lifesitenews--2020-03-24--Why Catholics must pray the Holy Rosary during coronavirus pandemic

March 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – With Catholics around the world now facing the prospect of being unable to attend Mass due to the coronavirus pandemic , it seems to me that the words of Fatima-seer Sister Lucia emphasizing the “ new efficacy ” given by God to the Rosary become more pertinent than ever .
In a 1957 meeting with Fr Augustin Fuentes , Sister Lucia , who died in 2005 , said that there was no problem , temporal or spiritual , that can not be resolved by the prayer of the Holy Rosary .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times in which we live , has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary .
She has given this efficacy to such an extent that there is no problem , no matter how difficult it is , whether temporal or above all spiritual , in the personal life of each one of us , of our families , of the families of the world or of the religious communities , or even of the life of peoples and nations , that can not be solved by the Rosary .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no matter how difficult it is , that we can not resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary .
With the Holy Rosary we will save ourselves .
We will sanctify ourselves .
We will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls .
I have been telling my friends for years that I expect to see significant societal change in my lifetime .
Our work at LifeSite exposes us constantly to the brutal realities of the world today .
For that reason , we ’ ve started a daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone to join .
Led by a faithful priest in Italy , the rosary begins every day at 12 pm EDT .
At a time when we are all so isolated , let ’ s make a special effort to come together in prayer .
We know that things can ’ t and that they won ’ t continue this way forever .
In whatever way the current pandemic plays out , mankind can not keep killing its children by the millions , can not keep destroying the innocence of little ones , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not keep wading further and further into confusion and sin .
But recent events have made many of us wonder whether this is the moment of significant societal change we ’ ve been talking about for years .
And they ’ ve made me realize that , in reality , a big part of me has expected things to remain pretty much as they are .
Much as I ’ ve talked about the inevitability of societal upheaval and at times been frustrated with the inability of even fellow Catholics to acknowledge the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the world and in the Church , I wasn ’ t expecting it now and I have the same fears and anxieties about the developing coronavirus pandemic as millions of others will share .
My expectation that a serious disruption of some sort was coming is no particular consolation at this moment of uncertainty .
And right now all of us are looking for consolation , for something to give us confidence , hope , and assurance .
Facing the prospect of potential isolation and being unable to attend Mass , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to think that so powerful a prayer has been still further blessed by God and so clearly recommended to us by Our Blessed Mother .
Again , I would highly encourage you to join LifeSite staff and readers from around the world in a live daily rosary , learn more here .
As a good friend of mine once reflected : “ if we consider how many saints have urged us to pray the Rosary , and how much they extolled its great power , how much more encouraged should we be by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Most Holy Virgin , in these last times in which we live , has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary ’ .
”

Fatima-seer Sister Lucia said Our Lady had given the rosary 'new efficacy' to solve every problem, both temporal and spiritual.
PRAYER PLEDGE: Rally around the daily Rosary to stop the coronavirus Sign the petition here.
March 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – With Catholics around the world now facing the prospect of being unable to attend Mass due to the coronavirus pandemic, it seems to me that the words of Fatima-seer Sister Lucia emphasizing the “new efficacy” given by God to the Rosary become more pertinent than ever.
In a 1957 meeting with Fr Augustin Fuentes, Sister Lucia, who died in 2005, said that there was no problem, temporal or spiritual, that cannot be resolved by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.
The Most Holy Virgin, in these last times in which we live, has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary. She has given this efficacy to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. With the Holy Rosary we will save ourselves. We will sanctify ourselves. We will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls.
I have been telling my friends for years that I expect to see significant societal change in my lifetime. Our work at LifeSite exposes us constantly to the brutal realities of the world today. For that reason, we’ve started a daily, live rosary that I would encourage everyone to join. Led by a faithful priest in Italy, the rosary begins every day at 12 pm EDT. At a time when we are all so isolated, let’s make a special effort to come together in prayer.
We know that things can’t and that they won’t continue this way forever. In whatever way the current pandemic plays out, mankind cannot keep killing its children by the millions, cannot keep destroying the innocence of little ones, cannot keep denying God and cannot keep wading further and further into confusion and sin.
But recent events have made many of us wonder whether this is the moment of significant societal change we’ve been talking about for years. And they’ve made me realize that, in reality, a big part of me has expected things to remain pretty much as they are. Much as I’ve talked about the inevitability of societal upheaval and at times been frustrated with the inability of even fellow Catholics to acknowledge the seriousness of the current state of affairs in the world and in the Church, I wasn’t expecting it now and I have the same fears and anxieties about the developing coronavirus pandemic as millions of others will share.
My expectation that a serious disruption of some sort was coming is no particular consolation at this moment of uncertainty.
And right now all of us are looking for consolation, for something to give us confidence, hope, and assurance. Facing the prospect of potential isolation and being unable to attend Mass, I find it a source of great comfort to think that so powerful a prayer has been still further blessed by God and so clearly recommended to us by Our Blessed Mother.
Again, I would highly encourage you to join LifeSite staff and readers from around the world in a live daily rosary, learn more here.
As a good friend of mine once reflected: “if we consider how many saints have urged us to pray the Rosary, and how much they extolled its great power, how much more encouraged should we be by Sister Lucia’s words that ‘the Most Holy Virgin, in these last times in which we live, has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary’.”
Follow Paul Paul Smeaton is Editorial Director for LifeSiteNews and is based near London, England. He has previously worked for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) in England. Paul has been active in pro-life and Catholic communities since his university days at Campion College Australia.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-24--WATCH: Priest in Italy bravely processes with Eucharist to bless coronavirus-stricken country

VILLATALLA , Italy , March 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A priest in Italy boldly carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession through his small town , blessing his parish , his diocese , and the whole country , which as been stricken by the coronavirus .
Father Tomaso Jozef Jochemczyk , the Polish pastor of a few small villages in Italy , close to the French border , sang the litany of saints while processing with the monstrance .
“ He called down graces for the great crises in the Church and in the world caused by so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Marie Ambroise , OBI , to LifeSiteNews , adding that he also prayed for an end to the coronavirus pandemic that is ravaging much of Italy .
“ While he sang songs in Italian and Polish in honor of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament , I took pictures and some short videos , then we sang at least two and a half times the litany of the Saints , ” Sister Marie , who lives in Villatalla , told LifeSiteNews .
“ He was so happy after the procession and is sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his faithful souls on earth , ” she added .
“ There are so many intentions of prayers that we were both very intent on performing this act of homage with all these intentions in mind.
” Father Tomaso first came to Italy more than ten years ago , attracted by the traditional environment within the diocese of Albenga-Imperia .
At the time , the diocese was led by Bishop Mario Oliveri , who resigned in 2016 .
The fairly new community of the Benedictines of the Immaculate had spent a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on to a former Capuchin monastery in another village .
The community was founded by one of the first members of the Benedictines in Le Barroux , a traditionalist community of Benedictine monks affiliated for a while with Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre , the founder of the Society of St. Pius X , but now fully recognized by Church authorities .
The foundation of a female branch of the Benedictines of the Immaculate is currently being considered in Villatalla , where Don Tomaso says the traditional Mass every morning .
“ When the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mass as usual , but without the faithful , ” Sr. Marie said .
Don Tomaso decided to broadcast his Friday Mass online for his family in Poland as well as for friends in a Polish community in Chicago .
“ The first time he did this he told me that after the Mass he would like to make a procession with the Blessed Sacrament around the church and bless the village and the city of Imperia , and all of Italy , while singing the Litany of the Saints , ” Sr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and it was very beautiful.
” On March 21 , one of the members of the Benedictines of the Immaculate made his solemn vows in the presence of the bishop of Ventimiglia-Sanremo , located right next to Albenga-Imperia .
Only three faithful were allowed to enter the church on this occasion .
“ I was one of them , ” said Sr. Marie , “ and again witnessed in Italy , the land of so much suffering and death , the beautiful ceremony of the spiritual death in Christ of a monk who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

'He sang songs in Italian and Polish in honor of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.'
PRAYER PLEDGE: Rally around the daily Rosary to stop the coronavirus Sign the petition here.
VILLATALLA, Italy, March 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A priest in Italy boldly carried the Blessed Sacrament in procession through his small town, blessing his parish, his diocese, and the whole country, which as been stricken by the coronavirus.
Father Tomaso Jozef Jochemczyk, the Polish pastor of a few small villages in Italy, close to the French border, sang the litany of saints while processing with the monstrance.
“He called down graces for the great crises in the Church and in the world caused by so many spiritual viruses,” said Sister Marie, OBI, to LifeSiteNews, adding that he also prayed for an end to the coronavirus pandemic that is ravaging much of Italy.
“While he sang songs in Italian and Polish in honor of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, I took pictures and some short videos, then we sang at least two and a half times the litany of the Saints,” Sister Marie, who lives in Villatalla, told LifeSiteNews.
“He was so happy after the procession and is sure that God’s heart was moved for his faithful souls on earth,” she added. “There are so many intentions of prayers that we were both very intent on performing this act of homage with all these intentions in mind.”
Father Tomaso told LifeSiteNews why it is important to have processions with the Blessed Sacrament in this time of a pandemic. He referred to the council of Trent, which teaches that “all the sacraments contain the grace of Christ, with the exception of the Eucharist which, instead, contains the very author of grace, Jesus Christ our Savior.”
With this in mind, a Eucharistic procession is doubly important, Father Tomaso explained.
“On the one hand it is a plea to God himself to forgive us, bless us and give us strength to face danger. On the other hand, it is an act of public faith which seeks to repair the impiety which today spreads among people and in societies which reject its kingship; it is an invitation to conversion, which is less and less talked about today because it seems that the concept of conversion damages the freedom of others.”
The Polish pastor recommended that his brother priests “first of all sanctify themselves; they must attend to their own conversion, so that they may be worthy, as far as human frailty permits, to be ministers of the Lord.”
He pointed to the courage needed in our times, which “can only come from the Lord.” The priest is not a social worker, but he “gives worship to God and gives the sacraments of God to men.”
In this context, Father Tomaso praised the Traditional Latin Mass, because it stresses the role of the priest as acting in the person of Christ. “It is an immense treasure,” he said.
The pastor called priests to give their lives for their flocks, guaranteeing them the sacraments, “especially confession and extreme unction, so that souls may be united to Christ: those who are united to him, in fact, fear nothing.”
The faithful, in turn, “must make every effort to maintain spiritual recollection. This is all the more urgent today both because we are in Lent and because we are experiencing a moment of trial. The faithful know that recollection, prayer, almsgiving and sacrifice can shorten this terrible moment; the effectiveness of prayer is an invincible weapon.”
Additionally, Father Tomaso recommended praying the rosary, and going to confession.
If that sacrament is unavailable, given the current state of affairs, Catholics “should make a perfect act of contrition and have the intention of confessing as soon as possible. These two acts will make them recover their state of grace.”
He emphasized that contrition is not some remorse over sins because they come with a punishment. Rather, it is repentance that is born of the awareness that sin offends God and tramples on His love.”
Father Tomaso first came to Italy more than ten years ago, attracted by the traditional environment within the diocese of Albenga-Imperia. At the time, the diocese was led by Bishop Mario Oliveri, who resigned in 2016.
The fairly new community of the Benedictines of the Immaculate had spent a few years in Villatalla, before they moved on to a former Capuchin monastery in another village. The community was founded by one of the first members of the Benedictines in Le Barroux, a traditionalist community of Benedictine monks affiliated for a while with Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the founder of the Society of St. Pius X, but now fully recognized by Church authorities.
The foundation of a female branch of the Benedictines of the Immaculate is currently being considered in Villatalla, where Father Tomaso says the traditional Mass every morning.
“When the coronavirus broke out, we continued to have Mass as usual, but without the faithful,” Sr. Marie said.
Father Tomaso decided to broadcast his Friday Mass online for his family in Poland as well as for friends in a Polish community in Chicago.
“The first time he did this he told me that after the Mass he would like to make a procession with the Blessed Sacrament around the church and bless the village and the city of Imperia, and all of Italy, while singing the Litany of the Saints,” Sr. Marie explained. “This we did and it was very beautiful.”
On March 21, one of the members of the Benedictines of the Immaculate made his solemn vows in the presence of the bishop of Ventimiglia-Sanremo, located right next to Albenga-Imperia. Only three faithful were allowed to enter the church on this occasion.
“I was one of them,” said Sr. Marie, “and again witnessed in Italy, the land of so much suffering and death, the beautiful ceremony of the spiritual death in Christ of a monk who lives only to love and praise God.”
March 25, 2020 update: This report has been updated with comments from Fr. Tomaso.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-24--30k doctors say continuing elective abortions during pandemic ‘medically irresponsible’

March 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Five organizations representing more than 30,000 pro-life physicians have lamented “ the call to continue elective abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic , ” characterizing it as “ medically irresponsible.
” Elective abortions , they said , are “ falsely ” characterized by various pro-abortion groups as “ essential healthcare.
” The doctors represented by the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists , the American College of Pediatricians , Christian Medical & Dental Associations , the Catholic Medical Association , and the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons emphasized that “ elective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their March 23 statement , they explained how “ across the United States , services that do constitute essential health care for women , including routine Pap smears , mammograms , and pelvic exams , are being postponed in order to reduce everyone ’ s risk of exposure to COVID-19 , and to conserve scarce medical resources.
” Elective abortions are neither “ essential ” nor “ urgent.
” To continue with such procedures would “ consume critical resources such as masks , gloves , and other personal protective equipment , and unnecessarily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The pro-life doctors pointed out that elective abortions also lead to more patients in emergency rooms , as most abortionists “ instruct women to go to an emergency room if they have any concerning symptoms after the abortion.
” “ Approximately 5 % of women who undergo medication abortions will require evaluation in an emergency room , most commonly for hemorrhage .
Surgical abortions can also result in hemorrhage , ” they added .
“ Emergency room personnel – who are already struggling to meet the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic – will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these women.
” Nonetheless , even with coronavirus spreading quickly in the United States ( 400 deaths as of March 23 ) , pro-abortion groups claimed abortions are “ an essential component of comprehensive health care.
” On March 18 , the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists , the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology , and other organizations , including the Society of Family Planning , said abortions are “ a time-sensitive service for which a delay of several weeks , or in some cases days , may increase the risks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person ’ s life , health , and well-being , ” they argued .
Many of the same organizations said the pandemic “ is a public health crisis that requires the full attention and resources of our health care systems ” and have called on hospitals to suspend elective surgeries.
” Pro-life group Created Equal provided arguments similar to those of the pro-life physicians .
Abortion facilities consume not only “ scarce personal protective equipment , they risk spreading COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abortionists themselves are not immune to COVID-19 and some , including one in Michigan , may have already contracted the disease .
These facilities also put a burden on community EMTs and hospital ERs , should they have a medical emergency at one of their locations.
” Mark Harrington , president of Created Equal , said that if “ abortion is a ‘ choice ’ then abortion is an elective procedure.
” “ However , abortionists want to have it both ways .
In a clear double standard , abortion centers across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health crisis , risking public health and safety , ” he went on .
In Massachusetts , the government wants abortions to continue as usual .
“ Terminating a pregnancy is not considered a nonessential , elective invasive procedure for the purpose of this guidance .
However , the ultimate decision is based on clinical judgment by the caring physician , ” a memorandum of the Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality in Massachusetts stated , according to MassLive.com .
“ Health care providers are being diverted to help address the epidemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acquiring the disease .
This may create a shortage of clinicians who can provide sexual and reproductive health services and increase wait times for patients in need , ” the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute worried on March 11 .

Elective abortions are 'falsely' categorized as 'essential healthcare,' they explained, even though 'elective abortion treats no disease process.'
PETITION: Urge state governors to stop abortions during coronavirus crisis Sign the petition here.
March 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Five organizations representing more than 30,000 pro-life physicians have lamented “the call to continue elective abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic,” characterizing it as “medically irresponsible.” Elective abortions, they said, are “falsely” characterized by various pro-abortion groups as “essential healthcare.”
The doctors represented by the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Pediatricians, Christian Medical & Dental Associations, the Catholic Medical Association, and the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons emphasized that “elective abortion treats no disease process.”
In their March 23 statement, they explained how “across the United States, services that do constitute essential health care for women, including routine Pap smears, mammograms, and pelvic exams, are being postponed in order to reduce everyone’s risk of exposure to COVID-19, and to conserve scarce medical resources.”
Elective abortions are neither “essential” nor “urgent.” To continue with such procedures would “consume critical resources such as masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment, and unnecessarily exposes patients and physicians to pathogens.”
The pro-life doctors pointed out that elective abortions also lead to more patients in emergency rooms, as most abortionists “instruct women to go to an emergency room if they have any concerning symptoms after the abortion.”
“Approximately 5% of women who undergo medication abortions will require evaluation in an emergency room, most commonly for hemorrhage. Surgical abortions can also result in hemorrhage,” they added.
“Emergency room personnel – who are already struggling to meet the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic – will be further strained to provide care to these women.”
Nonetheless, even with coronavirus spreading quickly in the United States (400 deaths as of March 23), pro-abortion groups claimed abortions are “an essential component of comprehensive health care.”
On March 18, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and other organizations, including the Society of Family Planning, said abortions are “a time-sensitive service for which a delay of several weeks, or in some cases days, may increase the risks or potentially make it completely inaccessible.”
“The consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person’s life, health, and well-being,” they argued.
Many of the same organizations said the pandemic “is a public health crisis that requires the full attention and resources of our health care systems” and have called on hospitals to suspend elective surgeries.”
Pro-life group Created Equal provided arguments similar to those of the pro-life physicians. Abortion facilities consume not only “scarce personal protective equipment, they risk spreading COVID-19 throughout your state.”
“Furthermore, abortionists themselves are not immune to COVID-19 and some, including one in Michigan, may have already contracted the disease. These facilities also put a burden on community EMTs and hospital ERs, should they have a medical emergency at one of their locations.”
Mark Harrington, president of Created Equal, said that if “abortion is a ‘choice’ then abortion is an elective procedure.”
“However, abortionists want to have it both ways. In a clear double standard, abortion centers across the nation are staying open during this national health crisis, risking public health and safety,” he went on.
In Massachusetts, the government wants abortions to continue as usual.
“Terminating a pregnancy is not considered a nonessential, elective invasive procedure for the purpose of this guidance. However, the ultimate decision is based on clinical judgment by the caring physician,” a memorandum of the Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality in Massachusetts stated, according to MassLive.com.
“Health care providers are being diverted to help address the epidemic while also being most at risk of acquiring the disease. This may create a shortage of clinicians who can provide sexual and reproductive health services and increase wait times for patients in need,” the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute worried on March 11.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-24--California police dept to use drones to ‘monitor’ shutdown: Latest coronavirus updates

LifeSite ’ s live coronavirus updates from March 13 to 19 are HERE .
LifeSite ’ s live coronavirus updates from March 20 to 23 are HERE .
March 24 , 2020 , 12:58 p.m. : Former president and CEO of EWTN Dan Burke has the coronavirus and is in intensive care at a hospital , he announced on Facebook .
March 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Virginia and West Virginia are the latest American states to implement draconian measures restricting freedom of movement and assembly because of the coronavirus .
Beginning at 11:59 p.m. tonight , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 10 people are banned .
Businesses like hair salons , gyms , and theaters will be closed .
Businesses like grocery stores , liquor stores , doctor offices , home improvement stores , and pet stores will remain open .
This allegedly will last through April 23 , 2020 .
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has ordered his constituents to remain at home .
They may still go to the store , walk their dogs , and go to the doctor .
The full order can be viewed here .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of drones to monitor and communicate with citizens : A California police department is planning on using drones equipped with cameras and loudspeakers to monitor a coronavirus shutdown .
Drones are starting to play a larger role in society and crime .
U.S. Border Patrol agents are having issues with smugglers using drones to watch them as they work along the southern border .
The drones are also used to move small quantities of drugs across the border .
At the peak of China ’ s coronavirus outbreak , the country used talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wear face masks .
`` Where is your mask ?
Wear your mask ! ''
operators of the drones shouted at passersby in Chinese .
In Belgium , which has more than 3,700 cases of the coronavirus , authorities have begun using drones to warn citizens about a lockdown that was put in place .
Drones could be seen hovering overhead and reading off medical guidelines to people below .
`` Take care of yourself and others , '' a woman 's voice blares .

Live updates on the coronavirus crisis and how it relates to pro-life issues, faith, and freedom.
LifeSite’s previous (and future) live updates on the coronavirus crisis and how it relates to issues our readers care about can be viewed HERE.
March 25, 2020, 5:09 p.m. EST: “The Department of Homeland Security has been briefed that New York City’s morgues are nearing capacity, according to a department official and a second person familiar with the situation,” Politico reported today. Some of New York City’s parks and playgrounds may be closed soon.
Governor Steve Sisolak of Nevada signed an emergency measure severely limiting the availability of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, two drugs that have been effective at treating COVID-19. Doctors can no longer prescribe and dispense the drugs to patients with the coronavirus – only to patients with conditions the drugs are approved to treat (malaria, lupus, arthritis) – and prescriptions can only be for a 30-day supply. However, doctors may prescribe the drugs to hospitalized coronavirus patients.
PLEASE PRAY FOR DR. PAUL BYRNE is suffering w flu-like symptoms & is home 4 now. Please pray that he is able to stay home & out of the hospital. This man has helped so many pple & sacrificed his life for his family, friends &strangers, including Alfie Evans and Charlie Gard. ❤ pic.twitter.com/PYE4HGjrJA — Michelle Maher (@marymar49743095) March 25, 2020
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, a rare pro-life Democrat who is also sympathetic to the LGBT cause, tweeted Monday that he would be fasting on Tuesday. Louisiana residents are under a “stay at home” order.
In this Lenten season where we focus on fasting and prayer, I wanted to let the people of Louisiana know that I will be fasting tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24. #lagov #lalege — John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) March 24, 2020
A research group scraped data from the Instagram profiles of over 500,000 people in Italy and found that over 33,000 people violated quarantine orders. The company “has offered its research to the Italian government.”
In Spain, soldiers have discovered the elderly “completely abandoned” at nursing homes. Some were “dead in their beds.”
In the U.S., concerns about the health care rationing – and discrimination the elderly and disabled could face under such rationing – continue to swirl.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s coronavirus relief bill, which received Royal Assent to become law today, has been described as an “undemocratic power grab.”
Tanzanian President John Magufuli bucked the trend of world leaders urging or forcing churches to shut down during this crisis.
“I insist upon you my fellow Christians and even [Muslims], do not be afraid, do not stop gathering yourself to glorify God and praise Him,” he said. “That is why as a government we didn’t close down churches or mosques.”
More American cities, like Philadelphia, are ordering residents be confined to their houses. The governor of Idaho today announced a “stay-at-home” order.
A video of a priest blessing Rochester, New York and some of its suburbs by dropping holy water from a plane can be viewed here.
Other LifeSiteNews articles on the coronavirus crisis today include:
March 25, 2020, 10:13 a.m. EST: Vatican offices remain open although with a reduction in staff present in the facilities. Pope Francis is continuing private, but not public, audiences. Four people – a visiting priest, two employees of the Vatican Museum, and a worker involved in processing freight – are quarantined with the coronavirus.
At Breitbart, Thomas D. Williams reports:
The Vatican has halted production of the print version of its daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano out of fear of coronavirus contagion, moving to an online-only format. The Vatican newspaper made its announcement through a front-page letter from Andrea Monda, who was named the director of L’Osservatore Romano in December 2018. As the Italian daily Il Messaggero observed, the coronavirus has accomplished what two world wars could not, since L’Osservatore Romano never missed a single day of production during the entire twentieth century, despite attempts by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels to persuade the Mussolini government to shut down L’Osservatore Romano in 1938 after the pope’s newspaper came out with a scathing article criticizing the Reich’s Manifesto of Race. “A small virus from China, the COVID-19, has brought the pope’s glorious newspaper to its knees,” Il Messaggero noted, and the March 25 issue, on the Catholic feast of the Annunciation, will be the last hardcopy issue until further notice. “In the long history of the Vatican newspaper — which dates back to 1861 and therefore has more than a century and a half of life — only once was the newspaper not printed,” said Mr. Monda. “That was on September 20, 1870, immediately after the breach of Porta Pia and the capture of Rome, with the end of the Pontifical State and the temporal power of the Pope.”
40 Days for Life vigils have been suspended, although many abortion facilities remain open.
Click here to read about and see photos of a “parking lot” Traditional Latin Mass on Sunday.
March 25, 2020, 8:55 a.m. EST: Prince Charles has tested positive for the corinavirus. He is 71. His symptoms are mild, according to a statement from the royal family. The last time he was with the Queen, who is 93, was on March 12.
March 24, 2020, 8:25 p.m. EST: Pro-abortion New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who last year signed into law a bill expanding abortion up to the moment of birth in the Empire State, has tweeted in the context of the coronavirus, “We will not put a dollar figure on human life.”
My mother is not expendable. Your mother is not expendable. We will not put a dollar figure on human life. We can have a public health strategy that is consistent with an economic one. No one should be talking about social darwinism for the sake of the stock market. — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 24, 2020
Paul Smeaton has written an important article about why we must pray the rosary during this pandemic – and how LifeSite readers can join us for a daily rosary on our social networking app for pro-lifers.
Singing songs in Italian and Polish, a priest carried the Blessed Sacrament through his town in Italy. A video and photos are available here.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has said that he believes that the coronavirus pandemic is nature “having a fit” in response to environmental pollution.
The U.K. government has reversed course after saying it would allow women to take both abortion pills at home during the coronavirus outbreak. The statement announcing that was “published in error” on a government website, a spokesperson said.
The bishops of Portugal are re-consecrating their country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary to fight the coronavirus.
The John-Henry Westen Show today features Father Maximilian Mary Dean, a cloistered hermit. He talks about ways to thrive while stuck at home during this crisis and says that mankind is being punished with the coronavirus for its many sins and that large-scale suffering is “always linked to our sins.”
March 24, 2020, 12:58 p.m.: Former president and CEO of EWTN Dan Burke has the coronavirus and is in intensive care at a hospital, he announced on Facebook.
March 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Virginia and West Virginia are the latest American states to implement draconian measures restricting freedom of movement and assembly because of the coronavirus.
Beginning at 11:59 p.m. tonight, in Virginia, public or private gatherings of more than 10 people are banned. Businesses like hair salons, gyms, and theaters will be closed. Businesses like grocery stores, liquor stores, doctor offices, home improvement stores, and pet stores will remain open. This allegedly will last through April 23, 2020.
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has ordered his constituents to remain at home. They may still go to the store, walk their dogs, and go to the doctor. The full order can be viewed here.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a similar lockdown last night.
The Washington Examiner reports on the increasing use of drones to monitor and communicate with citizens:
A California police department is planning on using drones equipped with cameras and loudspeakers to monitor a coronavirus shutdown. … Drones are starting to play a larger role in society and crime. U.S. Border Patrol agents are having issues with smugglers using drones to watch them as they work along the southern border. The drones are also used to move small quantities of drugs across the border. At the peak of China’s coronavirus outbreak, the country used talking drones to force citizens in certain areas to wear face masks. “Where is your mask? Wear your mask!” operators of the drones shouted at passersby in Chinese. In Belgium, which has more than 3,700 cases of the coronavirus, authorities have begun using drones to warn citizens about a lockdown that was put in place. Drones could be seen hovering overhead and reading off medical guidelines to people below. “Take care of yourself and others,” a woman's voice blares.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-24--Why coronavirus stats can be misleading, resulting in overblown projections

March 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Eight days ago , I wrote an article suggesting that the Chinese Coronavirus will not take hold in America the way it did in China , South Korea , and Italy .
The proximate cause of my putting pen to paper ( or putting fingers on keyboard , actually ) was a number of alarming projections to the effect that over a million Americans may die before the epidemic here is damped down .
Such projections seemed to me then , and continue to seem to me now , to be overblown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus does not pose a threat to elderly Americans—it does—only that an obsessive focus on worst-case scenarios tends to obscure the mounting evidence that the Wuhan Flu can be mitigated and treated , if not absolutely controlled .
Now I do not write as a medical doctor , although I am ABD ( all-but-doctorate , as we say ) in the biological sciences .
Nor am I an epidemiologist , although I have carried out health surveys in developing countries and have a background in demographic anthropology .
Nor am I a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engineer in the U.S. Navy .
If a nuclear reaction is not an example of exponential growth I don ’ t know what is .
Numbers are my friends .
Some are alarmed by the fact that the number of confirmed cases of the Wuhan Flu in the U.S. are on the rise .
What everyone needs to understand is that this is largely a reflection of the continued expansion in testing , rather than an indicator of the spread of the disease itself .
The more people we test , the more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s as simple as that .
The other thing about the current testing protocol is this : The CDC only tests people who have symptoms .
Naturally a high percentage of the tests come back positive , leading some to think that a similar percentage of the general population has the disease .
They don ’ t .
News anchors who breathlessly announce each day ’ s tranche of new cases do a disservice to their audience by not explaining these things .
Of course , they do a similar disservice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as if they were fact .
Now I would hope that no American broadcaster would deliberately try and make China—which unleashed this pandemic on the world—look good and his own country , by comparison , look bad .
But who knows ?
Let ’ s start with Ohio .
I earlier quoted Governor Mike DeWine , who on March 13th suggested that the state might on that day have had as many as 100,000 cases of the Wuhan Flu .
That seemed to me unlikely given that at that time there were only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no deaths .
Flash forward to today .
Based on the generally assumed Rate of Infection ( ROI ) of 2.6 , the state would by now have a half million cases or more .
Yet , as of this writing , the state ’ s Department of Health reports only 104 hospitalizations and 6 deaths from the coronavirus .
By way of comparison , 579 persons were hospitalized last week alone in Ohio for the seasonal flu .
The total number of confirmed Wuhan Flu cases in the state currently stands at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been tested but found negative ?
This was impossible for me to find out .
Ohio , unlike nearly all the other states , only reports those who have tested positive .
Moreover , Ohio is far behind other states in the number of people tested , even though it has , at almost 12 million people , the seventh largest population of any state .
The COVID Tracking Project , which is evaluating the 50 states in terms of their response to the epidemic , has given Ohio a “ D ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its incomplete reporting .
Nevertheless , on Sunday , March 22nd , Governor DeWine put the entire state on lockdown .
“ Every piece of evidence that I can lay my hands on indicates that we ’ re at an absolutely crucial time in this war and what we do now will make all the difference in the world , ” he explained .
“ What we do now will slow this invader so our health care system ... will have time to treat casualties.
” One wonders what evidence he has seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A lockdown will not only slow the spread of the Wuhan Flu , it will also bring the economy of the state to a grinding halt .
Businesses will be bankrupted , jobs will be lost , and savings will be depleted .
People already anxious over the epidemic will now have a whole host of new issues to worry about , such as “ What happens if I lose my health insurance ?
” Anxiety and panic can be killers too .
After being locked down for a couple of weeks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan began committing suicide by jumping off of the balconies of their high-rise apartment buildings .
Would it not be better to protect those at high risk , the elderly and those with preexisting conditions , and let the rest of Ohio get back to their lives ?
The cure may be worse than the disease .
Outside of China and Iran , about which we know nothing other than what their dictatorial rulers choose to tell us , the biggest tragedy is Italy .
As of Sunday , 59,138 were ill with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died .
This means that roughly nine percent of Italy ’ s coronavirus victims have died , which is more than twice as high as China ’ s four per cent fatality rate .
Italy was infected by Chinese travelers early on in the Wuhan epidemic , which is hardly surprising given the huge amount of human traffic between China and that country .
Over the past quarter century the Italian fashion industry has become heavily dependent on Chinese sweatshop labor working in warehouses all over northern Italy .
There is an even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well , since many of the Chinese immigrants , both legal and illegal , come from the city of Wenzhou .
This port city , south of Shanghai , has been hit so hard by the Wuhan Flu that it , like Wuhan itself , was put under quarantine for many weeks .
But what accounts for the alarmingly high percentage of fatalities ?
The elderly are particularly vulnerable to the virus , and Italy has the second oldest population in the world .
The median age of Italy ’ s coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s was a much younger 46 .
But there is another factor at work as well .
According to Professor Walter Riccardi , who is an adviser to Italy ’ s minister of health , the high number of fatalities attributed to the Wuhan Flu may be largely a coding error .
Prof. Riccardi explains : `` The way in which we code deaths in our country is very generous in the sense that all the people who die in hospitals with the coronavirus are deemed to be dying of the coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health , only 12 percent of death certificates have shown a direct causality from coronavirus , while 88 percent of patients who have died have at least one pre-morbidity–many had two or three . ''
So , at the present moment , it ’ s probably best not to be too alarmed by the numbers coming out of Italy , which may be exaggerated by a factor of eight .
Correcting for this would put the actual Wuhan Flu death rate a little above one per cent of those who have been tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemic , the fatality rate tends to be quite high , in large part because the only ones being tested are those already seriously ill. Oxford University ’ s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine ( CEBM ) offers the following example from the swine flu pandemic : In other words , the early estimates of the “ case fatality rate ” of the swine flu epidemic were anywhere from five to 200 times higher than the final fatality rate , as calculated by the WHO , once the influenza had run its course .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic is a hazardous exercise , ” the number crunchers at CEBM drily note .
They concluded that “ Our current best assumption , as of the 22nd March , is the Infection Fatality Rate is approximate 0.20 % .
” A fatality rate of 0.2 per cent would still pose a massive threat to the health of peoples the world over .
But it would be a vast improvement over the 1 per cent or more fatality rate that the most dire forecasts are based on .
And , as CEBM suggests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further .
Steven W. Mosher @ StevenWMosher is the President of the Population Research Institute and the author of Bully of Asia : Why China ’ s Dream is the New Threat to World Order .

March 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Eight days ago, I wrote an article suggesting that the Chinese Coronavirus will not take hold in America the way it did in China, South Korea, and Italy.
The proximate cause of my putting pen to paper (or putting fingers on keyboard, actually) was a number of alarming projections to the effect that over a million Americans may die before the epidemic here is damped down. Such projections seemed to me then, and continue to seem to me now, to be overblown.
This is not to say that the coronavirus does not pose a threat to elderly Americans—it does—only that an obsessive focus on worst-case scenarios tends to obscure the mounting evidence that the Wuhan Flu can be mitigated and treated, if not absolutely controlled.
Now I do not write as a medical doctor, although I am ABD (all-but-doctorate, as we say) in the biological sciences. Nor am I an epidemiologist, although I have carried out health surveys in developing countries and have a background in demographic anthropology. Nor am I a statistician, although I was a nuclear engineer in the U.S. Navy. If a nuclear reaction is not an example of exponential growth I don’t know what is. Numbers are my friends.
Some are alarmed by the fact that the number of confirmed cases of the Wuhan Flu in the U.S. are on the rise. What everyone needs to understand is that this is largely a reflection of the continued expansion in testing, rather than an indicator of the spread of the disease itself. The more people we test, the more cases we are going to find. It’s as simple as that.
The other thing about the current testing protocol is this: The CDC only tests people who have symptoms. Naturally a high percentage of the tests come back positive, leading some to think that a similar percentage of the general population has the disease. They don’t.
News anchors who breathlessly announce each day’s tranche of new cases do a disservice to their audience by not explaining these things. Of course, they do a similar disservice by reporting China’s fake numbers as if they were fact.
Now I would hope that no American broadcaster would deliberately try and make China—which unleashed this pandemic on the world—look good and his own country, by comparison, look bad. But who knows?
Ohio
Let’s start with Ohio. I earlier quoted Governor Mike DeWine, who on March 13th suggested that the state might on that day have had as many as 100,000 cases of the Wuhan Flu. That seemed to me unlikely given that at that time there were only 37 diagnosed cases, 7 hospitalizations and no deaths.
Flash forward to today. Based on the generally assumed Rate of Infection (ROI) of 2.6, the state would by now have a half million cases or more. Yet, as of this writing, the state’s Department of Health reports only 104 hospitalizations and 6 deaths from the coronavirus. By way of comparison, 579 persons were hospitalized last week alone in Ohio for the seasonal flu.
The total number of confirmed Wuhan Flu cases in the state currently stands at 442. How many more people have been tested but found negative? This was impossible for me to find out. Ohio, unlike nearly all the other states, only reports those who have tested positive. Moreover, Ohio is far behind other states in the number of people tested, even though it has, at almost 12 million people, the seventh largest population of any state.
The COVID Tracking Project, which is evaluating the 50 states in terms of their response to the epidemic, has given Ohio a “D” because of its slowness in testing and its incomplete reporting.
Nevertheless, on Sunday, March 22nd, Governor DeWine put the entire state on lockdown. “Every piece of evidence that I can lay my hands on indicates that we’re at an absolutely crucial time in this war and what we do now will make all the difference in the world,” he explained. “What we do now will slow this invader so our health care system … will have time to treat casualties.”
One wonders what evidence he has seen to justify such an extreme action. A lockdown will not only slow the spread of the Wuhan Flu, it will also bring the economy of the state to a grinding halt. Businesses will be bankrupted, jobs will be lost, and savings will be depleted.
People already anxious over the epidemic will now have a whole host of new issues to worry about, such as “What happens if I lose my health insurance?” Anxiety and panic can be killers too.
After being locked down for a couple of weeks, some people in the Chinese city of Wuhan began committing suicide by jumping off of the balconies of their high-rise apartment buildings.
Would it not be better to protect those at high risk, the elderly and those with preexisting conditions, and let the rest of Ohio get back to their lives?
The cure may be worse than the disease.
Italy
Outside of China and Iran, about which we know nothing other than what their dictatorial rulers choose to tell us, the biggest tragedy is Italy. As of Sunday, 59,138 were ill with the virus, and 5,476 Italians had died. This means that roughly nine percent of Italy’s coronavirus victims have died, which is more than twice as high as China’s four per cent fatality rate.
Italy was infected by Chinese travelers early on in the Wuhan epidemic, which is hardly surprising given the huge amount of human traffic between China and that country. Over the past quarter century the Italian fashion industry has become heavily dependent on Chinese sweatshop labor working in warehouses all over northern Italy.
There is an even closer geographic connection to the Chinese epidemic as well, since many of the Chinese immigrants, both legal and illegal, come from the city of Wenzhou. This port city, south of Shanghai, has been hit so hard by the Wuhan Flu that it, like Wuhan itself, was put under quarantine for many weeks.
But what accounts for the alarmingly high percentage of fatalities?
The elderly are particularly vulnerable to the virus, and Italy has the second oldest population in the world. The median age of Italy’s coronavirus patients is 67, while China’s was a much younger 46.
But there is another factor at work as well. According to Professor Walter Riccardi, who is an adviser to Italy’s minister of health, the high number of fatalities attributed to the Wuhan Flu may be largely a coding error.
Prof. Riccardi explains: “The way in which we code deaths in our country is very generous in the sense that all the people who die in hospitals with the coronavirus are deemed to be dying of the coronavirus. On re-evaluation by the National Institute of Health, only 12 percent of death certificates have shown a direct causality from coronavirus, while 88 percent of patients who have died have at least one pre-morbidity–many had two or three.”
So, at the present moment, it’s probably best not to be too alarmed by the numbers coming out of Italy, which may be exaggerated by a factor of eight. Correcting for this would put the actual Wuhan Flu death rate a little above one per cent of those who have been tested.
Testing is Everything
At the outset of almost every epidemic, the fatality rate tends to be quite high, in large part because the only ones being tested are those already seriously ill. Oxford University’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) offers the following example from the swine flu pandemic:
The overall case fatality rate as of 16 July 2009 (10 weeks after the first international alert) with pandemic H1N1 influenza varied from 0.1% to 5.1% depending on the country. The WHO reported in 2019 that swine flu ended up with a fatality rate of 0.02%.
In other words, the early estimates of the “case fatality rate” of the swine flu epidemic were anywhere from five to 200 times higher than the final fatality rate, as calculated by the WHO, once the influenza had run its course.
“Evaluating Case Fatality Rate during a pandemic is a hazardous exercise,” the number crunchers at CEBM drily note. They concluded that “Our current best assumption, as of the 22nd March, is the Infection Fatality Rate is approximate 0.20%.”
A fatality rate of 0.2 per cent would still pose a massive threat to the health of peoples the world over. But it would be a vast improvement over the 1 per cent or more fatality rate that the most dire forecasts are based on.
And, as CEBM suggests, it is likely to come down further.
Steven W. Mosher @StevenWMosher is the President of the Population Research Institute and the author of Bully of Asia: Why China’s Dream is the New Threat to World Order.
Follow Steven Steven Mosher is an internationally recognised authority on China and population issues as well as an acclaimed author and speaker and founder and head of the Population Research Institute. He was the first American social scientist to visit mainland China in 1979 where he witnessed women being forced to have abortion under the new “one-child-policy” which he then exposed to the world. Mr. Mosher was a pro-choice atheist at the time, but witnessing these traumatic abortions led him to reconsider his convictions and to eventually become a practicing, pro-life Roman Catholic. Mosher has appeared numerous times before the US Congress as an expert in world population, China and human Rights abuses. He has also made TV appearances on Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, The Today Show, 20/20, FOX and CNN news, as well as being a regular guest on talk radio shows across the nation. He is the author of the best-selling A Mother’s Ordeal: One woman’s Fight Against China’s One-Child-Policy. His latest book is Bully of Asia, exposing the threat of China to the entire world at this time. Articles by Steve have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest, The New Republic, The Washington Post, National Review, Reason, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Freedom Review, Linacre Quarterly, Catholic World Report, Human Life Review, First Things, and numerous other publications. Steven Mosher lives in Virginia with his wife, Vera, and their nine children.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-24--WATCH: Pope Francis blames coronavirus on nature ‘having a fit’ over environmental damage

March 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Pope Francis told a Spanish journalist on Sunday that he believes that the coronavirus pandemic is nature “ having a fit ” in response to environmental pollution .
Stating that “ curiously the planet hasn ’ t been very clean for a long time , ” the interviewer asked , “ Is it possible that this is nature ’ s hour of reckoning with us ?
” Pope Francis answered : “ There ’ s a saying that you surely know : God always forgives , we forgive sometimes , [ but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , earthquakes .
.
.
that is , nature is having a fit , so that we will take care of nature.
” The expression “ having a fit ” is a translation of the Spanish word used by Francis , “ patalear , ” which means to kick or stomp one ’ s feet , and is often used to refer to outbursts of rage or frustration , sometimes by children having a tantrum .
Pope Francis ’ comments were made during an internet video interview with the Spanish journalist and comedian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which Pope Francis made scant references to God , except to admit that he has sometimes doubted the existence of God in the past .
( However , the video is edited , and parts may have been removed . )
“ Pardon the question , but in a situation like this one , is it possible to have a crisis of faith ?
” asked Évole .
“ Can even a pope doubt the existence of God ?
” “ Clearly so , ” responded Francis .
“ No one is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have doubted the existence of God ?
” asked Évole .
“ During my life , yes , ” responded Francis .
“ At this moment no , but during my life , yes , a few times .
I recall that in my life I have had my doubts regarding the faith , my crises of faith , but they have been resolved by the grace of God.
” However , Francis added cryptically : “ No one is saved from the common path of the people , which is the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And that makes everyone well.
” Francis declined the offer to make a statement to those who are suffering the loss of loved ones , instead saying he wants them to feel his “ closeness.
” “ These days there have been many people that are suffering , especially the people who are losing their loved ones .
What would you tell them ?
” he was asked .
“ The last thing I would do is tell them something , ” the pontiff responded .
“ What I try to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Today what is more important is the language of gestures than words .
It ’ s necessary to tell them something , but closeness , gestures , saying hello .
.
.
” His voice trailed off , and Évole continued with another question .
Asked if he was an “ optimist ” regarding the situation , Francis answered that he had “ hope ” in people .
“ I have hope in humanity , in men and women , I have hope in the nations .
I have much hope .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this crisis to re-think their lives .
We are going to come out better – fewer , of course .
Many remain on the road and it is hard .
But I have faith that we are going to come out better.
” The full interview can be found behind a paywall here .
The pope ’ s attribution of the coronavirus pandemic to environmental damage is in keeping with the strongly environmentalist “ eco-theology ” he has been promoting during his pontificate since the publication of his encyclical “ Laudato si ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region , which tended to displace spiritual concerns with environmental ones .
Last November , the Pope said that he hoped to add the “ ‘ ecological sin ’ against our common home ” to the Catechism of the Catholic Church .
`` We have to introduce―we are thinking about it―to the Catechism of the Catholic Church the sin against ecology , the 'ecological sin ' against our common home , because a duty is at stake , '' the Pope said .
The Pope has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ecological conversion , ” urging them , at one point , to go to confession for sins of not being respectful of creation , giving examples of examination of conscience such as “ avoiding the use of plastic and paper , ” “ separating refuse ” and “ turning off unnecessary lights.
” Last October , the Pope published a book titled “ Our Mother Earth ” which consisted of a collection of his addresses , messages , and homilies where he stresses the protection of the environment .
“ I sincerely hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the part of us all , men and women of the 21st century , believers or not , and on the part of our societies , for allowing ourselves to be carried away by logics that divide , create hunger , isolate and condemn .
It would be good to ask the poor [ and ] the excluded for forgiveness .
Then we could repent sincerely , including for the harm done to the earth , the sea , the air , the animals , '' the Pope stated in an extract @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the book .
The Pope ’ s opinion of the origin of natural disasters as nature lashing out against man ’ s environmental sins is echoed by Leonardo Boff , a dissenting “ liberation ” theologian who abandoned the Franciscan order and entered into a union with a woman after being censured by the Vatican for attacks on Catholic doctrine .
Boff is a strong supporter of Pope Francis and has known him since the 1970s .
In a recent article for a Brazilian magazine , Boff opined that the coronavirus pandemic is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a personified planet earth who has become outraged over environmental offenses , and which he also calls the “ Great Mother.
” “ Not without reason did James Lovelock , who formulated the theory of the Earth as a living , self-regulating superorganism , Gaia , write a book ( called ) Gaia 's Revenge ( Intrínseca , 2006 ) , ” wrote Boff in his article “ The Origins of Coronavirus ” .
“ I believe that current diseases such as dengue , chikungunya , zika virus , SARS , ebola , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the widespread degradation of human relations , marked by deep inequality/social injustice and a lack of minimal solidarity , are a reprisal for Gaia for the offenses we inflict on her without interruption , ” he added .
“ It is not without reason that the virus has erupted there where there is most pollution , ” wrote Boff , adding : “ I would not say , like J. Lovelock , that it is ‘ Gaia 's revenge ’ because she , as the Great Mother , does not take revenge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is ill ( typhoons , melting of the polar ice caps , droughts and floods , etc . )
and , finally , because we do not learn the lesson , she makes a reprisal against us like the diseases mentioned , ” he wrote , adding “ It is a reaction to violent human action .
”

The Pope told a Spanish journalist Sunday that the coronavirus pandemic is nature throwing a tantrum 'so that we will take care of nature'
March 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Pope Francis told a Spanish journalist on Sunday that he believes that the coronavirus pandemic is nature “having a fit” in response to environmental pollution.
Stating that “curiously the planet hasn’t been very clean for a long time,” the interviewer asked, “Is it possible that this is nature’s hour of reckoning with us?”
Pope Francis answered: “There’s a saying that you surely know: God always forgives, we forgive sometimes, [but] nature never forgives.”
“Fires, earthquakes . . . that is, nature is having a fit, so that we will take care of nature.”
The expression “having a fit” is a translation of the Spanish word used by Francis, “patalear,” which means to kick or stomp one’s feet, and is often used to refer to outbursts of rage or frustration, sometimes by children having a tantrum.
Pope Francis’ comments were made during an internet video interview with the Spanish journalist and comedian Jordi Évole on the coronavirus pandemic, in which Pope Francis made scant references to God, except to admit that he has sometimes doubted the existence of God in the past. (However, the video is edited, and parts may have been removed.)
“Pardon the question, but in a situation like this one, is it possible to have a crisis of faith?” asked Évole. “Can even a pope doubt the existence of God?”
“Clearly so,” responded Francis. “No one is exempt from existential temptations.”
“You have doubted the existence of God?” asked Évole.
“During my life, yes,” responded Francis. “At this moment no, but during my life, yes, a few times. I recall that in my life I have had my doubts regarding the faith, my crises of faith, but they have been resolved by the grace of God.”
However, Francis added cryptically: “No one is saved from the common path of the people, which is the best road, the most sure, concrete. And that makes everyone well.”
Francis declined the offer to make a statement to those who are suffering the loss of loved ones, instead saying he wants them to feel his “closeness.”
“These days there have been many people that are suffering, especially the people who are losing their loved ones. What would you tell them?” he was asked.
“The last thing I would do is tell them something,” the pontiff responded. “What I try to do is help them to feel my closeness. Today what is more important is the language of gestures than words. It’s necessary to tell them something, but closeness, gestures, saying hello . . .” His voice trailed off, and Évole continued with another question.
Asked if he was an “optimist” regarding the situation, Francis answered that he had “hope” in people.
“I have hope in humanity, in men and women, I have hope in the nations. I have much hope. Nations are going to be taught by this crisis to re-think their lives. We are going to come out better – fewer, of course. Many remain on the road and it is hard. But I have faith that we are going to come out better.”
The full interview can be found behind a paywall here.
Pope’s words echo recent statements by ‘liberation theologian’
The pope’s attribution of the coronavirus pandemic to environmental damage is in keeping with the strongly environmentalist “eco-theology” he has been promoting during his pontificate since the publication of his encyclical “Laudato si” in 2015, and particularly at the recent Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, which tended to displace spiritual concerns with environmental ones.
Last November, the Pope said that he hoped to add the “‘ecological sin’ against our common home” to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “We have to introduce―we are thinking about it―to the Catechism of the Catholic Church the sin against ecology, the 'ecological sin' against our common home, because a duty is at stake,” the Pope said.
The Pope has called on Catholics to have an “ecological conversion,” urging them, at one point, to go to confession for sins of not being respectful of creation, giving examples of examination of conscience such as “avoiding the use of plastic and paper,” “separating refuse” and “turning off unnecessary lights.”
Last October, the Pope published a book titled “Our Mother Earth” which consisted of a collection of his addresses, messages, and homilies where he stresses the protection of the environment. “I sincerely hope for growth in awareness and true repentance on the part of us all, men and women of the 21st century, believers or not, and on the part of our societies, for allowing ourselves to be carried away by logics that divide, create hunger, isolate and condemn. It would be good to ask the poor [and] the excluded for forgiveness. Then we could repent sincerely, including for the harm done to the earth, the sea, the air, the animals,” the Pope stated in an extract of one of his messaged included in the book.
The Pope’s opinion of the origin of natural disasters as nature lashing out against man’s environmental sins is echoed by Leonardo Boff, a dissenting “liberation” theologian who abandoned the Franciscan order and entered into a union with a woman after being censured by the Vatican for attacks on Catholic doctrine. Boff is a strong supporter of Pope Francis and has known him since the 1970s.
In a recent article for a Brazilian magazine, Boff opined that the coronavirus pandemic is the revenge of “Gaia,” a personified planet earth who has become outraged over environmental offenses, and which he also calls the “Great Mother.”
“Not without reason did James Lovelock, who formulated the theory of the Earth as a living, self-regulating superorganism, Gaia, write a book (called) Gaia's Revenge (Intrínseca, 2006),” wrote Boff in his article “The Origins of Coronavirus”.
“I believe that current diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, zika virus, SARS, ebola, measles, the current coronavirus, and the widespread degradation of human relations, marked by deep inequality/social injustice and a lack of minimal solidarity, are a reprisal for Gaia for the offenses we inflict on her without interruption,” he added.
“It is not without reason that the virus has erupted there where there is most pollution,” wrote Boff, adding: “I would not say, like J. Lovelock, that it is ‘Gaia's revenge’ because she, as the Great Mother, does not take revenge, but gives us severe signs that she is ill (typhoons, melting of the polar ice caps, droughts and floods, etc.) and, finally, because we do not learn the lesson, she makes a reprisal against us like the diseases mentioned,” he wrote, adding “It is a reaction to violent human action.”
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lifesitenews--2020-03-24--UPDATED: Italian priest dies after declining ventilator

March 24 , 2020 , 12:00 PM EST correction : The story widely reported in Italy of a priest giving up his ventilator for a younger coronavirus patient is only partially true .
Crux Now reported today that the priest declined the ventilator because he simply could not tolerate using it due to preexisting health conditions .
We have amended our report to reflect this .
March 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Father Giuseppe Berardelli , pastor of the parish of San Giovanni Battista in Casnigo in Bergamo , died overnight between March 15 and 16 in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media had widely reported that he died after he had given up his own ventilator for a younger coronavirus patient .
The beloved priest who was known for his jovial character , was 72 and had been known for his many good deeds , such as the renovation of a Saint Don Bosco Oratory in his town .
As a media report says about him : “ Everyone remembers his smile and dynamism.
” According to the local media outlet Araberara , a long-time employee of the San Giuseppe retirement home of Casnigo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ventilator for their priest who had fallen ill with the coronavirus .
Father Berardelli “ gave it up of his own will to someone younger than he , ” the unnamed employee relates , and this “ even though he needed it.
” “ This is perhaps the best picture of the soul of a priest , ” this employee concludes .
A longtime friend of the priest , Giuseppe Foresti , told Crux Now , however , that Father Berardelli declined the ventilator for medical reasons .
“ The story about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said , adding that it was “ half-fake news.
” “ The problem is that when he got to the hospital , they tried to put the respirator on him , but he refused ( to take it ) because he couldn ’ t handle it , ” he said .
Foresti said that his priest friend was already in poor health when he arrived to the hospital .
Berardelli had been in Casnigo since 2006 and he had devoted much time and energy in the renovation of the local Saint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devoted to Our Lady and her special shrine in Casnigo , which is called Sanctuary of Madonna d ’ Erbia .
In this shrine , there is a painting of Our Lady holding Baby Jesus which is said to have once been miraculously restored over night , after an angry farmer had slashed it .
Father Berardelli was described by Giuseppe Imberti , the former mayor of Casigno , as a “ pastor loved by all.
” This priest is not the only Italian priest who has died of the coronavirus .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60 priests so far have died this month after contracting the coronavirus .
CNA quotes the Italian bishops ’ conference 's own newspaper Avvenire as saying that 51 diocesan priests , as well as nine priests of religious communities have so far died .
One local media report states that Father Berardelli “ died on the field.
” He is praised for his “ smile that hid worries , ” and for his “ simple and outspoken way of great kindness and availability to everyone , believers and non-believers alike.
” He was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report continues , and he was still visited by parishioners of his former parish in Fiorano .
He is also described as a “ Marian priest.
” Foresti told Crux Now that Father Berardelli was still a role model and special person .
“ I can tell you that certainly Don Giuseppe was a special person , he really gave himself to the entire community , ” he said .

PRAYER PLEDGE: Rally around the daily Rosary to stop the coronavirus Sign the petition here.
March 24, 2020, 12:00 PM EST correction: The story widely reported in Italy of a priest giving up his ventilator for a younger coronavirus patient is only partially true. Crux Now reported today that the priest declined the ventilator because he simply could not tolerate using it due to preexisting health conditions. We have amended our report to reflect this.
March 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Father Giuseppe Berardelli, pastor of the parish of San Giovanni Battista in Casnigo in Bergamo, died overnight between March 15 and 16 in the hospital of Lovere, Italy. Italian media had widely reported that he died after he had given up his own ventilator for a younger coronavirus patient.
The beloved priest who was known for his jovial character, was 72 and had been known for his many good deeds, such as the renovation of a Saint Don Bosco Oratory in his town. As a media report says about him: “Everyone remembers his smile and dynamism.”
According to the local media outlet Araberara, a long-time employee of the San Giuseppe retirement home of Casnigo relates how the parish community had bought a ventilator for their priest who had fallen ill with the coronavirus. Father Berardelli “gave it up of his own will to someone younger than he,” the unnamed employee relates, and this “even though he needed it.”
“This is perhaps the best picture of the soul of a priest,” this employee concludes.
A longtime friend of the priest, Giuseppe Foresti, told Crux Now, however, that Father Berardelli declined the ventilator for medical reasons.
“The story about the respirator isn’t true,” he said, adding that it was “half-fake news.”
“The problem is that when he got to the hospital, they tried to put the respirator on him, but he refused (to take it) because he couldn’t handle it,” he said. Foresti said that his priest friend was already in poor health when he arrived to the hospital.
Berardelli had been in Casnigo since 2006 and he had devoted much time and energy in the renovation of the local Saint Don Bosco Oratory. He also was devoted to Our Lady and her special shrine in Casnigo, which is called Sanctuary of Madonna d’Erbia. In this shrine, there is a painting of Our Lady holding Baby Jesus which is said to have once been miraculously restored over night, after an angry farmer had slashed it.
Father Berardelli was described by Giuseppe Imberti, the former mayor of Casigno, as a “pastor loved by all.”
This priest is not the only Italian priest who has died of the coronavirus. According to a CNA report, at least 60 priests so far have died this month after contracting the coronavirus. CNA quotes the Italian bishops’ conference's own newspaper Avvenire as saying that 51 diocesan priests, as well as nine priests of religious communities have so far died.
One local media report states that Father Berardelli “died on the field.” He is praised for his “smile that hid worries,” and for his “simple and outspoken way of great kindness and availability to everyone, believers and non-believers alike.” He was “loved by everyone,” the report continues, and he was still visited by parishioners of his former parish in Fiorano. He is also described as a “Marian priest.”
Foresti told Crux Now that Father Berardelli was still a role model and special person.
“I can tell you that certainly Don Giuseppe was a special person, he really gave himself to the entire community,” he said.
Follow Maike Dr. Maike Hickson was born and raised in Germany. She holds a PhD from the University of Hannover, Germany, after having written in Switzerland her doctoral dissertation on the history of Swiss intellectuals before and during World War II. She now lives in the U.S. and is married to Dr. Robert Hickson, and they have been blessed with two beautiful children. She is a happy housewife who likes to write articles when time permits. Dr. Hickson published in 2014 a Festschrift, a collection of some thirty essays written by thoughtful authors in honor of her husband upon his 70th birthday, which is entitled A Catholic Witness in Our Time. Hickson has closely followed the papacy of Pope Francis and the developments in the Catholic Church in Germany, and she has been writing articles on religion and politics for U.S. and European publications and websites such as LifeSiteNews, OnePeterFive, The Wanderer, Rorate Caeli, Catholicism.org, Catholic Family News, Christian Order, Notizie Pro-Vita, Corrispondenza Romana, Katholisches.info, Der Dreizehnte, Zeit-Fragen, and Westfalen-Blatt.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-24--What was Pope Francis doing, asking for Buddhist leader’s blessing?

March 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — On November 21 , 2019 , Pope Francis met with the Buddhist “ Supreme Patriarch ” at the Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram Temple in Bangkok and spoke vaguely of how “ religions ” are “ beacons of hope ” and “ promoters and guarantors of fraternity.
” He neglected to mention the basic truth that there is common brotherhood only in a common Father — the Father revealed in His Son Jesus Christ : “ No one knoweth the Son , but the Father : neither doth any one know the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him ” ( Mt .
11:27 ) .
Admittedly , it ’ s not necessary , and not even humanly possible , to speak every truth in every situation .
Yet the salvation brought by Christ is not just one truth among many , but the central truth of our existence — the difference between a life lived well and a life lived in vain .
One wonders what a pope is doing paying a personal visit to a Buddhist leader and requesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something to give that Christ and His Church do not already have in a more perfect way , or as if there were no danger at all in such intercourse between fundamentally incompatible religions .
When Pope Francis next travels such a great distance , he might consider imitating his namesake , St. Francis of Assisi , who walked straight into the Muslim camp and preached the Gospel to convert the sultan .
But ardent believers are few and far between in this age of polite chitchat .
The Lord who saith “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earth ” has been replaced by the handshake and the photo-op .
Thomas Merton toward the end of his career , until it was short-circuited in Bangkok , was interested in the question of what Buddhists and Christians — and more particularly , Buddhist and Christian monasticism — have in common .
There is , after all , as St. Thomas Aquinas points out , some common ground between any two serious positions ; it is just this common ground that often furnishes a foothold for the evangelist to begin making his case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ourselves what the commonality consists in , and whether it hides a more profound opposition that deserves to be drawn out , so that we may avoid the error of seeing Christianity and Buddhism as two analogous paths toward the Ultimate and the Infinite , toward Personal Realization ( or however someone in the Vatican Press Office might phrase it ) .
In order to accomplish this , we must look at the problem of desire , its effect of restlessness , the remedy of asceticism , and the result of peace .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ us together , while private goods drive us apart .
Animals fight chiefly about goods that can not be shared — namely food and sex ( Summa contra gentiles 3.124 ; Summa theologiae 1.81.2 ) .
This is true of human beings , too , insofar as they live like animals : their concern is to get as much enjoyment , or as many bodily goods , as they can get , and since these goods are unable to be had by many at once and in the same respect , and since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least some goods at any given time and place , this leads to conflict , division , resentment , injustice , and violence .
It is , in short , the logic of raw capitalism and of Marxism alike , for in both systems men must find ways to vent their mounting frustration with the inability to gather and enjoy bodily goods in proportion to the “ infinity of desire.
” The remedy for this diseased condition is twofold : negatively , a mortification of desire , by which desire is restored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positively , a yearning for and an increasing possession of spiritual goods , which are inherently limitless , ever available , and ever abundant and cause charity , peace , joy , and the other fruits of the Spirit mentioned by St. Paul in Galatians .
The medieval mystic Meister Eckhart notes : “ As far as you are in God , thus far you are at peace , and as far as you are outside God , thus far you are outside peace ” ( Talks of Instruction , 23 ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what looks like a correspondence between Christianity and Buddhism .
Classic Christian spirituality emphasizes mortification of the flesh in order to achieve self-mastery and illumination ; in like manner , Buddhism seeks to bring the restless wheels of desire to a standstill in order to achieve enlightenment .
In spite of his Assisi escapades , Pope John Paul II reminded us in his 1994 blockbuster Crossing the Threshold of Hope ( 1994 ) that the contrast between the two religions is far greater than the likeness : The “ enlightenment ” experienced by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world is bad , that it is the source of evil and of suffering for man .
To liberate oneself from this evil , one must free oneself from this world , necessitating a break with the ties that join us to external reality ― ties existing in our human nature , in our psyche , in our bodies .
The more we are liberated from these ties , the more we become indifferent to what is in the world , and the more we are freed from suffering , from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world .
Do we draw near to God in this way ?
This is not mentioned in the “ enlightenment ” conveyed by Buddha .
Buddhism is in large measure an “ atheistic ” system .
We do not free ourselves from evil through the good which comes from God ; we liberate ourselves only through detachment from the world , which is bad .
The fullness of such a detachment is not union with God , but what is called nirvana , a state of perfect indifference with regard to the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all , to free oneself from evil by becoming indifferent to the world , which is the source of evil .
This is the culmination of the spiritual process .
For Christians , the “ culmination of the spiritual process ” is not total detachment , but loving attachment to God — a personal God whom we can know and love , without being absorbed into Him and losing our identity , like a drop dissolved into the ocean .
We do not lose all desire ; we refine and intensify desire for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , I will resume with John Paul II ’ s intriguing assertion that the Carmelites begin where the Buddha ends .

Late last year, Pope Francis met with the Buddhist 'Supreme Patriarch' and spoke vaguely of how 'religions' are 'beacons of hope.' A lot needs to be explained here.
March 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — On November 21, 2019, Pope Francis met with the Buddhist “Supreme Patriarch” at the Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram Temple in Bangkok and spoke vaguely of how “religions” are “beacons of hope” and “promoters and guarantors of fraternity.” He neglected to mention the basic truth that there is common brotherhood only in a common Father — the Father revealed in His Son Jesus Christ: “No one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him” (Mt. 11:27).
Admittedly, it’s not necessary, and not even humanly possible, to speak every truth in every situation. Yet the salvation brought by Christ is not just one truth among many, but the central truth of our existence — the difference between a life lived well and a life lived in vain. One wonders what a pope is doing paying a personal visit to a Buddhist leader and requesting his blessing, as if he has something to give that Christ and His Church do not already have in a more perfect way, or as if there were no danger at all in such intercourse between fundamentally incompatible religions.
When Pope Francis next travels such a great distance, he might consider imitating his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, who walked straight into the Muslim camp and preached the Gospel to convert the sultan. But ardent believers are few and far between in this age of polite chitchat. The Lord who saith “I will shake the heavens and the earth” has been replaced by the handshake and the photo-op.
Thomas Merton toward the end of his career, until it was short-circuited in Bangkok, was interested in the question of what Buddhists and Christians — and more particularly, Buddhist and Christian monasticism — have in common. There is, after all, as St. Thomas Aquinas points out, some common ground between any two serious positions; it is just this common ground that often furnishes a foothold for the evangelist to begin making his case. It is well that we ask ourselves what the commonality consists in, and whether it hides a more profound opposition that deserves to be drawn out, so that we may avoid the error of seeing Christianity and Buddhism as two analogous paths toward the Ultimate and the Infinite, toward Personal Realization (or however someone in the Vatican Press Office might phrase it).
In order to accomplish this, we must look at the problem of desire, its effect of restlessness, the remedy of asceticism, and the result of peace.
St. Thomas teaches that common goods bring us together, while private goods drive us apart. Animals fight chiefly about goods that cannot be shared — namely food and sex (Summa contra gentiles 3.124; Summa theologiae 1.81.2). This is true of human beings, too, insofar as they live like animals: their concern is to get as much enjoyment, or as many bodily goods, as they can get, and since these goods are unable to be had by many at once and in the same respect, and since there is nearly always a scarcity of at least some goods at any given time and place, this leads to conflict, division, resentment, injustice, and violence. It is, in short, the logic of raw capitalism and of Marxism alike, for in both systems men must find ways to vent their mounting frustration with the inability to gather and enjoy bodily goods in proportion to the “infinity of desire.”
The remedy for this diseased condition is twofold: negatively, a mortification of desire, by which desire is restored to a healthy realism and moderation; positively, a yearning for and an increasing possession of spiritual goods, which are inherently limitless, ever available, and ever abundant and cause charity, peace, joy, and the other fruits of the Spirit mentioned by St. Paul in Galatians. The medieval mystic Meister Eckhart notes: “As far as you are in God, thus far you are at peace, and as far as you are outside God, thus far you are outside peace” (Talks of Instruction, 23).
It is here that we first see what looks like a correspondence between Christianity and Buddhism. Classic Christian spirituality emphasizes mortification of the flesh in order to achieve self-mastery and illumination; in like manner, Buddhism seeks to bring the restless wheels of desire to a standstill in order to achieve enlightenment.
In spite of his Assisi escapades, Pope John Paul II reminded us in his 1994 blockbuster Crossing the Threshold of Hope (1994) that the contrast between the two religions is far greater than the likeness:
The “enlightenment” experienced by Buddha comes down to the conviction that the world is bad, that it is the source of evil and of suffering for man. To liberate oneself from this evil, one must free oneself from this world, necessitating a break with the ties that join us to external reality ― ties existing in our human nature, in our psyche, in our bodies. The more we are liberated from these ties, the more we become indifferent to what is in the world, and the more we are freed from suffering, from the evil that has its source in the world. Do we draw near to God in this way? This is not mentioned in the “enlightenment” conveyed by Buddha. Buddhism is in large measure an “atheistic” system. We do not free ourselves from evil through the good which comes from God; we liberate ourselves only through detachment from the world, which is bad. The fullness of such a detachment is not union with God, but what is called nirvana, a state of perfect indifference with regard to the world. To save oneself means, above all, to free oneself from evil by becoming indifferent to the world, which is the source of evil. This is the culmination of the spiritual process.
For Christians, the “culmination of the spiritual process” is not total detachment, but loving attachment to God — a personal God whom we can know and love, without being absorbed into Him and losing our identity, like a drop dissolved into the ocean. We do not lose all desire; we refine and intensify desire for what is really worth desiring.
Next week, I will resume with John Paul II’s intriguing assertion that the Carmelites begin where the Buddha ends.
Peter Kwasniewski, Thomistic theologian, liturgical scholar, and choral composer, is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College in California (B.A. Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy). He taught at the International Theological Institute in Austria and the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austria Program, then helped establish Wyoming Catholic College in 2006. There he taught theology, philosophy, music, and art history and directed the choirs until leaving in 2018 to devote himself full-time to writing and lecturing. Today he contributes regularly to many websites and publications, including New Liturgical Movement, OnePeterFive, LifeSiteNews, Rorate Caeli, The Remnant, and Catholic Family News, and has published thirteen books, including four on traditional Catholicism: Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis (Angelico, 2014, also available in Czech, Polish, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Belarusian), Noble Beauty, Transcendent Holiness (Angelico, 2017), Tradition and Sanity (Angelico, 2018), and Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius and Timeliness of the Traditional Latin Mass (Angelico, 2020). His work has been translated into at least eighteen languages. Kwasniewski is a scholar of The Aquinas Institute in Green Bay, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, a Fellow of the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies, and a Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center. He has published over a thousand articles on Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. For news, information, article links, sacred music, and the home of Os Justi Press, visit his personal website, www.peterkwasniewski.com.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-24--UK gov’t reverses, says it won’t expand at-home abortions due to coronavirus

LONDON , United Kingdom , March 24 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A spokesperson for the U.K. government has said that there will be no changes to abortion laws there , after a statement made yesterday announced a temporary measure authorizing women to kill their preborn children at home by using both stages of a chemical abortion process during the coronavirus pandemic .
The statement has now been removed from the government website .
“ This was published in error .
There will be no changes to abortion regulations , ” a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Protection of Unborn Children ( SPUC ) welcomed the news that such a massive extension of abortion in Britain is not now going ahead , but said that they are keeping their lawyers on stand-by .
John Smeaton , SPUC ’ s chief executive , said : “ Last night I called our lawyers asking them to initiate immediate legal action on behalf of the Society seeking to overturn what appeared to be an ‘ ideology-driven ’ change to Britain ’ s abortion laws .
Thank God that such a dangerous move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – is not , after all , being enacted by the Government .
We warmly welcome the Government ’ s corrected announcement .
However , we will be keeping SPUC ’ s lawyers on stand-by.
” “ It is of course disturbing and extraordinary that such an error could be made , but now is a time for prayers of thanks not recrimination and , above all , for continued vigilance.
” Now is also the time for pro-life legislators and campaigners to call on those to reconsider other abortion plans which so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represent an irresponsible misuse of vital resources .
This radical and most disturbing policy would have also have placed more women at risk .
The removal of any direct medical supervision overseeing the use of both abortion pills could have seen a rise of physical and physiological complications experienced by women .
Specifically , the document permitted consultations with a doctor to also take place via a video link or telephone , rather than face-to-face .
Pro-life MPs and campaigners must call on those in power not to implement the abortion provisions set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ireland ( Executive Formation , etc ) Act 2019 – which were opposed by every Northern Ireland MP who take their seats in the House of Commons .
SPUC has said that the coronavirus outbreak presents a host of unanswered questions which should result in the abortion industry being closed down around the world .
Last week , pro-life doctors in the United States told LifeSiteNews that continuing abortions during a pandemic is “ medically irresponsible.
” In a statement sent to LifeSite , the American Association of Prolife OB/GYNs ( AAPLOG ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits to women and do not treat a disease process ” and issued a call for “ abortions to be suspended according to the current recommendations pertaining to elective procedures and office visits .
”

LONDON, United Kingdom, March 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A spokesperson for the U.K. government has said that there will be no changes to abortion laws there, after a statement made yesterday announced a temporary measure authorizing women to kill their preborn children at home by using both stages of a chemical abortion process during the coronavirus pandemic.
The statement has now been removed from the government website.
The statement had read:
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has approved 2 temporary measures in England to limit the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) and ensure continued access to early medical abortion services: women and girls will be able to take both pills for early medical abortion in their own homes, without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic
medical practitioners (doctors) will be able to prescribe both pills for the treatment of early medical abortion from their own homes
“This was published in error. There will be no changes to abortion regulations,” a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told The Independent.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) welcomed the news that such a massive extension of abortion in Britain is not now going ahead, but said that they are keeping their lawyers on stand-by.
John Smeaton, SPUC’s chief executive, said: “Last night I called our lawyers asking them to initiate immediate legal action on behalf of the Society seeking to overturn what appeared to be an ‘ideology-driven’ change to Britain’s abortion laws. Thank God that such a dangerous move – for unborn children and their mothers – is not, after all, being enacted by the Government. We warmly welcome the Government’s corrected announcement. However, we will be keeping SPUC’s lawyers on stand-by.”
“It is of course disturbing and extraordinary that such an error could be made, but now is a time for prayers of thanks not recrimination and, above all, for continued vigilance.”
Smeaton continued:
Now is also the time for pro-life legislators and campaigners to call on those to reconsider other abortion plans which so clearly threaten the health of mothers and represent an irresponsible misuse of vital resources. This radical and most disturbing policy would have also have placed more women at risk. The removal of any direct medical supervision overseeing the use of both abortion pills could have seen a rise of physical and physiological complications experienced by women. Specifically, the document permitted consultations with a doctor to also take place via a video link or telephone, rather than face-to-face. Pro-life MPs and campaigners must call on those in power not to implement the abortion provisions set out in section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation, etc) Act 2019 – which were opposed by every Northern Ireland MP who take their seats in the House of Commons.
SPUC has said that the coronavirus outbreak presents a host of unanswered questions which should result in the abortion industry being closed down around the world.
Last week, pro-life doctors in the United States told LifeSiteNews that continuing abortions during a pandemic is “medically irresponsible.”
In a statement sent to LifeSite, the American Association of Prolife OB/GYNs (AAPLOG) explained that “abortions offer zero health benefits to women and do not treat a disease process” and issued a call for “abortions to be suspended according to the current recommendations pertaining to elective procedures and office visits.”
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