedures and regulations will periodically be reviewed and reformed. I’ve never seen that happen. Have you? The hampering regulations here dated back to FDR in 1938. After the swine flu botch, they knew this, even if they’d earlier overlooked it. The straitjacket was not loosened even then.
As the president tweeted:
For decades the @CDCgov looked at, and studied, its testing system, but did nothing about it. It would always be inadequate and slow for a large scale pandemic, but a pandemic would never happen, they hoped. President Obama made changes that only complicated things further[.] … Their response to H1N1 Swine Flu was a full scale disaster, with thousands dying, and nothing meaningful done to fix the testing problem, until now. The changes have been made and testing will soon happen on a very large scale basis. All Red Tape has been cut, ready to go!
Indeed, instead of streamlining the testing system, under Obama, the CDC expanded its mandate beyond its core mission of preventing and controlling infectious diseases to look at things clearly peripheral to it. (I recall that one big effort of the CDC was to study gun violence, which, ironically for Obama’s apparent purposes, ended up demonstrating that guns played a significant self-defense role, and the majority of the deaths by gun were self-induced — that is, suicides.)
There’s reason to believe that the left is all for socialist medicine with its necessary rationing of care (and that means the earlier death of the elderly and infirm). Compare in the presser this week Dr. Anthony Fauci’s plea to take necessary measures to protect our valued elders with the views of Joe Biden’s health adviser, Ezekiel Emanuel, who thinks there’s no reason to live beyond 75 and encourages people above that age to avoid flu shots and opposes “life-sustaining interventions,” vaccines, and antibiotics for the elderly. (Biden is 77. One assumes that Emanuel would make an exception for him.)
Globalized Production
I confess: until I realized the impact on workers, communities, and our national security, I, too, thought it sensible to have goods produced where it was cheaper to produce them. It was Trump who first sounded the alarm on the loss of our manufacturing capacity that made me see things in a different light. It may not be a national security or health issue to have sneakers produced abroad, but it makes a big difference, as we can see, when the Chinese have a chokehold on the production of essential pharmaceutical goods. We are trying to end this by bringing pharmaceutical production back home — maybe even to depressed Puerto Rico, where many such facilities once were located.
Joe Biden doesn’t think China’s a problem — or at least he didn’t until, as usual, he backstroked away from it when criticized.
But it is a problem, as China threatens to cut off our supply of drugs needed to fight the pandemic:
In an article in Xinhua, the state-run media agency that's largely considered the mouthpiece of the party, Beijing bragged about its handling of COVID-19, a virus that originated in the city of Wuhan and has spread quickly around the world, killing nearly 5,000 people and infecting thousands more. The article also claimed that China could impose pharmaceutical export controls which would plunge America into ‘the mighty sea of coronavirus.’ If the Chinese mendacity in alerting the world to the virus wasn’t enough to encourage production of drugs away from there, this threat will surely seal the transition away and at a time when Chinese export markets must already be at great danger.
Speaking of Vermin: The Press
In the face of the administration’s brilliant handling of the crisis, the media, like the Democratic Congress (which tried to insert things in the emergency appropriation like a sidestep of the Hyde Amendment prohibition on federal abortion funding), the press continues its war on the president and good sense. There are many possible examples, but here are two.
Ace of Spades HQ documents how Jim Roberts celebrated the fall in the Dow and then deleted his tweets when it rose again like Lazarus after the presser. “As the Dow zoomed higher and higher, his grave-dancing tweet appeared premature, [s]o he just deleted it. He didn’t explain why. He just zapped it and hoped no one noticed. Well, I did. After deleting his tweet, he shifted tactics: He now acknowledge[s] the markets were rising but claimed this was because Trump was passing out various undeserved goodies to corporations.”
Peter Wehner, like many anti-Trump former Republican presidential courtiers, penned for the Atlantic the latest “Trump is over” screed, claiming that the coronavirus would end his re-election chances.
It obviously didn’t hold up well, lasting for but a few hours, but let me rub his nose into some of his odorous offering. He claims that the virus was spreading while the administration was doing nothing, and in so doing, he establishes only that he was so far out of the administration loop that he had no damn idea how much was being done by so many in the administration and how efficiently and rationally it was handled.
Maybe the crystal balls the NeverTrump has-beens are relying on were made in China.
This article first appeared at the American Thinker. It is published here with permission from the author.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-16--An inside look at the Italian lockdown from a journalist stuck in Rome

March 16 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – On Friday , President Trump declared a state of national emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak .
Countless European countries have closed their borders in an effort to stop the spread of the virus .
The entire country of Italy is shut down , with the exception of grocery stores and pharmacies .
The panic that has swept across the entire world is due mainly to the lack of information health officials and scientists have about the virus .
The novel coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) is a strain that has not been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates are currently difficult to calculate .
In today ’ s episode of The Van Maren Show , Alessandra Bocchi , who is currently in Rome , joins Van Maren to discuss what is actually happening on the ground in Rome and across Italy .
Bocchi is a freelance journalist who writes for the Wall Street Journal , First Things , and many other publications .
Bocchi was on The Van Maren Show in the past to share her on the ground experiences of the Hong Kong protests .
Bocchi shares with Van @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hardest hit region of Italy , but is “ stuck ” in Rome due to the government ’ s requests that people not leave their current locations in order to stop the spread of the virus .
The streets of Rome , according to Bocchi , are deserted , with people only leaving their apartments for absolute necessities , i.e.
, groceries and medicine .
Practically everything has been shut down .
She shares that it is even worse in the Lombardy region where the first case of COVID-19 in Italy was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the distressing perspective people are sharing about COVID-19 not being concerning because it is killing mainly people over 70 years old .
This lack of concern for the value of all life is truly disheartening .
Some are even hoping this outbreak will help to decrease the world ’ s population .
Bocchi and Van Maren encourage everyone to listen to the experts when it comes to understanding what is happening with the coronavirus .
There is so much misinformation being spread .
As the world looks to Italy to understand more about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t want to miss this inside look at what is really happening there .
Listen to the full episode here : The Van Maren Show is hosted on numerous platforms , including Spotify , SoundCloud , YouTube , iTunes , and Google Play .
For a full listing of episodes , and to subscribe to various channels , visit our Acast webpage here .
To receive weekly emails when a new episode is uploaded , subscribe below :

Get an inside look at what's happening in Italy from freelance journalist Alessandra Bocchi, currently stuck in Rome.
March 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – On Friday, President Trump declared a state of national emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak. Countless European countries have closed their borders in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. The entire country of Italy is shut down, with the exception of grocery stores and pharmacies.
The panic that has swept across the entire world is due mainly to the lack of information health officials and scientists have about the virus. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a strain that has not been seen previously and the transmission and death rates are currently difficult to calculate.
In today’s episode of The Van Maren Show, Alessandra Bocchi, who is currently in Rome, joins Van Maren to discuss what is actually happening on the ground in Rome and across Italy.
Bocchi is a freelance journalist who writes for the Wall Street Journal, First Things, and many other publications. Bocchi was on The Van Maren Show in the past to share her on the ground experiences of the Hong Kong protests.
Watch the full episode here:
Bocchi shares with Van Maren that she is from Lombardy, the hardest hit region of Italy, but is “stuck” in Rome due to the government’s requests that people not leave their current locations in order to stop the spread of the virus.
The streets of Rome, according to Bocchi, are deserted, with people only leaving their apartments for absolute necessities, i.e., groceries and medicine. Practically everything has been shut down.
She shares that it is even worse in the Lombardy region where the first case of COVID-19 in Italy was reported.
Bocchi and Van Maren discuss the distressing perspective people are sharing about COVID-19 not being concerning because it is killing mainly people over 70 years old. This lack of concern for the value of all life is truly disheartening. Some are even hoping this outbreak will help to decrease the world’s population.
Bocchi and Van Maren encourage everyone to listen to the experts when it comes to understanding what is happening with the coronavirus. There is so much misinformation being spread.
As the world looks to Italy to understand more about this novel virus, you don’t want to miss this inside look at what is really happening there.
Listen to the full episode here:
The Van Maren Show is hosted on numerous platforms, including Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes, and Google Play.
For a full listing of episodes, and to subscribe to various channels, visit our Acast webpage here.
To receive weekly emails when a new episode is uploaded, subscribe below:
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lifesitenews--2020-03-16--Pro-lifers thank Trump for blocking Dem push to fund abortion in coronavirus bill

WASHINGTON , D.C. , March 16 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Pro-life Americans are breathing a sigh of relief after an attempt by Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to weaken restrictions on federal abortion funding within emergency legislation to combat the coronavirus .
Senior White House officials warned Thursday that during negotiations over an economic stimulus bill to address fallout from the virus , Pelosi pushed for the inclusion of several controversial provisions .
These included a mandate to reimburse laboratory claims – independent of the requirements of the Hyde Amendment , which blocks direct financing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal as a “ slush fund.
” House Republicans including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized Pelosi for stalling what should be bipartisan public safety work with unrelated left-wing priorities , and called for drafting a separate proposal from scratch .
President Donald Trump said he could not sign the bill as long as there were “ things in there that have nothing to do with things we are talking about , ” such as abortion .
A White House source subsequently informed LifeSiteNews that pro-lifers succeeded in ensuring that the Hyde Amendment would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending bill , with U.S. House Democrats apparently conceding on that front for the time being .
Pelosi and Trump later settled on a plan acceptable to both sides , and the bill passed the House Friday night .
Pro-life activists thanked the Trump administration for holding firm on the issue : “ While schools are closing and hospitals are gearing up , Speaker Pelosi is waging unnecessary culture wars .
Speaker Pelosi should be fighting the coronavirus pandemic , not politicizing emergency funding by fighting against the bipartisan Hyde Amendment , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Pelosi ’ s effort .
“ We need to be ramping up our diagnostic testing , not waging culture wars at the behest of Planned Parenthood .
Good grief.
” Readers can click here for LifeSiteNews ’ live updates on the coronavirus and its impact all over the world .

President Donald Trump said he could not sign the bill as long as there were 'things in there that have nothing to do with things we are talking about,' such as abortion.
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Pro-life Americans are breathing a sigh of relief after an attempt by Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to weaken restrictions on federal abortion funding within emergency legislation to combat the coronavirus.
Senior White House officials warned Thursday that during negotiations over an economic stimulus bill to address fallout from the virus, Pelosi pushed for the inclusion of several controversial provisions. These included a mandate to reimburse laboratory claims – independent of the requirements of the Hyde Amendment, which blocks direct financing of most abortions. One official described the proposal as a “slush fund.”
House Republicans including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized Pelosi for stalling what should be bipartisan public safety work with unrelated left-wing priorities, and called for drafting a separate proposal from scratch. President Donald Trump said he could not sign the bill as long as there were “things in there that have nothing to do with things we are talking about,” such as abortion.
A White House source subsequently informed LifeSiteNews that pro-lifers succeeded in ensuring that the Hyde Amendment would be applied to the coronavirus testing and spending bill, with U.S. House Democrats apparently conceding on that front for the time being. Pelosi and Trump later settled on a plan acceptable to both sides, and the bill passed the House Friday night.
Pro-life activists thanked the Trump administration for holding firm on the issue:
.@realDonaldTrump thank you for not allowing the abortion industry to use #Coronavirus relief to push for taxpayer-funding of abortion! — Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) March 14, 2020
“While schools are closing and hospitals are gearing up, Speaker Pelosi is waging unnecessary culture wars. Speaker Pelosi should be fighting the coronavirus pandemic, not politicizing emergency funding by fighting against the bipartisan Hyde Amendment,” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) said of Pelosi’s effort. “We need to be ramping up our diagnostic testing, not waging culture wars at the behest of Planned Parenthood. Good grief.”
Readers can click here for LifeSiteNews’ live updates on the coronavirus and its impact all over the world.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-16--WATCH: Quarantined Italians sing from balconies to boost neighbors’ morale

March 16 , 2020 ( American Thinker ) — The coronavirus is only partly about a killer illness that 's taking down too many people .
It 's also about the disruption of life — from the missing toilet paper on store shelves to the painful ending of church Masses and services to the cancelations of weddings and travel to the fears for the economy .
Most of all , it 's about the isolation , the forced `` social distancing '' that 's exactly the opposite of our human desire to gather and be together in times of crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do to protect each other ( since none of us knows if he is a carrier ) , and the aim is right , too — to force the virus to die down for lack of opportunity to spread .
But for human beings , isolation from one another in a crisis is a hard test of endurance .
The Italians , who are under a complete national quarantine and suffering the gravest losses probably anywhere now , have recognized this .
They 've also come up with something that enables them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Notice that they 're not playing many global pop hits — they are singing and playing explicitly Italian music and songs , one of which is , delightfully , opera .
What is more Italian than opera ?
In some cases , the voice of the late Big Pav flows again across Italy , reminding them of their national greatness , reminding them that they are all in this together .
In times of national crisis , it 's natural to rally around the nation and flag , not the multilateral institution .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , being Italy , trying to cheer and console one another .
Compare and contrast to the cries of despair that came from the balconies of Wuhan in the earlier days of the coronavirus — communism has wrung the life out of the social capital of China , leaving only a sense of broken civilization .
That 's not true in Italy .
And sure enough , the national flag is being rallied , too — someone came up with the morale-booster for the Italians , showing the air force projecting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people feel better .
Who does n't love people who know how to make lemonade out of lemons ?
The Italians have shown us all something valuable , perhaps as valuable as medicine , given the circumstances and our human needs , as we prepare to hunker down and get through this , too .
Published with permission from the American Thinker .

March 16, 2020 (American Thinker) — The coronavirus is only partly about a killer illness that's taking down too many people.
It's also about the disruption of life — from the missing toilet paper on store shelves to the painful ending of church Masses and services to the cancelations of weddings and travel to the fears for the economy. Most of all, it's about the isolation, the forced “social distancing” that's exactly the opposite of our human desire to gather and be together in times of crisis. It's the right thing to do to protect each other (since none of us knows if he is a carrier), and the aim is right, too — to force the virus to die down for lack of opportunity to spread. But for human beings, isolation from one another in a crisis is a hard test of endurance.
The Italians, who are under a complete national quarantine and suffering the gravest losses probably anywhere now, have recognized this. They've also come up with something that enables them to be together while staying safely apart:
Despite Italy being on lockdown due to coronavirus, a nationwide flash mob event saw Italians singing the national anthem and other traditional songs from their balconieshttps://t.co/PbV1jBvphX pic.twitter.com/CF3O2cenHG — BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 14, 2020
During the coronavirus lockdown, people all over Italy took to their balconies playing instruments & singing together. Italians are showing the best of humanity in bonding together yet staying apart! Sending ❤ our brothers and sisters at home and across the ��. pic.twitter.com/oT9nECiCuG — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) March 15, 2020
Italians in lockdown all over Italy are keeping each other company by singing, dancing and playing music from the balconies. A thread to celebrate the resilience of ordinary people. This is Salerno: pic.twitter.com/3aOchqdEpn — Leonardo Carella (@leonardocarella) March 13, 2020
You’ll love this! While Italy is under quarantine, Italian tenor Mauricio Marchini serenades the entire Florence singing this aria from his balcony. When you’re locked up, you can still sing your lungs out! That’s the Italian spirit! #CoronaVirus https://t.co/yqgKnMsOnJ — Ulana Campbell (@ulana_campbell) March 15, 2020
Italians in lockdown are keeping each other’s spirits high in this time of crisis by singing and dancing on their balconies. �� We commend their resilience ���� It’s important to remember — we’re all in this together ❤ #Mashion #Coronavirus #Italy ��: @redfishstream pic.twitter.com/gklj8aKmqN — Mashion (@Mashionpk) March 15, 2020
A whole Roman neighborhood singing a popular Italian song “Volare” from their balconies and waving at each other. An amazing flash mob to lift the spirit in these crazy times ❤ #Italy #coronavirus #forzaitalia #roma #flashmob #love pic.twitter.com/xjeZTeO0GO — Jenna Vehviläinen (@jennavehvi) March 13, 2020
Italy. People locked inside turn to their windows and balconies singing so everyone feels less lonely. Here is #Naples singing “Abbracciame” (Hug me). #Coronavirus #CoronavirusUSA pic.twitter.com/DHVPvxbB8d — Ryan Meilak (@rmeilak) March 13, 2020
Notice that they're not playing many global pop hits — they are singing and playing explicitly Italian music and songs, one of which is, delightfully, opera. What is more Italian than opera? In some cases, the voice of the late Big Pav flows again across Italy, reminding them of their national greatness, reminding them that they are all in this together. In times of national crisis, it's natural to rally around the nation and flag, not the multilateral institution. The Italians are rallying around being Italian and, being Italy, trying to cheer and console one another.
It's a thing of beauty.
Compare and contrast to the cries of despair that came from the balconies of Wuhan in the earlier days of the coronavirus — communism has wrung the life out of the social capital of China, leaving only a sense of broken civilization. That's not true in Italy.
And sure enough, the national flag is being rallied, too — someone came up with the morale-booster for the Italians, showing the air force projecting the flag from the sky to make the people feel better.
President Trump is cheering:
THE UNITED STATES LOVES ITALY! pic.twitter.com/DESUJ4QM41 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 14, 2020
Who doesn't love people who know how to make lemonade out of lemons? The Italians have shown us all something valuable, perhaps as valuable as medicine, given the circumstances and our human needs, as we prepare to hunker down and get through this, too.
Published with permission from the American Thinker.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-16--Coronavirus should help us focus on the true purpose of our presence here on earth

VIENNA , Austria , March 16 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – It ’ s a calm Sunday in Austria .
All weddings , baptisms , social gatherings , Bible studies , and prayer services are canceled .
On Monday , every store must be closed , except for the necessities of life – grocery stores and pharmacies .
We are to only leave our homes if life depends on it – ourselves or someone in need .
However , we can go for a run – alone .
Just a week ago , everything was going on as normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vienna to Geneva on Friday to help students start pro-life groups and get back just in time on Monday for an evening birthday party with friends .
Over the past couple of days of uncertainty and chaos , God has put a few things on my heart – my brokenness , my need to spend time listening and growing with God and living out more fully the love He has shown us .
It usually takes something drastic to humble us – losing a job , sickness , a broken relationship , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in these moments that we aren ’ t in control .
My fame , my goals , my dreams aren ’ t important .
Life isn ’ t about me .
Only once we deeply understand this , are we able to , from a place of openness and brokenness over our own sin – whether pride , selfishness , or something else – seek the true purpose of our presence here on earth .
And it ’ s not about us .
It ’ s about his glory .
If we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not because we ’ ve somehow managed to fend off a dreadful virus , but because God has given us another day of health .
If we are sick , know that God holds us in his hands .
It ’ s not about sharing on Facebook the amazing stories of the seniors we bought groceries or even the people we shared the gospel with .
It ’ s about God .
It ’ s not about our career , flying from here to there , or living out our dreams .
Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power are simply a gift from God .
Maybe you take pride in creating the best fresh meals for your family .
Even this is a gift .
And this time of lockdown is also a gift .
Don ’ t waste it .
Seek God and listen .
Be broken before him .
Worship him .
Pray .
Pray for revival in the hearts of all who do not yet know him .
Pray for revival in Europe , arguably the most unreached continent on the globe .
Yes , churches may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Jesus , we have God ’ s Holy Spirit in us ( John 7:37-39 ) .
We can spend this time with God , in the stillness of our home – seeking , finding , and loving Jesus .
Rediscovering him and how he wants to use us for his glory , not our own .
If we believe in Jesus , we have no reason to fear .
Someone has already taken care of our spiritual virus by his death and coming back to life , setting us free to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved ” ( Acts 16:31 ) .
To live is Christ , to die is gain .
But those without Jesus do have reason to fear .
Their eternal destiny is uncertain .
In a time when everyone is panicking , conversations about hope and life after death come rather naturally .
It ’ s an opportunity we must take .
Their life depends on him .
We have many family and friends who know us , but they don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are here to represent .
We might have felt that it was too awkward to say something or that they ’ d get upset .
But as believers in Jesus , we are God ’ s ambassadors .
We ’ re not here to get Instagram likes or for our friends to think we ’ re cool .
We ’ re here to spread love , hope , and happiness , amidst a world filled with anxiety , pain , suffering and death .
This isn ’ t new .
Three weeks ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depression , fear , hopelessness , isolation , illness , and at the brink of death .
Yet suddenly the entire developed world is screeching to a halt , over a new cause of death .
Because life is valuable .
And it ’ s valuable because we ’ re all here for a greater purpose than ourselves .
For many of us , the next few weeks are a gift of rest and peace .
Don ’ t waste them .
Put on the full arm of God , so that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Let ’ s seek Jesus , be broken over own our arrogance and selfishness , and embrace his love .
Then take courage and share it with those around us .

VIENNA, Austria, March 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – It’s a calm Sunday in Austria. All weddings, baptisms, social gatherings, Bible studies, and prayer services are canceled. On Monday, every store must be closed, except for the necessities of life – grocery stores and pharmacies. We are to only leave our homes if life depends on it – ourselves or someone in need. However, we can go for a run – alone.
Just a week ago, everything was going on as normal. I was planning on flying from Vienna to Geneva on Friday to help students start pro-life groups and get back just in time on Monday for an evening birthday party with friends.
Over the past couple of days of uncertainty and chaos, God has put a few things on my heart – my brokenness, my need to spend time listening and growing with God and living out more fully the love He has shown us.
It usually takes something drastic to humble us – losing a job, sickness, a broken relationship, or being in quarantine. We finally recognize in these moments that we aren’t in control.
My fame, my goals, my dreams aren’t important. Life isn’t about me. Only once we deeply understand this, are we able to, from a place of openness and brokenness over our own sin – whether pride, selfishness, or something else – seek the true purpose of our presence here on earth. And it’s not about us.
It’s about his glory. If we are healthy, we should be happy, not because we’ve somehow managed to fend off a dreadful virus, but because God has given us another day of health. If we are sick, know that God holds us in his hands.
It’s not about sharing on Facebook the amazing stories of the seniors we bought groceries or even the people we shared the gospel with. It’s about God.
It’s not about our career, flying from here to there, or living out our dreams. Our job and any positions of leadership or power are simply a gift from God.
Maybe you take pride in creating the best fresh meals for your family. Even this is a gift.
And this time of lockdown is also a gift. Don’t waste it.
Seek God and listen. Be broken before him. Worship him. Pray.
Pray for revival in the hearts of all who do not yet know him. Pray for revival in Europe, arguably the most unreached continent on the globe.
Yes, churches may be closed. But if we believe in Jesus, we have God’s Holy Spirit in us (John 7:37-39). We can spend this time with God, in the stillness of our home – seeking, finding, and loving Jesus. Rediscovering him and how he wants to use us for his glory, not our own.
If we believe in Jesus, we have no reason to fear. Someone has already taken care of our spiritual virus by his death and coming back to life, setting us free to a new life, daily transformed by him. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). To live is Christ, to die is gain.
But those without Jesus do have reason to fear. Their eternal destiny is uncertain. In a time when everyone is panicking, conversations about hope and life after death come rather naturally. It’s an opportunity we must take. Their life depends on him.
We have many family and friends who know us, but they don’t yet know the One who we are here to represent. We might have felt that it was too awkward to say something or that they’d get upset. But as believers in Jesus, we are God’s ambassadors. We’re not here to get Instagram likes or for our friends to think we’re cool. We’re here to spread love, hope, and happiness, amidst a world filled with anxiety, pain, suffering and death.
This isn’t new. Three weeks ago, there were still people struggling with depression, fear, hopelessness, isolation, illness, and at the brink of death. Yet suddenly the entire developed world is screeching to a halt, over a new cause of death. Because life is valuable. And it’s valuable because we’re all here for a greater purpose than ourselves.
For many of us, the next few weeks are a gift of rest and peace. Don’t waste them. Put on the full arm of God, so that we can withstand the even greater challenges approaching. Let’s seek Jesus, be broken over own our arrogance and selfishness, and embrace his love. Then take courage and share it with those around us.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-03-16--US politicians call on UK government to let Northern Ireland decide its own abortion laws

March 16 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Well known U.S. pro-life congressman Chris Smith has written to the U.K. secretary of state for Northern Ireland calling on him to refer Northern Ireland ’ s abortion laws back to the region ’ s own devolved government rather than impose new abortion legislation passed last year by politicians in Westminster , England , after Northern Ireland ’ s local government collapsed .
“ Abortion on demand is not the will of the people in Northern Ireland , and if it were , Northern Ireland has a duly constituted Assembly by which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the matter , ” Smith wrote in a letter co-signed by fellow members of Congress Andy Harris , Ann Wagner and Vicky Hartzler .
Since 1967 and the passing of the U.K .
Abortion Act , Northern Ireland has been the only part of the United Kingdom where abortion has remained presumptively unlawful .
In addition to electing M.P.s to the U.K. ’ s parliament in Westminster , Northern Ireland also has its own devolved government in Stormont , Belfast .
It has been that devolved government that , since 1967 , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the region .
But the Northern Ireland government collapsed in 2016 , when the Sinn Féin party pulled out of government .
And in the absence of a devolved government in Northern Ireland , the U.K. government in Westminster imposed the pro-abortion legislation on Northern Ireland , with all of the Northern Ireland M.P.s who take their seats in Westminster voting against the bill .
But the Northern Ireland government has now resumed , and the U.S. politicians called for the issue to be referred back to the local government after Smith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic Unionist Party ( DUP ) , including Ian Paisley , Jr. , son of the DUP 's founder , Ian Paisley .
The letter claims that the legislation “ fails the most fundamental test of any act of government , ” as it “ neither reflects nor respects the will of the people , who have a right to expect that their Government act in their interest , and carry out their will.
” The politicians noted that the legislation will mean that Northern Ireland has “ a far more liberal abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constituent parts of the United Kingdom ” and said it “ runs counter to the fundamental democratic principles of self-governance and self-determination.
” Paul Givan , one of the Northern Irish politicians who met with Smith , tweeted earlier today that he welcomed this “ significant intervention ” from the United States congressional leaders .
Givan said , “ Westminster ’ s actions are wrong on the issue of abortion ” and that the abortion legislation “ is an attack on Northern Ireland ’ s democratic institutions.
” Liam Gibson , political officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Protection of Unborn Children ( SPUC ) , told LifeSiteNews that it was “ excellent that Chris Smith and his colleagues have pointed out the lack of legitimacy in what has happened to the people of Northern Ireland and the appalling abuse of power that the Wetminster political establishment has shown , not only to unborn children , but to the rule of law.
” Gibson told LifeSite that the move to force through decriminalization of abortion in Northern Ireland was a direct response to the situation in the United States as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lobby in the UK expects Roe vs Wade to be overturned very soon and for that to have huge international consequences .
That ’ s why they have moved to consolidate the abortion law within the United Kingdom , ” Gibson said .
“ Nevertheless , the best way for people in the United States to help the pro-life cause in Northern Ireland and around the world is by fighting abortion at every level and exposing it for the tragic injustice it is in every instance .
”

'Abortion on demand is not the will of the people in Northern Ireland,' wrote Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey to the British secretary of state for Northern Ireland.
March 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Well known U.S. pro-life congressman Chris Smith has written to the U.K. secretary of state for Northern Ireland calling on him to refer Northern Ireland’s abortion laws back to the region’s own devolved government rather than impose new abortion legislation passed last year by politicians in Westminster, England, after Northern Ireland’s local government collapsed.
“Abortion on demand is not the will of the people in Northern Ireland, and if it were, Northern Ireland has a duly constituted Assembly by which it can balance equities and legislate on the matter,” Smith wrote in a letter co-signed by fellow members of Congress Andy Harris, Ann Wagner and Vicky Hartzler.
Since 1967 and the passing of the U.K. Abortion Act, Northern Ireland has been the only part of the United Kingdom where abortion has remained presumptively unlawful. In addition to electing M.P.s to the U.K.’s parliament in Westminster, Northern Ireland also has its own devolved government in Stormont, Belfast. It has been that devolved government that, since 1967, has continually rejected attempts to introduce abortion laws into the region.
But the Northern Ireland government collapsed in 2016, when the Sinn Féin party pulled out of government. And in the absence of a devolved government in Northern Ireland, the U.K. government in Westminster imposed the pro-abortion legislation on Northern Ireland, with all of the Northern Ireland M.P.s who take their seats in Westminster voting against the bill.
But the Northern Ireland government has now resumed, and the U.S. politicians called for the issue to be referred back to the local government after Smith met Northern Irish political leaders from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), including Ian Paisley, Jr., son of the DUP's founder, Ian Paisley.
The letter claims that the legislation “fails the most fundamental test of any act of government,” as it “neither reflects nor respects the will of the people, who have a right to expect that their Government act in their interest, and carry out their will.”
The politicians noted that the legislation will mean that Northern Ireland has “a far more liberal abortion regime than currently exists in the other constituent parts of the United Kingdom” and said it “runs counter to the fundamental democratic principles of self-governance and self-determination.”
Paul Givan, one of the Northern Irish politicians who met with Smith, tweeted earlier today that he welcomed this “significant intervention” from the United States congressional leaders. Givan said, “Westminster’s actions are wrong on the issue of abortion” and that the abortion legislation “is an attack on Northern Ireland’s democratic institutions.”
I welcome this significant intervention from United States Congressional Leaders. Westminster’s actions are wrong on the issue of abortion and is an attack on Northern Ireland’s democratic institutions. pic.twitter.com/fm7mYAXvGT — Paul Givan (@paulgivan) March 16, 2020
Liam Gibson, political officer in Northern Ireland for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), told LifeSiteNews that it was “excellent that Chris Smith and his colleagues have pointed out the lack of legitimacy in what has happened to the people of Northern Ireland and the appalling abuse of power that the Wetminster political establishment has shown, not only to unborn children, but to the rule of law.”
Gibson told LifeSite that the move to force through decriminalization of abortion in Northern Ireland was a direct response to the situation in the United States as it is developing.
“The pro-abortion lobby in the UK expects Roe vs Wade to be overturned very soon and for that to have huge international consequences. That’s why they have moved to consolidate the abortion law within the United Kingdom,” Gibson said.
“Nevertheless, the best way for people in the United States to help the pro-life cause in Northern Ireland and around the world is by fighting abortion at every level and exposing it for the tragic injustice it is in every instance.”
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lifesitenews--2020-03-16--New law would prohibit counseling for homosexuals, transgenders in Germany

BERLIN , Germany , March 16 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The German government has introduced a bill banning conversion therapy , defined as “ all therapies carried out on human beings which are aimed at changing or suppressing sexual orientation or self-perceived gender identity.
” Angela Merkel , the German chancellor , and Jens Spahn , the homosexual minister of health , had proposed the new law in February .
Both are members of the Christian Democrats .
Surgery and hormone treatments “ aimed at expressing a person ’ s self-perceived gender identity ” are not considered conversion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ gender reassignment surgery ” and other measures would not be prohibited by the law currently discussed among members of parliament .
Conversion therapy of people under 18 years of age is strictly forbidden .
Adults are allowed to undergo conversion therapy as long as they freely choose to do so .
That choice , however , might not exist in reality , since public advertisements offering conversion therapy are prohibited .
When it comes to children and adolescents , conversion therapy may not even be “ advertised , offered or procured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new law , the government argued that there is “ a considerable risk for the persons concerned to suffer health damage , for instance , to suffer from depression and anxiety , to lose sexual feelings completely , up to an increased suicidal tendency.
” In 2019 , nine men and women , who lived as though they were persons of the opposite sex for a time , offered their personal histories as cautionary tales in order to inform the Supreme Court of the often tragic unintended consequences that occur when males @ @ @ @ @ @ @ females , and females as males .
“ This emerging group of people with gender identity issues are suffering from emotional , psychological , or social identity discomfort far deeper than new pronouns can rectify .
Courts should not ignore that fact , ” the group argued in an amicus brief .
The German government , to the contrary , said that despite a lack of medical indication , organizations offering conversion therapy “ continue to carry out conversion experiments on people , usually for religious or ideological reasons , and in doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treat.
” Michael Kotsch , leader of the Protestant “ Bibelbund ” in Germany , wrote in December 2019 , when the minister of health first talked about a bill banning conversion therapy , “ [ A ] nyone who dares to provide pastoral care to a homosexual or transgender person seeking change will be considered a criminal in Germany in the future.
” He warned that Christian groups should be ready for proponents of gender ideology pretending to seek help , “ only to have an excuse to drag believers into court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , LifeSiteNews spoke to KathyGrace Duncan , a woman who presented herself as a man for more than a decade before receiving healing .
“ I lived as a man for 11 years and I walked out of that 27 years ago .
Change is possible .
I know , because I have changed , ” Duncan said .
Courage , a group of Catholics experiencing same-sex attraction committed to helping one another to live chaste lives , points to “ chastity-based therapy ” as the “ authentic meeting point of spirituality and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This is very far from an attempt to ‘ repair ’ or ‘ fix ’ someone , ” Courage explains on its website .
“ Rather , those with a deep understanding of the way human beings think and relate to others have demonstrated many ways in which habits of coping with feelings or situations can make one more susceptible to temptations or more likely to seek gratification in ways that are not good for him or her.
” Courage does not force anybody to undergo any therapy .
“ Some people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direction and the sacraments , an ability to talk about their experiences and their present situation with someone who understands these ways of coping , thinking and acting — well-trained , ethical psychologists and therapists — gives them insights that help them in their striving to be chaste.
” More and more countries are trying to codify gender ideology into law .
Earlier this month , the Canadian government introduced a bill that would criminalize helping minors overcome same-sex attraction and gender confusion .
In 2019 , the Spanish diocese of Alcalá de @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by an undercover journalist of engaging in “ conversion therapy ” for a homosexual man .
The journalist claimed that he was told during a counseling session that homosexuality may be caused by sexual abuse or other childhood trauma .

'All therapies carried out on human beings which are aimed at changing or suppressing sexual orientation or self-perceived gender identity' may soon become illegal in Germany.
BERLIN, Germany, March 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The German government has introduced a bill banning conversion therapy, defined as “all therapies carried out on human beings which are aimed at changing or suppressing sexual orientation or self-perceived gender identity.”
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Jens Spahn, the homosexual minister of health, had proposed the new law in February. Both are members of the Christian Democrats.
Surgery and hormone treatments “aimed at expressing a person’s self-perceived gender identity” are not considered conversion therapy, the bill explains. Thus, “gender reassignment surgery” and other measures would not be prohibited by the law currently discussed among members of parliament.
Conversion therapy of people under 18 years of age is strictly forbidden. Adults are allowed to undergo conversion therapy as long as they freely choose to do so.
That choice, however, might not exist in reality, since public advertisements offering conversion therapy are prohibited. When it comes to children and adolescents, conversion therapy may not even be “advertised, offered or procured” privately.
In its explanation for the new law, the government argued that there is “a considerable risk for the persons concerned to suffer health damage, for instance, to suffer from depression and anxiety, to lose sexual feelings completely, up to an increased suicidal tendency.”
In 2019, nine men and women, who lived as though they were persons of the opposite sex for a time, offered their personal histories as cautionary tales in order to inform the Supreme Court of the often tragic unintended consequences that occur when males attempt to live as if they were females, and females as males.
“This emerging group of people with gender identity issues are suffering from emotional, psychological, or social identity discomfort far deeper than new pronouns can rectify. Courts should not ignore that fact,” the group argued in an amicus brief.
The German government, to the contrary, said that despite a lack of medical indication, organizations offering conversion therapy “continue to carry out conversion experiments on people, usually for religious or ideological reasons, and in doing so they accept harm to those they treat.”
Michael Kotsch, leader of the Protestant “Bibelbund” in Germany, wrote in December 2019, when the minister of health first talked about a bill banning conversion therapy, “[A]nyone who dares to provide pastoral care to a homosexual or transgender person seeking change will be considered a criminal in Germany in the future.”
He warned that Christian groups should be ready for proponents of gender ideology pretending to seek help, “only to have an excuse to drag believers into court and have Christian ministries banned.”
Recently, LifeSiteNews spoke to KathyGrace Duncan, a woman who presented herself as a man for more than a decade before receiving healing. “I lived as a man for 11 years and I walked out of that 27 years ago. Change is possible. I know, because I have changed,” Duncan said.
Courage, a group of Catholics experiencing same-sex attraction committed to helping one another to live chaste lives, points to “chastity-based therapy” as the “authentic meeting point of spirituality and psychology with regard to same-sex attractions.”
“This is very far from an attempt to ‘repair’ or ‘fix’ someone,” Courage explains on its website. “Rather, those with a deep understanding of the way human beings think and relate to others have demonstrated many ways in which habits of coping with feelings or situations can make one more susceptible to temptations or more likely to seek gratification in ways that are not good for him or her.”
Courage does not force anybody to undergo any therapy. “Some people find that, in addition to spiritual direction and the sacraments, an ability to talk about their experiences and their present situation with someone who understands these ways of coping, thinking and acting — well-trained, ethical psychologists and therapists — gives them insights that help them in their striving to be chaste.”
More and more countries are trying to codify gender ideology into law. Earlier this month, the Canadian government introduced a bill that would criminalize helping minors overcome same-sex attraction and gender confusion.
In 2019, the Spanish diocese of Alcalá de Henares was under investigation after being accused by an undercover journalist of engaging in “conversion therapy” for a homosexual man. The journalist claimed that he was told during a counseling session that homosexuality may be caused by sexual abuse or other childhood trauma.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-16--Biden promises double funding to send govt ‘child specialists’ into US homes

March 16 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ’ s education plan includes a promise to expand visits by government specialists to homes with babies and young children in order to increase government “ support.
” Biden ’ s proposal is a continuation of policies straight out of the Obama White House that aggressively sought to nudge Americans toward accepting ever-increasing government involvement in their private lives .
With the introduction of its Julia website , the Obama administration demonstrated how a person could be wholly government dependent , from birth until death .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its premise , with even very liberal CNN calling it the “ Wrong vision for America.
” The Biden campaign proposes to double federal funding for a program that was founded as part of the “ Affordable Care Act , ” better known as “ Obamacare.
” Expand home visiting .
Through the Affordable Care Act , President Obama and Vice President Biden funded voluntary home visiting programs , under which health and child development specialists make consistent , scheduled visits to help parents through the critical early stage of parenting .
Families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prenatal practices , learn how to care for their babies and about important child development milestones and behaviors , receive breastfeeding support , get connected to employment and child care , and receive general support in navigating the often-stressful early stages of parenthood .
Home visiting has been found to improve school readiness , maternal , and child health , and reduce child maltreatment .
President Biden will double funding for home visiting so more families benefit from this program every year .
‘ The government does not trust us to raise our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that such measures are fraught with potential peril from government bureaucracies that do not trust parents to raise their own children without the government ’ s invasive guidance .
Those concerns are heightened now that some jurisdictions have already moved to deny parental authority when a child , claiming to be “ transgender , ” seeks to undergo sex-change medical treatments and procedures .
Last year , Oregon ’ s governor signed into law a bill that established voluntary “ universal ” invasive home visits by state employees to all households with newborns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on September 29 , 2019 , elicited great excitement among progressives and statists while sending chills down the spines of parents and families who feared increased government interference in their private lives .
The language of the bill – now law – had some concerned that these “ universal ” visits could become mandatory , even though state authorities denied it .
“ ( Are ) universal home visits possibly just another way for the State to collect funds , and to potentially remove children from their homes and place them into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” asked an essay in Health Impact News .
“ Apparently , the state of Oregon is concerned that some parents are raising their children without the watchful eye of Big Brother monitoring their every move – a big no-no in the view of the progressive left , ” opined Paula Bolyard .
“ It 's frightening to think about what would happen to parents who refuse such visits , ” noted Bolyard .
She added : As someone who has been involved in the homeschooling movement for more than 20 years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the oversight of children taught at home by requiring home visits by a teacher or social worker .
The basic premise behind these attempted power grabs is that parents can not be trusted with the care of their own children — that an agent of the state is the only one qualified to ensure that children are being properly cared for .
Without such surveillance , proponents argue , children are at risk for abuse and neglect , something they believe government agents can prevent , despite volumes of evidence to the contrary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children in the foster care system are abused at twice the national rate .
One wonders how a state that ca n't handle the children currently in its care could possibly manage to surveil an additional 40,000 children per year , let alone pay for such a program ( answer : it ca n't ) .
Bolyard said the home visits aren ’ t just about the health of the newborns , and that the state ’ s representative would also be observing and making judgements about the parents .
“ Government agents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have not been accused of a crime without a warrant is an unconscionable violation not only of parental rights and individual liberty but also a trampling of the Fourth Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Constitution , ” warned Bolyard in her PJ Media commentary .
“ The bottom line is that the statists pushing these policies do not trust us with our own children , ” concluded Bolyard .
“ It 's not enough for them to have their hooks in them 180 days a year , feeding them propaganda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of high school .
They now want access to them from the day they are born — and they will succeed if parents do n't rise up and tell the government nannies to back off.
” Last fall , Scotland scrapped a plan first proposed in 2014 that would have directed the government to appoint a state official , referred to as a “ named person , ” for every Scottish child from birth to age 18 , regardless of the child ’ s or the family ’ s perceived need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person ” – who could be a teacher , school administrator , social worker or someone else – was to be assigned in order to watch over all children in Scotland 18 years old and younger , receiving information from doctors , social agencies , schools , courts , and the children themselves without parental knowledge .
In order to promote the plan , the Scottish government imitated the Obama administration ’ s “ Julia ” scheme and promoted its “ Getting it right ” campaign , telling the story of “ Cameron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought him to the attention of social workers over concerns about his “ social and emotional development.
” In the end , Cameron was put under the supervision of a “ Lead Professional ” and a “ multi-agency plan was agreed.
” While the government had insisted that the bill is nothing more than a way to make public services more available and efficient , it had come under heavy criticism from legal experts who said it was a grave violation of the legally guaranteed human rights of parents and families .

The idea of intrusive government 'support' for parents was shot down during the Obama administration.
March 16, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s education plan includes a promise to expand visits by government specialists to homes with babies and young children in order to increase government “support.”
Biden’s proposal is a continuation of policies straight out of the Obama White House that aggressively sought to nudge Americans toward accepting ever-increasing government involvement in their private lives.
With the introduction of its Julia website, the Obama administration demonstrated how a person could be wholly government dependent, from birth until death. The site was short-lived as Americans recoiled from its premise, with even very liberal CNN calling it the “Wrong vision for America.”
The Biden campaign proposes to double federal funding for a program that was founded as part of the “Affordable Care Act,” better known as “Obamacare.”
Expand home visiting. Through the Affordable Care Act, President Obama and Vice President Biden funded voluntary home visiting programs, under which health and child development specialists make consistent, scheduled visits to help parents through the critical early stage of parenting. Families may receive coaching on preventive health and prenatal practices, learn how to care for their babies and about important child development milestones and behaviors, receive breastfeeding support, get connected to employment and child care, and receive general support in navigating the often-stressful early stages of parenthood. Home visiting has been found to improve school readiness, maternal, and child health, and reduce child maltreatment. President Biden will double funding for home visiting so more families benefit from this program every year.
‘The government does not trust us to raise our own children’
Some authorities have warned that such measures are fraught with potential peril from government bureaucracies that do not trust parents to raise their own children without the government’s invasive guidance.
Those concerns are heightened now that some jurisdictions have already moved to deny parental authority when a child, claiming to be “transgender,” seeks to undergo sex-change medical treatments and procedures.
Last year, Oregon’s governor signed into law a bill that established voluntary “universal” invasive home visits by state employees to all households with newborns.
The measure, which took effect on September 29, 2019, elicited great excitement among progressives and statists while sending chills down the spines of parents and families who feared increased government interference in their private lives.
The language of the bill – now law – had some concerned that these “universal” visits could become mandatory, even though state authorities denied it.
“(Are) universal home visits possibly just another way for the State to collect funds, and to potentially remove children from their homes and place them into the lucrative foster care and adoption system?” asked an essay in Health Impact News.
“Apparently, the state of Oregon is concerned that some parents are raising their children without the watchful eye of Big Brother monitoring their every move – a big no-no in the view of the progressive left,” opined Paula Bolyard.
“It's frightening to think about what would happen to parents who refuse such visits,” noted Bolyard. She added:
As someone who has been involved in the homeschooling movement for more than 20 years, I have seen many attempts to increase the oversight of children taught at home by requiring home visits by a teacher or social worker. The basic premise behind these attempted power grabs is that parents cannot be trusted with the care of their own children — that an agent of the state is the only one qualified to ensure that children are being properly cared for. Without such surveillance, proponents argue, children are at risk for abuse and neglect, something they believe government agents can prevent, despite volumes of evidence to the contrary. In Oregon, in fact, children in the foster care system are abused at twice the national rate. One wonders how a state that can't handle the children currently in its care could possibly manage to surveil an additional 40,000 children per year, let alone pay for such a program (answer: it can't).
Bolyard said the home visits aren’t just about the health of the newborns, and that the state’s representative would also be observing and making judgements about the parents.
“Government agents monitoring the homes of law-abiding parents who have not been accused of a crime without a warrant is an unconscionable violation not only of parental rights and individual liberty but also a trampling of the Fourth Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Constitution,” warned Bolyard in her PJ Media commentary.
“The bottom line is that the statists pushing these policies do not trust us with our own children,” concluded Bolyard. “It's not enough for them to have their hooks in them 180 days a year, feeding them propaganda from the first day of kindergarten through the end of high school. They now want access to them from the day they are born — and they will succeed if parents don't rise up and tell the government nannies to back off.”
Last fall, Scotland scrapped a plan first proposed in 2014 that would have directed the government to appoint a state official, referred to as a “named person,” for every Scottish child from birth to age 18, regardless of the child’s or the family’s perceived need for public intervention.
The “named person” – who could be a teacher, school administrator, social worker or someone else – was to be assigned in order to watch over all children in Scotland 18 years old and younger, receiving information from doctors, social agencies, schools, courts, and the children themselves without parental knowledge.
In order to promote the plan, the Scottish government imitated the Obama administration’s “Julia” scheme and promoted its “Getting it right” campaign, telling the story of “Cameron,” a child whose Named Person brought him to the attention of social workers over concerns about his “social and emotional development.” In the end, Cameron was put under the supervision of a “Lead Professional” and a “multi-agency plan was agreed.”
While the government had insisted that the bill is nothing more than a way to make public services more available and efficient, it had come under heavy criticism from legal experts who said it was a grave violation of the legally guaranteed human rights of parents and families.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-16--How Catholics can cope with Mass-less Sundays

March 16 , 2020 ( Marian Times ) — Sunday mass cancellations and dispensations are now ubiquitous throughout the Catholic Church in the United States .
During the weekend of March 14–15 , over 20 archdioceses and dioceses experienced Sunday mass cancellations , including in Washington , D.C. , Baltimore , New York , San Diego , Boston , Newark , San Antonio , and Detroit .
Many other cardinals , archbishops , and bishops have granted a variety of dispensations from mass attendance for the Catholic faithful within their ecclesiastical jurisdictions .
In Italy , the Diocese of Rome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all masses throughout the country until April 3 .
Masses had already been canceled in Northern Italy due to its coronavirus epicenter status .
Mass cancellations are now taking place in varied places worldwide , including Japan , Italy , the Netherlands , and other parts of Europe .
In speaking with a European bishop whose country just suspended masses for the near future , he reported that after weeks of isolated cases , the exponential spiking of Coronavirus that was seen first in China , and then Italy , is now happening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which led to the nationwide suspension of masses .
Numerous international medical experts estimate that the United States is only a few weeks away from a similar bell curve spiking in CV .
For many Catholics in the U.S. , it ’ s time to spiritually and pastorally prepare for Mass-less Sundays in the immediate future .
Here are four concrete ways that the Catholic faithful in the U.S. can spiritually prepare and “ pray through ” this purging period of Mass-less Sundays : 1 .
Watch Sunday Mass on television .
Through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us have access to the celebration of Holy Mass , either nationally or locally .
While watching the Eucharistic Liturgy on a screen obviously doesn ’ t provide the same existential blessing of being physically present , it nonetheless conveys significant secondary spiritual blessings through virtual participation of the Eucharistic Liturgy .
When possible , obtain the scripture readings from the Mass .
If you don ’ t have access to the liturgy via technology , prayerfully read and meditate upon the scripture readings from Sunday Mass .
Offer your newly experienced sufferings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Mary at Calvary , which is mystical though truly present and continued at every Mass .
2 .
Make Spiritual Communions .
Spiritual Communions comprise classic spiritual practices that call for an immediate renewal during our present Mass-less Sunday experience .
A Spiritual Communion is a spiritual practice in which the Christian , after professing his or her belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist , requests Jesus to spiritually enter the soul .
Saint Thomas Aquinas describes a Spiritual Communion as a holy desire to receive Jesus in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Jesus as though we had already received him .
Saint after saint has recommended this powerfully spiritual practice .
St. Catherine of Siena compared it to receiving Jesus from a “ silver Chalice ” instead of the gold chalice of the Eucharist , and St. Padre Pio spoke of great efficacy in spiritually uniting with Jesus throughout the day .
Pope St. John Paul II strongly recommends the practice of Spiritual Communions in Ecclesia de Eucharistia : The basic elements for a Spiritual Communion are as follows : 1 .
Express your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christ in the Eucharist : “ Jesus , I love you and I believe that you are really present , Body , Blood , Soul , and Divinity in the Eucharist.
” 2 .
Express your inability to receive Jesus sacramentally in the Eucharist : “ Jesus , unfortunately , I can not receive you sacramentally in Holy Communion at this time.
” 3 .
Invite Jesus to spiritually enter your soul : “ Jesus , I now ask you to spiritually enter my soul ” ( followed a brief time of silence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jesus into your soul ) .
4 .
Offer your thanksgiving : “ Jesus , thank you for spiritually entering my soul .
I love you , I praise you , and I adore you for your infinite grace and mercy.
” If you are able to watch the Mass on television , make your Spiritual Communion after the “ Lamb of God , ” when you would normally receive Holy Communion .
Even at a time when masses are being canceled across the world and now within our country , access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many places in the sublime form of Eucharistic Adoration and visits to the Blessed Sacrament .
It is not an over-simplification to say that all human challenges can find their ultimate answer and remedy in the Eucharist .
Jesus is the Eucharist .
The Eucharist is Jesus .
Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega , and his Sacred and Eucharistic Heart possesses the most effective solution and consolation to every human trial .
Where possible , take some time each day to adore Jesus in the Eucharist , or tell him every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearts before the Blessed Sacrament .
These acts of Adoration bring heavenly balms for earthly hearts that feel overburdened .
Like John , the Beloved Disciple ( cf .
Jn .
13:25 ) , when we symbolically rest our head on his Jesus ’ heart before the Blessed Sacrament , we typically feel the fear and anxiety dissipate by the moment .
It is time to become more generous in Eucharistic Adoration when , for many of us , Jesus in Mass and Holy Communion will at least temporarily become an offering of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privilege .
It is also a perennial doctrinal truth of our Catholic Faith that the Trinity dwells in the souls of the just .
The spiritual presence of Jesus in the soul that possesses sanctifying grace is a true presence , ( though not physical as in the Eucharist ) , which according to Pope Leo XIII , differs only in degree from the presence of God that beatifies the saints in heaven ( Divinum Illud Munus , 9 ) .
That ’ s why St. Catherine , St. Teresa , St. Francis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encouraged a type of “ internal adoration , ” “ adoring his Majesty within , ” or making an “ internal spiritual retreat ” with the indwelling Jesus , by acknowledging and thereby adoring the true spiritual presence of Jesus in the tabernacle of the Christian soul .
Even in cases where there is absolutely no access to our Eucharistic Jesus , it should bring great consolation for the Christian to recall Jesus ’ true presence in our souls for , “ if we love one another , God dwells in us and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hereby we know that we dwell in him , and he is in us because he has given us of his Spirit ... ( 1 Jn .
4:12 ) .
[ 1 ] Through the difficult days ahead , let us keep Mary constantly in mind and heart—she who is the Mother of Jesus , the Mother of the Eucharist , the Mother of the Church , and the Mother of all peoples .
Along with the ever-powerful prayer of the Rosary , I invite you to pray a prayer given by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her locally church approved apparitions in Amsterdam , ( local ecclesiastical approval , May 31 , 2002 ) during which Our Lady revealed the following prayer by which to specifically battle “ degeneration , disasters , and war.
” Surely , the Coronavirus pandemic now qualifies as a global disaster .
Let us invoke , and solemnly proclaim , the powerful intercession of the Mother of all peoples to spiritually respond to a lethal pandemic which is now , in fact , reaching all peoples : send now your Spirit over the earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hearts of all nations , that they may be preserved from degeneration , disasters and war .
May the Lady of All Nations , the Blessed Virgin Mary , be our Advocate .
Amen .
[ 2 ] [ 1 ] To order , Jesus in You : The Indwelling of the Trinity in the Souls of the Just , go to www.markmiravalle.com .
[ 2 ] To order free copies of the Prayer of the Lady of All Nations email [ email protected ] .
Published with permission from the Marian @ @

Sunday mass cancellations and dispensations are now ubiquitous throughout the Catholic Church in the United States. Here is some practical advice.
March 16, 2020 (Marian Times) — Sunday mass cancellations and dispensations are now ubiquitous throughout the Catholic Church in the United States. During the weekend of March 14–15, over 20 archdioceses and dioceses experienced Sunday mass cancellations, including in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York, San Diego, Boston, Newark, San Antonio, and Detroit. Many other cardinals, archbishops, and bishops have granted a variety of dispensations from mass attendance for the Catholic faithful within their ecclesiastical jurisdictions.
In Italy, the Diocese of Rome and the Italian Episcopal Conference have suspended all masses throughout the country until April 3. Masses had already been canceled in Northern Italy due to its coronavirus epicenter status. Mass cancellations are now taking place in varied places worldwide, including Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, and other parts of Europe.
In speaking with a European bishop whose country just suspended masses for the near future, he reported that after weeks of isolated cases, the exponential spiking of Coronavirus that was seen first in China, and then Italy, is now happening within his own western European nation, which led to the nationwide suspension of masses. Numerous international medical experts estimate that the United States is only a few weeks away from a similar bell curve spiking in CV.
For many Catholics in the U.S., it’s time to spiritually and pastorally prepare for Mass-less Sundays in the immediate future.
Here are four concrete ways that the Catholic faithful in the U.S. can spiritually prepare and “pray through” this purging period of Mass-less Sundays:
1. Watch Sunday Mass on television. Through television and the internet, most of us have access to the celebration of Holy Mass, either nationally or locally. While watching the Eucharistic Liturgy on a screen obviously doesn’t provide the same existential blessing of being physically present, it nonetheless conveys significant secondary spiritual blessings through virtual participation of the Eucharistic Liturgy.
When possible, obtain the scripture readings from the Mass. If you don’t have access to the liturgy via technology, prayerfully read and meditate upon the scripture readings from Sunday Mass. Offer your newly experienced sufferings in union with the sufferings of Jesus and Mary at Calvary, which is mystical though truly present and continued at every Mass.
2. Make Spiritual Communions. Spiritual Communions comprise classic spiritual practices that call for an immediate renewal during our present Mass-less Sunday experience. A Spiritual Communion is a spiritual practice in which the Christian, after professing his or her belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, requests Jesus to spiritually enter the soul.
Saint Thomas Aquinas describes a Spiritual Communion as a holy desire to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, and a loving embrace from Jesus as though we had already received him. Saint after saint has recommended this powerfully spiritual practice. St. Catherine of Siena compared it to receiving Jesus from a “silver Chalice” instead of the gold chalice of the Eucharist, and St. Padre Pio spoke of great efficacy in spiritually uniting with Jesus throughout the day.
Pope St. John Paul II strongly recommends the practice of Spiritual Communions in Ecclesia de Eucharistia:
… It is good to cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the sacrament of the Eucharist. This was the origin of the practice of “spiritual communion,” which has happily been established in the Church for centuries and recommended by saints who were masters of the spiritual life. St. Teresa of Jesus wrote: “When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you” [The Way of Perfection, Ch. 35] (EE,34).
The basic elements for a Spiritual Communion are as follows:
1. Express your belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist: “Jesus, I love you and I believe that you are really present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist.”
2. Express your inability to receive Jesus sacramentally in the Eucharist: “Jesus, unfortunately, I cannot receive you sacramentally in Holy Communion at this time.”
3. Invite Jesus to spiritually enter your soul: “Jesus, I now ask you to spiritually enter my soul” (followed a brief time of silence and receptivity to the spiritual entrance of Jesus into your soul).
4. Offer your thanksgiving: “Jesus, thank you for spiritually entering my soul. I love you, I praise you, and I adore you for your infinite grace and mercy.”
If you are able to watch the Mass on television, make your Spiritual Communion after the “Lamb of God,” when you would normally receive Holy Communion.
3. Increase Eucharistic Adoration
Even at a time when masses are being canceled across the world and now within our country, access to Jesus in the Eucharist remains open in many places in the sublime form of Eucharistic Adoration and visits to the Blessed Sacrament.
It is not an over-simplification to say that all human challenges can find their ultimate answer and remedy in the Eucharist. Jesus is the Eucharist. The Eucharist is Jesus. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, and his Sacred and Eucharistic Heart possesses the most effective solution and consolation to every human trial. Where possible, take some time each day to adore Jesus in the Eucharist, or tell him every present fear and anxiety of our weary hearts before the Blessed Sacrament. These acts of Adoration bring heavenly balms for earthly hearts that feel overburdened. Like John, the Beloved Disciple (cf. Jn. 13:25), when we symbolically rest our head on his Jesus’ heart before the Blessed Sacrament, we typically feel the fear and anxiety dissipate by the moment.
It is time to become more generous in Eucharistic Adoration when, for many of us, Jesus in Mass and Holy Communion will at least temporarily become an offering of loss rather than an easily accessible heavenly privilege.
4. Practice “Internal” Adoration of Jesus
It is also a perennial doctrinal truth of our Catholic Faith that the Trinity dwells in the souls of the just. The spiritual presence of Jesus in the soul that possesses sanctifying grace is a true presence, (though not physical as in the Eucharist), which according to Pope Leo XIII, differs only in degree from the presence of God that beatifies the saints in heaven (Divinum Illud Munus, 9). That’s why St. Catherine, St. Teresa, St. Francis de Sales, and many other saints encouraged a type of “internal adoration,” “adoring his Majesty within,” or making an “internal spiritual retreat” with the indwelling Jesus, by acknowledging and thereby adoring the true spiritual presence of Jesus in the tabernacle of the Christian soul. Even in cases where there is absolutely no access to our Eucharistic Jesus, it should bring great consolation for the Christian to recall Jesus’ true presence in our souls for, “if we love one another, God dwells in us and our love is perfected in us. Hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he is in us because he has given us of his Spirit… (1 Jn. 4:12). [1]
Through the difficult days ahead, let us keep Mary constantly in mind and heart—she who is the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of the Eucharist, the Mother of the Church, and the Mother of all peoples. Along with the ever-powerful prayer of the Rosary, I invite you to pray a prayer given by the “Mother of All Peoples” during her locally church approved apparitions in Amsterdam, (local ecclesiastical approval, May 31, 2002) during which Our Lady revealed the following prayer by which to specifically battle “degeneration, disasters, and war.” Surely, the Coronavirus pandemic now qualifies as a global disaster.
Let us invoke, and solemnly proclaim, the powerful intercession of the Mother of all peoples to spiritually respond to a lethal pandemic which is now, in fact, reaching all peoples:
Lord, Jesus Christ,
Son of the Father,
send now your Spirit over the earth.
Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all nations,
that they may be preserved from degeneration, disasters and war.
May the Lady of All Nations, the Blessed Virgin Mary, be our Advocate. Amen. [2]
Dr. Mark Miravalle
St. John Paul II Chair of Mariology
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Notes
[1] To order, Jesus in You: The Indwelling of the Trinity in the Souls of the Just, go to www.markmiravalle.com.
[2] To order free copies of the Prayer of the Lady of All Nations email [email protected].
This article originally appeared att the Marian Times. It is republished here with permission from the author.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-16--A country completely shut down: behind the scenes of Italy’s lockdown

In today ’ s episode of The Van Maren Show , Alessandra Bocchi , who is currently in Rome , @ @ @ @ @ what is actually happening on the ground in Rome and across Italy .
Bocchi is @ @ @ @ @ hit region of Italy , but is ‘ stuck ’ in Rome due to the @ @ @ @ @ people not leave their current locations in order to stop the spread of the virus @ @ @ @ @ is quite surreal .

In today’s episode of The Van Maren Show, Alessandra Bocchi, who is currently in Rome, joins Van Maren to discuss what is actually happening on the ground in Rome and across Italy.
Bocchi is from Lombardy, the hardest hit region of Italy, but is ‘stuck’ in Rome due to the government’s requests that people not leave their current locations in order to stop the spread of the virus. The scene she shares is quite surreal.