lifesitenews--2020-04-02--SSPX offers ‘drive-in’ Mass, Diocese of Arlington criticizes them as ‘schismatic’

ARLINGTON , Virginia , April 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The Catholic Diocese of Arlington has criticized the Society of St. Pius X ( SSPX ) for offering Mass during the coronavirus pandemic , calling the group “ schismatic ” and implying it was not following public health guidance .
The Diocese of Arlington announced on March 16 that all public Masses are suspended until further notice because of the coronavirus .
Governor Ralph Northam banned gatherings of more than 10 people on March 24 .
On Sunday , March 29 , the SSPX offered an invite-only outdoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the commonwealth ’ s Catholic hubs , home to Christendom College and a large homeschooling population – during which attendees remained in their cars .
The Mass , offered by a priest who came from Maryland , meticulously followed public health guidelines and “ social distancing ” recommendations , and the SSPX spoke with local authorities beforehand in order to ensure it was complying with all relevant laws and guidelines .
The SSPX is a priestly society founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre .
They seek to share the truth of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a task their website says they view as “ especially necessary considering the spread of atheism , agnosticism , and religious indifference.
” The group ’ s canonical status is said to be “ irregular , ” although it has moved closer to full Communion with Rome recently .
Since the beginning of the Year of Mercy ( late 2015 ) , Pope Francis has granted all SSPX priests jurisdiction to hear Confessions around the world .
Catholics may also validly and licitly be married by SSPX priests , where local bishops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim that the state of the crisis in the Church is so bad they have “ supplied jurisdiction ” that allows its priests the freedom to operate outside the authority of ordinary diocesan bishops .
Many Protestant churches have been hosting similar “ drive-in ” services during which parishioners remain in their cars so as not to violate state orders against “ gatherings ” of 10 or more people .
“ Based on recommendations from the public health and scientific communities , Bishop Michael F. Burbidge maintains his directive that all public Masses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until further notice , ” the Diocese of Arlington said in its initial statement on Sunday , March 29 .
“ We have been notified that the Society of Saint Pius X , which is a schismatic sect and not in full communion with the Holy See , is holding Masses in Front Royal , VA .
This group did not request permission for their gathering from the Diocese of Arlington.
” “ Bishop Burbidge highly encourages the faithful to follow the guidance of public health and scientific leaders and stay home whenever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread of coronavirus , all people , including those of religious faith , must be willing to make temporary , uncomfortable sacrifices for the long-term good and health of the community.
” LifeSiteNews asked the diocese why it would expect a “ schismatic ” group to ask its permission to gather , and if the diocese makes similar requests of the Orthodox Church .
The Catholic Church considers the Orthodox as in schism .
This journalist also noted that Pope Francis has granted SSPX priests faculties to hear Confessions .
Amber Roseboom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Arlington , told LifeSiteNews via email , “ The aim of the diocesan statement regarding the celebration of Mass by priests of the Society of St. Pius X within the Diocese of Arlington was to clarify for members of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington that SSPX does not have canonical standing in the Catholic Church and is not in full communion with the Catholic Church.
” “ Another aim of the statement regarding the celebration of Mass by priests of this society was to make clear to the faithful that this liturgy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arlington , especially because the celebration contradicts the directives currently in place for the Diocese , ” she wrote .
‘ The supreme law in the Church is the salvation of souls ’ LifeSiteNews also asked the Diocese of Arlington if there are any plans to reinstate public Masses , conducted in a way that follows “ the guidance of public health and scientific leaders.
” It would seem the setup of the SSPX ’ s outdoor , semi-private “ car Mass , ” which was offered after consultation with state authorities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new “ stay-at-home ” order , which contains language allowing people to travel to their “ place of worship ” and seems to permit an outdoor “ parking lot ” “ car Mass ” or similar church gathering of people inside their cars , is in effect until June 10 ( the day after Virginia ’ s Democratic and Republican primaries for the U.S. House and Senate ) .
That order was issued March 30 .
One of the precepts of the Catholic Church is that the faithful receive Holy Communion at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Pentecost this year is on May 31 .
The faithful should be assured that the Diocese of Arlington continually reassesses our response to this evolving situation of the spread of the coronavirus , including the directives and guidelines regarding the celebration of public Masses .
This assessment is always carried out with prayer for God ’ s guidance and grounded in the pastoral good of the faithful , the allowances permitted by Canon Law , and the most up-to-date recommendations from infectious disease and pandemic response experts .
The faithful and clergy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Arlington have sent many expressions of gratitude for the continued spiritual and pastoral care they are receiving .
These include , especially , keeping our churches open for private prayer , especially before the Blessed Sacrament .
We are all also grateful to our devout priests who continue to make themselves available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation , and the many parishes who are able to live-stream Sunday Masses and liturgies throughout Holy Week so that the faithful can unite in prayer and make an Act of Spiritual Communion so that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one as the Body of Christ .
LifeSiteNews has reached out to the SSPX for comment and will update this article if they send one .
Catholics across the U.S. are without access to public Masses and in certain dioceses without access to Confession or even the Last Rites .
Some dioceses in Canada and the U.S. have also ordered priests to lock their church doors so the faithful may not pray privately inside .
Bishop Athanasius Schneider , auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mary Most Holy in Astana , Kazakhstan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholic orthodoxy today , has stated that a priest , using discretion and following the necessary health precautions “ has not to obey the directives of his bishop or the government to suspend Mass for the faithful.
” Directives canceling all public Masses “ are a pure human law ; however , the supreme law in the Church is the salvation of souls , ” said Schneider .
“ Priests in such a situation have to be extremely creative in order to provide for the faithful , even for a small group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reception of the sacraments .
Such was the pastoral behavior of all confessor and martyr priests in the time of persecution , ” he added .

Urgent appeal to bishops: Fight to make sacraments more available to your faithful Sign the petition here.
ARLINGTON, Virginia, April 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The Catholic Diocese of Arlington has criticized the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) for offering Mass during the coronavirus pandemic, calling the group “schismatic” and implying it was not following public health guidance.
The Diocese of Arlington announced on March 16 that all public Masses are suspended until further notice because of the coronavirus. Governor Ralph Northam banned gatherings of more than 10 people on March 24.
On Sunday, March 29, the SSPX offered an invite-only outdoor Mass in Front Royal, Virginia – one of the commonwealth’s Catholic hubs, home to Christendom College and a large homeschooling population – during which attendees remained in their cars. The Mass, offered by a priest who came from Maryland, meticulously followed public health guidelines and “social distancing” recommendations, and the SSPX spoke with local authorities beforehand in order to ensure it was complying with all relevant laws and guidelines.
The SSPX is a priestly society founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. They seek to share the truth of the Catholic faith in the modern world, a task their website says they view as “especially necessary considering the spread of atheism, agnosticism, and religious indifference.”
The group’s canonical status is said to be “irregular,” although it has moved closer to full Communion with Rome recently. Since the beginning of the Year of Mercy (late 2015), Pope Francis has granted all SSPX priests jurisdiction to hear Confessions around the world. Catholics may also validly and licitly be married by SSPX priests, where local bishops have given their permission. The SSPX claim that the state of the crisis in the Church is so bad they have “supplied jurisdiction” that allows its priests the freedom to operate outside the authority of ordinary diocesan bishops.
Many Protestant churches have been hosting similar “drive-in” services during which parishioners remain in their cars so as not to violate state orders against “gatherings” of 10 or more people.
“Based on recommendations from the public health and scientific communities, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge maintains his directive that all public Masses in the Diocese of Arlington are suspended until further notice,” the Diocese of Arlington said in its initial statement on Sunday, March 29. “We have been notified that the Society of Saint Pius X, which is a schismatic sect and not in full communion with the Holy See, is holding Masses in Front Royal, VA. This group did not request permission for their gathering from the Diocese of Arlington.”
“Bishop Burbidge highly encourages the faithful to follow the guidance of public health and scientific leaders and stay home whenever possible. In order to stop the spread of coronavirus, all people, including those of religious faith, must be willing to make temporary, uncomfortable sacrifices for the long-term good and health of the community.”
LifeSiteNews asked the diocese why it would expect a “schismatic” group to ask its permission to gather, and if the diocese makes similar requests of the Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church considers the Orthodox as in schism. This journalist also noted that Pope Francis has granted SSPX priests faculties to hear Confessions.
Amber Roseboom, Director of Media Relations for the Diocese of Arlington, told LifeSiteNews via email, “The aim of the diocesan statement regarding the celebration of Mass by priests of the Society of St. Pius X within the Diocese of Arlington was to clarify for members of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington that SSPX does not have canonical standing in the Catholic Church and is not in full communion with the Catholic Church.”
“Another aim of the statement regarding the celebration of Mass by priests of this society was to make clear to the faithful that this liturgy was not associated with the Diocese of Arlington, especially because the celebration contradicts the directives currently in place for the Diocese,” she wrote.
‘The supreme law in the Church is the salvation of souls’
LifeSiteNews also asked the Diocese of Arlington if there are any plans to reinstate public Masses, conducted in a way that follows “the guidance of public health and scientific leaders.” It would seem the setup of the SSPX’s outdoor, semi-private “car Mass,” which was offered after consultation with state authorities, met that criteria.
Northam’s new “stay-at-home” order, which contains language allowing people to travel to their “place of worship” and seems to permit an outdoor “parking lot” “car Mass” or similar church gathering of people inside their cars, is in effect until June 10 (the day after Virginia’s Democratic and Republican primaries for the U.S. House and Senate). That order was issued March 30.
One of the precepts of the Catholic Church is that the faithful receive Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter season. Pentecost this year is on May 31.
Roseboom told LifeSite:
The faithful should be assured that the Diocese of Arlington continually reassesses our response to this evolving situation of the spread of the coronavirus, including the directives and guidelines regarding the celebration of public Masses. This assessment is always carried out with prayer for God’s guidance and grounded in the pastoral good of the faithful, the allowances permitted by Canon Law, and the most up-to-date recommendations from infectious disease and pandemic response experts. The faithful and clergy of in [sic] the Diocese of Arlington have sent many expressions of gratitude for the continued spiritual and pastoral care they are receiving. These include, especially, keeping our churches open for private prayer, especially before the Blessed Sacrament. We are all also grateful to our devout priests who continue to make themselves available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the many parishes who are able to live-stream Sunday Masses and liturgies throughout Holy Week so that the faithful can unite in prayer and make an Act of Spiritual Communion so that, united in God, we may be one as the Body of Christ.
LifeSiteNews has reached out to the SSPX for comment and will update this article if they send one.
Catholics across the U.S. are without access to public Masses and in certain dioceses without access to Confession or even the Last Rites. Some dioceses in Canada and the U.S. have also ordered priests to lock their church doors so the faithful may not pray privately inside.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mary Most Holy in Astana, Kazakhstan and one of the most outspoken defenders of Catholic orthodoxy today, has stated that a priest, using discretion and following the necessary health precautions “has not to obey the directives of his bishop or the government to suspend Mass for the faithful.”
Directives canceling all public Masses “are a pure human law; however, the supreme law in the Church is the salvation of souls,” said Schneider.
“Priests in such a situation have to be extremely creative in order to provide for the faithful, even for a small group, the celebration of Holy Mass and the reception of the sacraments. Such was the pastoral behavior of all confessor and martyr priests in the time of persecution,” he added.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-02--United Nations wants 10% of entire planet’s annual income in fund for coronavirus response

April 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The United Nations Secretary-General , António Guterres , has announced the creation of a fund for addressing the global coronavirus pandemic – and he is simultaneously asking nations to contribute the equivalent of at least 10 percent of the annual income of the entire planet to a massive “ human-centered , innovative and coordinated stimulus package ” that would be administered at the international level .
Although Guterres doesn ’ t state it explicitly , he seems to be connecting the new fund , which he calls a “ dedicated COVID-19 Response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive stimulus package plan , announcing both measures in the same press release .
If countries were to accept the plan , the United Nations or some similar coordinating agency would be given the equivalent of approximately 8.7 trillion USD , an unprecedented amount that would be 2,900 times greater than the UN ’ s annual budget of 3 billion USD .
The proposed plan would effectively place a global agency , presumably the UN itself , in charge of propping up the economies of the world during the coronavirus crisis , placing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global income .
Guterres also wants 100 billion USD for the World Health Organization , whose president has been blamed for helping to cause the coronavirus pandemic by repeating in January the Chinese government ’ s false claim that COVID-19 is not transmissible to humans .
He also wants the same organization to build an “ interconnected Global Health Emergency System for data , workforce , and supplies.
” Guterres says that the money would be channeled “ not only to the business sector and lead firms , but to the workers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ It is not enough to protect major businesses : we need to protect their suppliers , and the global consumer demand – the household income – that will usher the global economy back to life , ” writes Guterres in his report , called “ Shared responsibility , global solidarity : Responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19.
” “ To be effective , the stimulus package will need to focus on direct and targeted transfer of resources to the most vulnerable households and scaling up health emergency preparedness , social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates , access to credit , insurance and wage support schemes , ” he writes .
Among the objectives of the plan , Guterres includes “ attention to continued delivery of sexual reproductive health services , such as access to contraceptives without prescription during the crisis.
” “ Sexual reproductive health services ” are a euphemism often used by international organizations to refer to abortion and contraception .
United Nations and World Health Organization helped to create the pandemic , says expert Steven Mosher , president of the Population Research Institute , noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Organization ( WHO ) helped to create the pandemic by repeating communist Chinese government ’ s false propaganda denying the health risks of CORVID-19 , and said he was against giving them or the UN in general any additional money for the crisis .
“ The UN bureaucracy primarily exists to perpetuate itself and various Left-wing causes that are inimical to liberty and sovereignty , ” Mosher told LifeSite .
“ If the China coronavirus teaches us anything , it is that in moments of global crisis we can only trust our fellow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of bureaucrats who are better compensated than nearly all Americans.
” He also noted that “ reproductive sexual health , ” in reality “ means forcing contraception , sterilization and abortion on peoples who have not asked for it , ” and added that such priorities have left poorer countries unprepared to deal with COVID-19 .
“ If the clinics in Third World countries had been stocked with medicine instead of abortifacients and contraceptives , they would be better able to cope with the current pandemic , ” said Mosher .
“ In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives.
” Mosher also rejected more funding for the WHO , noting its complicity in spreading false information about the pandemic .
“ The WHO , by parroting Chinese propaganda , helped to spread the pandemic .
Even now , they are continuing to claim that China is a ‘ model ’ for how to contain the pandemic , ” Mosher told LifeSite .
“ They are part of the problem , not part of the solution.
” Mosher said that the U.S. should cut off funding to the WHO altogether unless its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resigned .
He noted that the WHO receives more than 22 % of its funding from the United States , and that much of the money “ goes towards the salary , benefits and perks of an inflated , dysfunctional bureaucracy .
In other words , it is simply wasted .
”

April 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has announced the creation of a fund for addressing the global coronavirus pandemic – and he is simultaneously asking nations to contribute the equivalent of at least 10 percent of the annual income of the entire planet to a massive “human-centered, innovative and coordinated stimulus package” that would be administered at the international level.
Although Guterres doesn’t state it explicitly, he seems to be connecting the new fund, which he calls a “dedicated COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund,” with the massive stimulus package plan, announcing both measures in the same press release.
If countries were to accept the plan, the United Nations or some similar coordinating agency would be given the equivalent of approximately 8.7 trillion USD, an unprecedented amount that would be 2,900 times greater than the UN’s annual budget of 3 billion USD.
The proposed plan would effectively place a global agency, presumably the UN itself, in charge of propping up the economies of the world during the coronavirus crisis, placing it in charge of 10% of global income.
Guterres also wants 100 billion USD for the World Health Organization, whose president has been blamed for helping to cause the coronavirus pandemic by repeating in January the Chinese government’s false claim that COVID-19 is not transmissible to humans.
He also wants the same organization to build an “interconnected Global Health Emergency System for data, workforce, and supplies.”
Guterres says that the money would be channeled “not only to the business sector and lead firms, but to the workers and SMEs worldwide that underpin the global economy.”
“It is not enough to protect major businesses: we need to protect their suppliers, and the global consumer demand – the household income – that will usher the global economy back to life,” writes Guterres in his report, called “Shared responsibility, global solidarity: Responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19.”
“To be effective, the stimulus package will need to focus on direct and targeted transfer of resources to the most vulnerable households and scaling up health emergency preparedness, social protection, tax abatement, low interest rates, access to credit, insurance and wage support schemes,” he writes.
Among the objectives of the plan, Guterres includes “attention to continued delivery of sexual reproductive health services, such as access to contraceptives without prescription during the crisis.”
“Sexual reproductive health services” are a euphemism often used by international organizations to refer to abortion and contraception.
United Nations and World Health Organization helped to create the pandemic, says expert
Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute, noted that the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) helped to create the pandemic by repeating communist Chinese government’s false propaganda denying the health risks of COVID-19, and said he was against giving them or the UN in general any additional money for the crisis.
“The UN bureaucracy primarily exists to perpetuate itself and various Left-wing causes that are inimical to liberty and sovereignty,” Mosher told LifeSite. “If the China coronavirus teaches us anything, it is that in moments of global crisis we can only trust our fellow citizens not a distant and detached group of bureaucrats who are better compensated than nearly all Americans.”
He also noted that “reproductive sexual health,” in reality “means forcing contraception, sterilization and abortion on peoples who have not asked for it,” and added that such priorities have left poorer countries unprepared to deal with COVID-19.
“If the clinics in Third World countries had been stocked with medicine instead of abortifacients and contraceptives, they would be better able to cope with the current pandemic,” said Mosher. “In other words, population control programs cost lives.”
Mosher also rejected more funding for the WHO, noting its complicity in spreading false information about the pandemic.
“The WHO, by parroting Chinese propaganda, helped to spread the pandemic. Even now, they are continuing to claim that China is a ‘model’ for how to contain the pandemic,” Mosher told LifeSite. “They are part of the problem, not part of the solution.”
Mosher said that the U.S. should cut off funding to the WHO altogether unless its current head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, resigned. He noted that the WHO receives more than 22% of its funding from the United States, and that much of the money “goes towards the salary, benefits and perks of an inflated, dysfunctional bureaucracy. In other words, it is simply wasted.”
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lifesitenews--2020-04-02--7 more pro-lifers arrested for praying against abortion in North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA , April 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Police in North Carolina made another seven arrests of religious pro-life activists Monday for gathering outside of an abortion center , allegedly in violation of their jurisdiction ’ s coronavirus stay-at-home order .
Jason Oesterreich , Justin Reeder , Isaiah Burner , Andre Gonzalez , Richard Whittier , Leroy Stokes Jr. , and John Mcatee , were arrested Monday outside of area abortion center A Woman ’ s Choice , according to a press release from the Greensboro Police Department .
They were charged with violating the Guilford County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as with Resist Delay and Obstruct a Public Officer .
“ Greensboro Police Officers made every attempt to gain voluntary compliance ” before making the arrests , the press release claims .
Pastor Keith Pavlansky of Personhood North Carolina tells LifeSiteNews that the group practiced social distancing at the gathering , and brought with them face masks as well as hand sanitizer .
The men have since been released , and are awaiting a court date in June .
Pavlansky said that before then , he ’ s personally hoping to see a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing so at least they ’ re not arresting people on that unlawful basis .
They have violated our civil rights.
” The Charlotte-based pro-life group Love Life says that before any of this happened , their attorney reviewed the details of the stay-at-home order with the police lieutenant , who in turn consulted with the city attorney .
Oesterreich , Reeder , and Burner , who are with Love Life , were previously arrested Saturday at the same location .
They caught the previous incident on video , which shows the group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one another ( per “ social distancing ” guidelines ) and attempting to read the language from the order which they argue allows for their presence among “ outdoor activities.
” Rather than making “ every attempt to gain voluntary compliance , ” the officers in the video made no attempt to address the pro-lifers ’ understanding of the county ’ s order , which states that activities as trivial as golfing can qualify as an “ essential ” outdoor activity , and gives no clear indication why civil public activism would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this comes as North Carolina allows business as usual to continue in abortion centers , where pro-lifers have noted that patients are typically much closer together than six feet in an enclosed space .
While many states have ordered the suspension of non-urgent medical procedures to conserve supplies and contain the virus , and some of those states have expressly halted abortions for the same reason , North Carolina has so far yet to do either .
“ It ’ s a sad , crazy time , because we ’ re in one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and leave us alone , but as soon as we crossed over to a parking lot next to the abortion center , that ’ s when the police began arresting , ” Pavlansky said .
“ So it reveals the forethought and intentionality of targeting us for wanting to pray next to the abortion center [ ... ] if we were at a liquor store there would be no problem whatsoever.
” “ It ’ s a little coincidental that Greensboro , North Carolina of all places was the hotbed of the original @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he added .
“ And here we are , almost sixty years to the day .
The same kinds of things are happening again .
Civil rights are being violated.
” “ Love Life offers essential services ” such as “ pre-abortion counseling , post-abortion counseling , certainly when we ’ re there we try to direct women to pregnancy care centers and ultrasounds that are available , ” Pavlansky noted .
All this “ fits well within the description of essential services as listed by the State of North Carolina and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pastor as well as the founder of Love Life , said Tuesday that while individuals remain forbidden from getting close to the building , some good has already come out of local pro-lifers ’ civil disobedience , in the form of New Hope ’ s mobile unit being allowed to remain on the sidewalk as of Tuesday , ensuring that at least some volunteers will be free to minister and offer resources to women considering abortion .
“ That abortion center remains open , but praise God , there is a voice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christians were willing to lay their lives down , ” Reeder said .
“ I hope all Christians will be praying about this and understand that it ’ s not a case of trying to unnecessarily rile the authorities , ” Pavlansky stressed .
“ They came hunting for a fight , and the entire church needs to be aware of that and pray for a just outcome .
The city of Greensboro chose to use COVID to achieve the goal of having no Christians present in front of the abortion clinic .
@

'The city of Greensboro chose to use COVID to achieve the goal of having no Christians present in front of the abortion clinic.'
NORTH CAROLINA, April 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Police in North Carolina made another seven arrests of religious pro-life activists Monday for gathering outside of an abortion center, allegedly in violation of their jurisdiction’s coronavirus stay-at-home order.
Jason Oesterreich, Justin Reeder, Isaiah Burner, Andre Gonzalez, Richard Whittier, Leroy Stokes Jr., and John Mcatee, were arrested Monday outside of area abortion center A Woman’s Choice, according to a press release from the Greensboro Police Department. They were charged with violating the Guilford County Stay at Home Order, as well as with Resist Delay and Obstruct a Public Officer.
“Greensboro Police Officers made every attempt to gain voluntary compliance” before making the arrests, the press release claims.
Pastor Keith Pavlansky of Personhood North Carolina tells LifeSiteNews that the group practiced social distancing at the gathering, and brought with them face masks as well as hand sanitizer. The men have since been released, and are awaiting a court date in June. Pavlansky said that before then, he’s personally hoping to see a judge “put an injunction on this thing so at least they’re not arresting people on that unlawful basis. They have violated our civil rights.”
The Charlotte-based pro-life group Love Life says that before any of this happened, their attorney reviewed the details of the stay-at-home order with the police lieutenant, who in turn consulted with the city attorney.
Sign LifeSite’s petition in support of these pastors here.
Oesterreich, Reeder, and Burner, who are with Love Life, were previously arrested Saturday at the same location. They caught the previous incident on video, which shows the group taking care to keep their distance from one another (per “social distancing” guidelines) and attempting to read the language from the order which they argue allows for their presence among “outdoor activities.”
Rather than making “every attempt to gain voluntary compliance,” the officers in the video made no attempt to address the pro-lifers’ understanding of the county’s order, which states that activities as trivial as golfing can qualify as an “essential” outdoor activity, and gives no clear indication why civil public activism would not be at least as permissible.
All this comes as North Carolina allows business as usual to continue in abortion centers, where pro-lifers have noted that patients are typically much closer together than six feet in an enclosed space. While many states have ordered the suspension of non-urgent medical procedures to conserve supplies and contain the virus, and some of those states have expressly halted abortions for the same reason, North Carolina has so far yet to do either.
“It’s a sad, crazy time, because we’re in one parking lot where they can see us and leave us alone, but as soon as we crossed over to a parking lot next to the abortion center, that’s when the police began arresting,” Pavlansky said. “So it reveals the forethought and intentionality of targeting us for wanting to pray next to the abortion center […] if we were at a liquor store there would be no problem whatsoever.”
“It’s a little coincidental that Greensboro, North Carolina of all places was the hotbed of the original sit-in of the civil rights movement,” he added. “And here we are, almost sixty years to the day. The same kinds of things are happening again. Civil rights are being violated.”
“Love Life offers essential services” such as “pre-abortion counseling, post-abortion counseling, certainly when we’re there we try to direct women to pregnancy care centers and ultrasounds that are available,” Pavlansky noted. All this “fits well within the description of essential services as listed by the State of North Carolina and Guilford County.”
Reeder, who is a pastor as well as the founder of Love Life, said Tuesday that while individuals remain forbidden from getting close to the building, some good has already come out of local pro-lifers’ civil disobedience, in the form of New Hope’s mobile unit being allowed to remain on the sidewalk as of Tuesday, ensuring that at least some volunteers will be free to minister and offer resources to women considering abortion.
“That abortion center remains open, but praise God, there is a voice that is allowed over there now because Christians were willing to lay their lives down,” Reeder said.
Still, the broader challenge remains.
“I hope all Christians will be praying about this and understand that it’s not a case of trying to unnecessarily rile the authorities,” Pavlansky stressed. “They came hunting for a fight, and the entire church needs to be aware of that and pray for a just outcome. The city of Greensboro chose to use COVID to achieve the goal of having no Christians present in front of the abortion clinic.”
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lifesitenews--2020-04-02--Trump warns US deaths could reach 240k: Live coronavirus updates

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 .
April 1 , 2020 , 8:42 p.m. EST : Indiana and West Virginia have both halted abortions to free up medical supplies to fight the pandemic .
The World Health Organization , which receives hundreds of millions of dollars from U.S taxpayers every year , is claiming that abortion is “ essential ” during the pandemic , even if antibiotics aren ’ t available for the mothers aborting their babies .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions in the Philippines were placed on lockdown in order to combat coronavirus , but one local official is now facing charges after putting curfew violators in a dog cage this month.
” And Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte “ issued a ‘ shoot to kill ’ order to police officers on Wednesday for anyone they see violating Chinese coronavirus quarantine orders , ” Breitbart explains .
“ I will not hesitate , ” Duterte said .
“ My orders are to the police and military , also the barangay [ district officials ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the situation arises that people fight and your lives are on the line , shoot them dead .
Do you understand ?
Dead .
Instead of causing trouble , I ’ ll send you to the grave.
” Other LifeSite stories about the coronavirus crisis today include : • Christian group to sue UK gov ’ t for allowing at-home abortions during pandemic • Is coronavirus healthcare rationing resulting in people with Down syndrome being left to die ?
• Coronavirus crisis reveals why it ’ s time to curb China ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ definition of ‘ COVID-19 death ’ may be inflating death rate , leading to draconian lockdowns And stories we published today relating to the coronavirus crisis and the Catholic Church include : • German bishop : idea of coronavirus as God ’ s punishment is ‘ terrible…un-Christian ’ • Monks of Norcia counter pandemic with processions , traditional prayers against pestilence • Rain damages medieval miraculous crucifix used by Pope Francis during coronavirus blessing • Canon lawyer compares prohibition of public Masses to interdicts in history April 1 , 2020 , 3:14 p.m. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. government report about China ’ s coronavirus lies .
April 1 , 2020 , 12:53 p.m. EST : A secret U.S. government report found that “ China has concealed the extent of the coronavirus outbreak in its country , ” according to Bloomberg .
“ The officials asked not to be identified because the report is secret and declined to detail its contents .
But the thrust , they said , is that China ’ s public reporting on cases and deaths is intentionally incomplete .
Two of the officials said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers are fake.
” A LifeSiteNews article on this is forthcoming .
April 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – 100,000 to 240,000 people in the U.S. are projected to die from the coronavirus pandemic , President Donald Trump said yesterday .
“ This could be a hell of a bad two weeks , ” he said .
“ I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead.
” “ This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we ’ ve ever had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to lose thousands of people.
” Meanwhile , the United Nations predicted “ enhanced instability , enhanced unrest , and enhanced conflict ” because of the coronavirus .
UN Secretary-General António Guterres suggested the world after the coronavirus will be changed forever .
“ When we get past this crisis , which we will , we will face a choice : we can go back to the world as it was before or deal decisively with those issues that make us all unnecessarily vulnerable to crises , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic can mark the beginning of a new type of global and societal cooperation.
” Scores of Americans are out of work thanks to the shutdowns .
The unemployment rate may reach up to 32 percent – higher than during the Great Depression , when unemployment was at around 25 percent .
And a particularly ominous article on The Intercept reports , “ New York City is offering prisoners at Rikers Island jail $ 6 per hour — a fortune by prison labor standards — and personal protective equipment if they agree to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to sources with knowledge of the offer.
” A joint statement issued by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences ( PAS ) and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences ( PASS ) on March 20 does not mention God and asks governments to reduce “ nationalistic interests.
” Catholic bishops continue to ban the Sacraments in response to the pandemic .
“ No priests are to make themselves available to hear Confessions , ” ordered Bishop Robert M. Coerver of Lubbock , Texas .
Bishop Mitchell Rozanski of Springfield , Massachusetts has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cracking down on priests around the world for saying public Masses .
The Red Rose Rescue Conference has been postponed due to the pandemic .

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.
April 2, 2020, 3:44 p.m. EST: Citing the coronavirus, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has loosened its restrictions on actively homosexual men donating blood. Previously, men who had “had sex” with other men in the past 12 months were not eligible to give blood; now it’s three months.
“This guidance is being implemented without prior public comment because the FDA has determined that prior public participation for this guidance is not feasible or appropriate,” the FDA said in a statement.
“These recommendations are expected to remain in place after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, with any appropriate changes based on comments we receive and our experience implementing the guidances.”
April 2, 2020, 12:25 p.m. EST: Canada’s lockdowns and quarantines might last for “weeks or even months,” according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
A government document obtained by the National Post says, “Current GoC [Government Operations Centre] modelling suggests as a best case scenario that current measures continue until at least July.”
The 2020 Democratic National Convention has been postponed to the week of August 17.
In light of the unprecedented health crisis facing our country, the 2020 Democratic National Convention will now be held the week of August 17 in Milwaukee, providing our team more time to determine the most appropriate structure for this historic event.https://t.co/DybjUJuUUA — 2020 Democratic National Convention (@DemConvention) April 2, 2020
April 2, 2020, 8:47 a.m. EST: “The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed by pilgrims to be the site of Jesus’ tomb in Jerusalem's Old City, closed its doors for the first time since the Black Plague, according to the keeper of the keys to the now-locked church,” Caleb Parke reports at FOX News.
The coronavirus has effected the world’s three major monotheistic religions, the article continues:
Typically, tourists and pilgrims are flooding in and out of the holy site, but now the UNESCO World Heritage site is eerily silent, especially in the days leading up to Passover, Easter, and Ramadan. But religious leaders in the area are still praying at the doors of the Holy Sepulchre. The closure comes after the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, was shut down and amid the Western Wall, the holiest site for Jews to pray, remained open but only to residents of the Old City.
April 1, 2020, 8:42 p.m. EST: Indiana and West Virginia have both halted abortions to free up medical supplies to fight the pandemic.
The World Health Organization, which receives hundreds of millions of dollars from U.S taxpayers every year, is claiming that abortion is “essential” during the pandemic, even if antibiotics aren’t available for the mothers aborting their babies.
FOX News reports, “Tens of millions in the Philippines were placed on lockdown in order to combat coronavirus, but one local official is now facing charges after putting curfew violators in a dog cage this month.”
And Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte “issued a ‘shoot to kill’ order to police officers on Wednesday for anyone they see violating Chinese coronavirus quarantine orders,” Breitbart explains.
“I will not hesitate,” Duterte said. “My orders are to the police and military, also the barangay [district officials], that if there is trouble or the situation arises that people fight and your lives are on the line, shoot them dead. Do you understand? Dead. Instead of causing trouble, I’ll send you to the grave.”
Other LifeSite stories about the coronavirus crisis today include:
And stories we published today relating to the coronavirus crisis and the Catholic Church include:
Watch today’s White House coronavirus briefing here.
April 1, 2020, 3:14 p.m. EST: Here are more details on the U.S. government report about China’s coronavirus lies.
The latest map showing which dioceses have stopped confessions (except in danger of death). The good news: I made two mistakes on my last map—Kansas City and Little Rock *do* allow for confession. The bad news: 30 dioceses have banned confessions, except in danger of death. pic.twitter.com/3MpXFRC6ge — Eric Sammons (@EricRSammons) April 1, 2020
April 1, 2020, 12:53 p.m. EST: A secret U.S. government report found that “China has concealed the extent of the coronavirus outbreak in its country,” according to Bloomberg.
“The officials asked not to be identified because the report is secret and declined to detail its contents. But the thrust, they said, is that China’s public reporting on cases and deaths is intentionally incomplete. Two of the officials said the report concludes that China’s numbers are fake.”
A LifeSiteNews article on this is forthcoming.
April 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – 100,000 to 240,000 people in the U.S. are projected to die from the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump said yesterday.
“This could be a hell of a bad two weeks,” he said. “I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead.”
“This is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we’ve ever had in our country…We’re going to lose thousands of people.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations predicted “enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict” because of the coronavirus. UN Secretary-General António Guterres suggested the world after the coronavirus will be changed forever.
“When we get past this crisis, which we will, we will face a choice: we can go back to the world as it was before or deal decisively with those issues that make us all unnecessarily vulnerable to crises,” he said. “With the right actions, the COVID-19 pandemic can mark the beginning of a new type of global and societal cooperation.”
Scores of Americans are out of work thanks to the shutdowns. The unemployment rate may reach up to 32 percent – higher than during the Great Depression, when unemployment was at around 25 percent.
And a particularly ominous article on The Intercept reports, “New York City is offering prisoners at Rikers Island jail $6 per hour — a fortune by prison labor standards — and personal protective equipment if they agree to help dig mass graves on Hart Island, according to sources with knowledge of the offer.”
A joint statement issued by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS) and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (PASS) on March 20 does not mention God and asks governments to reduce “nationalistic interests.”
Catholic bishops continue to ban the Sacraments in response to the pandemic.
“No priests are to make themselves available to hear Confessions,” ordered Bishop Robert M. Coerver of Lubbock, Texas. Bishop Mitchell Rozanski of Springfield, Massachusetts has suspended all Last Rites.
Authorities are cracking down on priests around the world for saying public Masses.
The Red Rose Rescue Conference has been postponed due to the pandemic.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-02--Christian group to sue UK gov’t for allowing at-home abortions during pandemic

LONDON , England , April 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A U.K. Christian pro-life group has announced that it plans to mount a legal challenge against the government ’ s emergency legislation allowing women to kill their preborn children at home by using both stages of a chemical abortion process during the coronavirus pandemic .
The U.K. government has changed the abortion law three times within the space of a week after announcing last week it would allow at-home abortions , then reversing the decision within 24 hours , before again announcing Sunday evening that the “ DIY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a temporary basis.
” Andrea Williams , chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre ( CLC ) , told The Telegraph that the new law is “ an undemocratic and unconstitutional decision directly contrary to what the Health Secretary stated on the floor of the House of Commons one week ago.
” “ Our legal team has started working on a judicial review claim today , ” Williams announced .
“ This is the biggest change in abortion law in over 50 years without any democratic or parliamentary scrutiny .
It is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government has “ allowed itself to be used by the pro-abortion lobby under the pretext of the coronavirus crisis to extend abortion on demand ” and that accessing abortion has “ nothing to do with coronavirus.
” “ This decision will mean that vulnerable women will not get the care and attention they deserve ; there will be no way of understanding whether a woman is being coerced into an abortion or of offering alternative options in her situation.
” Another U.K. pro-life group , the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new law breaches existing abortion legislation and that they too are seeking legal advice and may mount a judicial review opposing the new policy .
Bishop John Sherrington , the English and Welsh Catholic bishops ’ spokesman on life issues , said the new laws will “ further endanger women , ” such as those pressured into having abortions by abusive partners .
“ We understand why the government wishes to keep women away from hospital at this time but are shocked to hear that the Secretary of State for Health plans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early DIY abortion at home without any medical supervision present , ” Sherrington said .
“ These measures fundamentally change access to abortion in England and Wales for the foreseeable future .
Whilst these are emergency times , these measures further endanger women who , for example , are rushed into decisions by abusive partners and act without any proper consultation , ” he continued .
“ They diminish the seriousness with which these decisions should be taken and the physical and psychological dangers of the administration of these drugs at home.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works by starving the preborn baby of progesterone , an important hormone needed to keep him alive , and then causing the mother ’ s uterus to contract to expel the dead baby .
Chemical abortions are committed during the first trimester of pregnancy .

The U.K. government has changed the abortion law three times within the space of a week.
PETITION: Urge state governors to stop abortions during coronavirus crisis Sign the petition here.
LONDON, England, April 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A U.K. Christian pro-life group has announced that it plans to mount a legal challenge against the government’s emergency legislation allowing women to kill their preborn children at home by using both stages of a chemical abortion process during the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.K. government has changed the abortion law three times within the space of a week after announcing last week it would allow at-home abortions, then reversing the decision within 24 hours, before again announcing Sunday evening that the “DIY abortions” will be allowed “on a temporary basis.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), told The Telegraph that the new law is “an undemocratic and unconstitutional decision directly contrary to what the Health Secretary stated on the floor of the House of Commons one week ago.”
“Our legal team has started working on a judicial review claim today,” Williams announced. “This is the biggest change in abortion law in over 50 years without any democratic or parliamentary scrutiny. It is a scandalous act.”
Williams said the U.K. government has “allowed itself to be used by the pro-abortion lobby under the pretext of the coronavirus crisis to extend abortion on demand” and that accessing abortion has “nothing to do with coronavirus.”
“This decision will mean that vulnerable women will not get the care and attention they deserve; there will be no way of understanding whether a woman is being coerced into an abortion or of offering alternative options in her situation.”
Another U.K. pro-life group, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), has said the new law breaches existing abortion legislation and that they too are seeking legal advice and may mount a judicial review opposing the new policy.
Bishop John Sherrington, the English and Welsh Catholic bishops’ spokesman on life issues, said the new laws will “further endanger women,” such as those pressured into having abortions by abusive partners.
“We understand why the government wishes to keep women away from hospital at this time but are shocked to hear that the Secretary of State for Health plans to introduce temporary measures to allow telemedicine and early DIY abortion at home without any medical supervision present,” Sherrington said.
“These measures fundamentally change access to abortion in England and Wales for the foreseeable future. Whilst these are emergency times, these measures further endanger women who, for example, are rushed into decisions by abusive partners and act without any proper consultation,” he continued.
“They diminish the seriousness with which these decisions should be taken and the physical and psychological dangers of the administration of these drugs at home.”
Abortion by pill (chemical abortion) works by starving the preborn baby of progesterone, an important hormone needed to keep him alive, and then causing the mother’s uterus to contract to expel the dead baby. Chemical abortions are committed during the first trimester of pregnancy.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-01--World Health Organization: Abortion ‘essential’ during coronavirus pandemic

GENEVA , Switzerland , April 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A representative of the World Health Organization recently said that abortion should be considered an “ essential service ” during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic .
Dr. Antonella Lavalanet , a medical officer in the WHO ’ s “ Maternal and Perinatal Health & Preventing Unsafe Abortion Team , ” spoke to almost 5,000 people last Friday in an online presentation hosted by the pro-abortion Sexual Reproductive Health Matters ( SRHM ) journal .
Prompted by veteran WHO legal advisor Eszter Kismődi , currently the CEO of SRHM , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even in the midst of a global health emergency and even if the mothers are infectious .
“ WHO recently released a guidance document related to the clinical management of respiratory infection , and in that document we said that women ’ s choices and rights to sexual reproductive health care should be respected irrespective of [ their ] COVID-19 status , ” Lavalanet said .
“ That includes access to contraception and safe abortion to the full extent of the law.
” The WHO officer said that her organization was working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defines what social services are , “ including safe abortion [ sic ] , especially as we know in some settings abortion is being deffered to later gestation which carries its own risks , ” she said .
Lavalanet noted that WHO is seeing several professional organizations stating that “ abortion , like other [ Sexual Reproductive Health ] services are essential ” in response to governments who “ are trying to deprioritize these services.
” WHO is apparently putting abortion on the same level as medical services to women planning to give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real gynaelogical complaints , suggesting that the resources “ needed ” for abortion are the same needed for these non-COVID-19 related kinds of care .
“ We ’ ve already said that the equipment , medication , and supplies needed to provide these kinds of [ abortion ] services are the same as those needed for other GYN services , and we already say that they should be available at primary care level with referral systems in place , ” Lavalanet said .
However , in situations where medical systems battling COVID-19 are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women can and should abort their babies themselves .
“ ...
In light of depleting commodities and restrictions with entering health facilities , we say that women can manage their own safe abortions using mifepristone and misoprostol up until 12 weeks , where individuals have a source of accurate information and access to a provider should they need it or want it , ” their medical officer said .
WHO also is willing to dispense with a number of treatments , safeguards , and medication , even antibiotics , so that abortions can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of antibiotics are not available , abortion should not be denied , ” Lavalanet said .
“ Similarly , a range of pain medications can be considered , ” she added .
“ As we ’ ve said , general anaesthesia or performance in operating theaters are not necessary.
” Where “ human resources are limited , ” WHO is recommending that other medical professionals be deployed in the service of abortion .
“ A range of health workers can be considered for various tasks related both to comprehensive abortion care [ sic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to the management of abortion services , ” Lavalanet stated .
Lavalanet seemed to admit that there are physical “ risks ” to women in late-term abortions ; pro-life experts assert that women who commit medical abortions on themselves are also endangered .
In the United Kingdom , where the Westminster government flip-flopped on the issue of home abortions before succumbing to pressure from the abortion lobby , the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child spoke out sharply against the practice .
“ Let it be crystal clear : any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the law .
SPUC is therefore contesting home abortion pill use which heightens physical and psychological dangers for women , and as trivialising the taking of human life by abortion , ” stated SPUC Deputy Chief Executive John Deighan .
“ It is unbecoming of the pro-abortion groups to take advantage of our current crisis to pressure the government and threaten further strain on our NHS resources .
The evidence that abortion pills raise the level of complications for women is clear .
Our health service does not need the pressure of dealing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home .
”

Women should be allowed to abort their children at home, and abortions should continue even if antibiotics aren't available, said a WHO medical officer.
PETITION: Urge state governors to stop abortions during coronavirus crisis Sign the petition here.
GENEVA, Switzerland, April 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A representative of the World Health Organization recently said that abortion should be considered an “essential service” during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Antonella Lavalanet, a medical officer in the WHO’s “Maternal and Perinatal Health & Preventing Unsafe Abortion Team,” spoke to almost 5,000 people last Friday in an online presentation hosted by the pro-abortion Sexual Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM) journal.
Prompted by veteran WHO legal advisor Eszter Kismődi, currently the CEO of SRHM, Lavalanet stressed that abortions must go on, even in the midst of a global health emergency and even if the mothers are infectious.
“WHO recently released a guidance document related to the clinical management of respiratory infection, and in that document we said that women’s choices and rights to sexual reproductive health care should be respected irrespective of [their] COVID-19 status,” Lavalanet said.
“That includes access to contraception and safe abortion to the full extent of the law.”
The WHO officer said that her organization was working with other UN agencies on guidance that defines what social services are, “including safe abortion [sic], especially as we know in some settings abortion is being deffered to later gestation which carries its own risks,” she said.
Lavalanet noted that WHO is seeing several professional organizations stating that “abortion, like other [Sexual Reproductive Health] services are essential” in response to governments who “are trying to deprioritize these services.”
WHO is apparently putting abortion on the same level as medical services to women planning to give birth to their children or who have real gynaelogical complaints, suggesting that the resources “needed” for abortion are the same needed for these non-COVID-19 related kinds of care.
“We’ve already said that the equipment, medication, and supplies needed to provide these kinds of [abortion] services are the same as those needed for other GYN services, and we already say that they should be available at primary care level with referral systems in place,” Lavalanet said.
However, in situations where medical systems battling COVID-19 are not prioritizing abortion, WHO believes that women can and should abort their babies themselves.
“…In light of depleting commodities and restrictions with entering health facilities, we say that women can manage their own safe abortions using mifepristone and misoprostol up until 12 weeks, where individuals have a source of accurate information and access to a provider should they need it or want it,” their medical officer said.
WHO also is willing to dispense with a number of treatments, safeguards, and medication, even antibiotics, so that abortions can go on regardless.
“Where supplies of antibiotics are not available, abortion should not be denied,” Lavalanet said.
“Similarly, a range of pain medications can be considered,” she added.
“As we’ve said, general anaesthesia or performance in operating theaters are not necessary.”
Where “human resources are limited,” WHO is recommending that other medical professionals be deployed in the service of abortion.
“A range of health workers can be considered for various tasks related both to comprehensive abortion care [sic]…as well as specific tasks related to the management of abortion services,” Lavalanet stated.
Lavalanet seemed to admit that there are physical “risks” to women in late-term abortions; pro-life experts assert that women who commit medical abortions on themselves are also endangered.
In the United Kingdom, where the Westminster government flip-flopped on the issue of home abortions before succumbing to pressure from the abortion lobby, the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child spoke out sharply against the practice.
“Let it be crystal clear: any medical professional must act in compliance of the law. SPUC is therefore contesting home abortion pill use which heightens physical and psychological dangers for women, and as trivialising the taking of human life by abortion,” stated SPUC Deputy Chief Executive John Deighan.
“It is unbecoming of the pro-abortion groups to take advantage of our current crisis to pressure the government and threaten further strain on our NHS resources. The evidence that abortion pills raise the level of complications for women is clear. Our health service does not need the pressure of dealing with emergencies arising from women self-aborting at home.”
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lifesitenews--2020-04-01--500,000+ Catholics join livestream as UK rededicated to Virgin Mary amid coronavirus lockdown

WALSINGHAM , United Kingdom , April 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — This past Sunday , Catholics in England rededicated the country as “ Our Lady ’ s Dowry ” while observing the government-imposed nationwide COVID-19 lockdown .
The rededication took place in Walsingham , the national shrine to Our Lady , which has been a site of pilgrimage and devotion since 1061 .
Since public attendance at church services is banned during the COVID-19 lockdown , Catholics around the country joined in making the rededication prayers from their homes .
More than half a million people are estimated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services , with the website of the Walsingham shrine crashing due to the high number of users .
Monsignor John Armitage , rector of the Walsingham shrine , said during his homily that the rededication was being made in “ the eye of the storm.
” “ In the face of the peril that we find ourselves in today , in addition to the physical resilience we need to protect ourselves , a stronger spiritual resilience will be needed to survive the ordeal ahead and to rebuild our society in the coming days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the event showed “ the people of England following in the footsteps of King Richard II , who in the face of great political turmoil in 1381 went to the shrine of Our Lady of Puy in Westminster Abbey to seek her guidance and protection.
” Armitage added that “ the fruitfulness of England in the days to come will be dependent on the faithfulness of her people.
” In a message of support for the rededication , Catholic priest and co-founder of the International Association of Exorcists , Fr .
Jeremy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunity for “ real repentance.
” “ We are in the midst of the war between Our Lady and the Dragon ( Apocalypse 12 ) , ” Davies said .
“ Victory does not depend upon the faithful being physically present with their Bishop in his consecration , but upon each one of us , wherever we are , making our own consecration : sincerely repenting of all our habits of compromise , all our refusals to follow Our Lord fully as complete disciples of His words and of the Holy Spirit : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ! ''

Urgent appeal to bishops: Fight to make sacraments more available to your faithful Sign the petition here.
WALSINGHAM, United Kingdom, April 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — This past Sunday, Catholics in England rededicated the country as “Our Lady’s Dowry” while observing the government-imposed nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.
The rededication took place in Walsingham, the national shrine to Our Lady, which has been a site of pilgrimage and devotion since 1061.
Since public attendance at church services is banned during the COVID-19 lockdown, Catholics around the country joined in making the rededication prayers from their homes.
More than half a million people are estimated to have viewed the rededication via live-streaming services, with the website of the Walsingham shrine crashing due to the high number of users.
Monsignor John Armitage, rector of the Walsingham shrine, said during his homily that the rededication was being made in “the eye of the storm.”
“In the face of the peril that we find ourselves in today, in addition to the physical resilience we need to protect ourselves, a stronger spiritual resilience will be needed to survive the ordeal ahead and to rebuild our society in the coming days,” Armitage said.
Armitage explained that the event showed “the people of England following in the footsteps of King Richard II, who in the face of great political turmoil in 1381 went to the shrine of Our Lady of Puy in Westminster Abbey to seek her guidance and protection.”
Armitage added that “the fruitfulness of England in the days to come will be dependent on the faithfulness of her people.”
In a message of support for the rededication, Catholic priest and co-founder of the International Association of Exorcists, Fr. Jeremy Davies, said the event was an opportunity for “real repentance.”
“We are in the midst of the war between Our Lady and the Dragon (Apocalypse 12),” Davies said.
“Victory does not depend upon the faithful being physically present with their Bishop in his consecration, but upon each one of us, wherever we are, making our own consecration: sincerely repenting of all our habits of compromise, all our refusals to follow Our Lord fully as complete disciples of His words and of the Holy Spirit: a real repentance, a new beginning!”
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lifesitenews--2020-04-01--US intelligence report claims China concealed number of COVID-19 cases

UNITED STATES , April 1 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Three unnamed U.S. officials say that an intelligence community classified report to the White House concludes that the Chinese government has under-reported the country ’ s total number of coronavirus cases and deaths , according to a report in Bloomberg .
“ The officials asked not to be identified because the report is secret and declined to detail its contents , ” the report explains .
“ But the thrust , they said , is that China ’ s public reporting on cases and deaths is intentionally incomplete .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ concludes that China ’ s numbers are fake.
” The report notes that during Tuesday ’ s press conference Dr. Deborah Birx , the top response coordinator for the White House ’ s coronavirus task force , stated that Chinese data had caused some to underestimate the seriousness of the virus .
“ The medical community made -- interpreted the Chinese data as : This was serious , but smaller than anyone expected , ” she said .
“ Because I think probably we were missing a significant amount of the data , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Italy and see what happened to Spain.
” Last week a resolution introduced in the U.S House of Representatives condemned the Chinese Communist government for its mishandling of and misinformation about the coronavirus outbreak which has led to a worldwide pandemic and threatens to topple the economies of many nations .
In a recent report for LifeSite , biologist and China expert Steve Mosher described official Chinese reports about coronavirus cases as “ sheer fabrication.
” “ Ask yourselves what is the likelihood that China has actually reduced the number of new cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Mosher wrote .
“ That in the entire 1.3 billion people of China there is not a single new case ?
I would say that the likelihood of this happening is about the same as the CCP discovering a cure for cancer , establishing a base on Mars , and inventing faster-than-light interstellar travel—all on the same day , ” he said .
Current figures show the total number of coronavirus cases in China at just over 80,000 , with 3,312 deaths .
By comparison , Italy is now reporting more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The USA is reporting 4,516 deaths from just over 205,000 cases .
While in February , China saw a rapid increase in the number of new cases of the coronavirus , those numbers have reduced dramatically with much of the country reportedly “ returning to normal ” again .
The coronavirus worldometer website states that there have been just 7 new cases in China today and only 5 yesterday .
Earlier this week there were reports of trucks shipping thousands of ash urns to crematoriums in Wuhan , leading to further questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus death toll .
Mosher told LifeSite today that he suspects the actual figures are 20 times the numbers reported by the government authorities .
“ According to official Chinese government data , 50,006 people were infected with the COVID-19 virus in Wuhan with 2,535 dying from the disease .
I think the actual figures are probably 20 times that , judging from how busy the crematoria were , and how many thousands of funeral urns are being handed out now to grieving families by each one of Wuhan 's eight crematoria every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in previous comments that the explanation for the sudden drop in new cases in China is that the Chinese Communist leadership “ simply directed doctors across China to stop diagnosing and reporting new cases of the disease.
” “ Who needs medicine , when you can just “ cure ” disease by fiat ?
” he asked .
Mosher says that the Chinese government “ has worked hard over the past few weeks to create the narrative that it was quickly getting the epidemic under control ” and points to evidence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underreporting the number of patients who test positive for the virus.
” “ Whether this is being done in response to a national directive , or simply to conform to the official narrative is not clear , but the result has been falling numbers of infected , ” he said .

UNITED STATES, April 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Three unnamed U.S. officials say that an intelligence community classified report to the White House concludes that the Chinese government has under-reported the country’s total number of coronavirus cases and deaths, according to a report in Bloomberg.
“The officials asked not to be identified because the report is secret and declined to detail its contents,” the report explains. “But the thrust, they said, is that China’s public reporting on cases and deaths is intentionally incomplete. Two of the officials said the report concludes that China’s numbers are fake.”
The report notes that during Tuesday’s press conference Dr. Deborah Birx, the top response coordinator for the White House’s coronavirus task force, stated that Chinese data had caused some to underestimate the seriousness of the virus.
“The medical community made — interpreted the Chinese data as: This was serious, but smaller than anyone expected,” she said. “Because I think probably we were missing a significant amount of the data, now that what we see happened to Italy and see what happened to Spain.”
Last week a resolution introduced in the U.S House of Representatives condemned the Chinese Communist government for its mishandling of and misinformation about the coronavirus outbreak which has led to a worldwide pandemic and threatens to topple the economies of many nations.
In a recent report for LifeSite, biologist and China expert Steve Mosher described official Chinese reports about coronavirus cases as “sheer fabrication.”
“Ask yourselves what is the likelihood that China has actually reduced the number of new cases to zero, as it claims?” Mosher wrote.
“That in the entire 1.3 billion people of China there is not a single new case? I would say that the likelihood of this happening is about the same as the CCP discovering a cure for cancer, establishing a base on Mars, and inventing faster-than-light interstellar travel—all on the same day,” he said.
Current figures show the total number of coronavirus cases in China at just over 80,000, with 3,312 deaths. By comparison, Italy is now reporting more than 13,000 deaths from around 110,000 total cases. The USA is reporting 4,516 deaths from just over 205,000 cases.
While in February, China saw a rapid increase in the number of new cases of the coronavirus, those numbers have reduced dramatically with much of the country reportedly “returning to normal” again. The coronavirus worldometer website states that there have been just 7 new cases in China today and only 5 yesterday.
Earlier this week there were reports of trucks shipping thousands of ash urns to crematoriums in Wuhan, leading to further questions about the reality of China’s coronavirus death toll.
Mosher told LifeSite today that he suspects the actual figures are 20 times the numbers reported by the government authorities.
“According to official Chinese government data, 50,006 people were infected with the COVID-19 virus in Wuhan with 2,535 dying from the disease. I think the actual figures are probably 20 times that, judging from how busy the crematoria were, and how many thousands of funeral urns are being handed out now to grieving families by each one of Wuhan's eight crematoria every day,” he said.
Mosher said in previous comments that the explanation for the sudden drop in new cases in China is that the Chinese Communist leadership “simply directed doctors across China to stop diagnosing and reporting new cases of the disease.”
“Who needs medicine, when you can just “cure” disease by fiat?” he asked.
Mosher says that the Chinese government “has worked hard over the past few weeks to create the narrative that it was quickly getting the epidemic under control” and points to evidence that “some local jurisdictions have been deliberately underreporting the number of patients who test positive for the virus.”
“Whether this is being done in response to a national directive, or simply to conform to the official narrative is not clear, but the result has been falling numbers of infected,” he said.
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lifesitenews--2020-04-02--US bishop committed two grave errors in forbidding priests to say Mass ad orientem

April 2 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — It is no surprise to any Catholic with a pulse that there are profound differences of opinion about the sacred liturgy .
We can see these coming to a head in a memorandum or “ clarification ” from the Most Reverend Peter Christensen , bishop of Boise , dated February 28 but published only in the latest edition ( March 27–April 9 ) of the Idaho Catholic Register .
In this memo , the prelate tells his presbyterate that ( 1 ) they should not consider trustworthy any websites or sources not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; ( 2 ) priests must face the people when celebrating the Novus Ordo ; ( 3 ) Communion shall be received standing , and no altar rail or prie-dieu is to be set out for the use of the faithful ; ( 4 ) priests must inform the bishop of any celebration of the “ Extraordinary Form , ” which is to remain marginal ( 5 ) ; priests must refrain from any “ mixing ” of the customs of the two forms of the Roman Rite .
There is much that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these points , but my purpose in the present article is to point out two factual falsehoods in the bishop ’ s memo .
As a scholar , I am particularly concerned that no one , regardless of what position he holds , should resort to falsehoods in making his case .
I will not call the two falsehoods “ lies ” because that implies deliberate intention to deceive .
At the same time , ignorance in such matters is a matter of culpability for pastors who have a duty to know what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Latin of GIRM 299 has been analyzed by many Latinists who have shown , grammatically , that it either can not or need not mean what the bishop says it means — and this is important , as he rests his case on the GIRM .
A helpful article at Corpus Christi Watershed gathers together various sources on this paragraph .
Fr .
Zuhlsdorf proposes the following translation : It is a matter of moral integrity that we make our cases based on what authoritative texts actually say , not on dubious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regrettably , they exist in the approved vernacular translation .
Nor is this a surprise ; it is well known that many Vatican translations contain glaring errors when compared to the definitive Latin text published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis .
For definitive interpretation of magisterial documents , the buck stops at the Latin text , not at the plethora of vernacular translations of it .
2 .
The bishop ’ s claim that “ [ i ] t was clearly the mind of the Council that the priest should face the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a most useful resource , Henri De Lubac ’ s Vatican Council Notebooks , vol .
I , which provides summaries for almost every intervention on the liturgy in the Council ’ s first session , there were two Council Fathers who brought up the issue of versus populum in the aula : Luis Gonzaga da Cunha Marelin , Brazil , on October 31 , 1962 : “ talk about the celebratio versus populum ” ( p. 227 ) and Wilhelm Josef Duschak , Philippines , on November 5 , 1962 : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , lingua vernacula ” ( p. 235 ) .
I find two things interesting here .
First , there were hundreds of speeches in the aula on Latin ( it was by far the most controversial subject , to which De Lubac ’ s book bears witness ) but , as far as I can tell , only these two mentions of versus populum .
To get a sense of comparison , the question of whether to abolish the maniple arose more frequently than that .
Second , the Brazilian intervention says the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Constitution , not that it should be recommended or enforced , and Duschak ’ s viewpoint about the Last Supper , popular in his day , has been called into question , since the ancient customs of dining could not accurately be called versus populum ( see my article “ The Possibly Dubious Liturgical Legacy of Leonardo ’ s Last Supper ” ) .
The great scholar Joachim Jeremias in The Eucharistic Words of Jesus ( pp .
196–97 ) notes that Our Lord could well have spoken the words of institution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the bishop of Boise ’ s memo remind me of the similarly inaccurate statements of Pope Francis ( who appointed him ) in the Apostolic Letter Magnum Principium of 2017 : The great principle , established by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council , according to which liturgical prayer be accommodated to the comprehension of the people so that it might be understood , required the weighty task of introducing the vernacular language into the liturgy and of preparing and approving the versions of the liturgical books , a charge that was entrusted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] specially given the various clearly expressed views of the Council Fathers with regard to the use of the vernacular language in the liturgy , the Church was aware of the difficulties that might present themselves in this regard .
This paragraph is telling for its mixture of accurate and inaccurate phrases .
For it was the same Council that emphasized the other great principle that “ the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites ” ( SC 36.1 ) , “ steps should be taken so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them ” ( SC 54 ) , and “ [ i ] n accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the Latin rite , the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine office ” ( SC 101.1 ) .
The “ clearly expressed views of the Council Fathers ” included an avalanche in favor of retaining Latin either totally or for the fixed parts of services , as catalogued in my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Latin : Correcting a Narrative Bias.
” Once again , it is a matter of moral integrity that we make our cases based on what authoritative texts actually say , not on the “ Spirit of Vatican II .
”

It is a matter of moral integrity that we make our cases based on what authoritative texts actually say, not on the 'Spirit of Vatican II.'
Urgent appeal to bishops: Fight to make sacraments more available to your faithful Sign the petition here.
April 2, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — It is no surprise to any Catholic with a pulse that there are profound differences of opinion about the sacred liturgy. We can see these coming to a head in a memorandum or “clarification” from the Most Reverend Peter Christensen, bishop of Boise, dated February 28 but published only in the latest edition (March 27–April 9) of the Idaho Catholic Register.
In this memo, the prelate tells his presbyterate that (1) they should not consider trustworthy any websites or sources not approved by the Vatican or the USCCB; (2) priests must face the people when celebrating the Novus Ordo; (3) Communion shall be received standing, and no altar rail or prie-dieu is to be set out for the use of the faithful; (4) priests must inform the bishop of any celebration of the “Extraordinary Form,” which is to remain marginal (5); priests must refrain from any “mixing” of the customs of the two forms of the Roman Rite.
There is much that can be said to refute each of these points, but my purpose in the present article is to point out two factual falsehoods in the bishop’s memo. As a scholar, I am particularly concerned that no one, regardless of what position he holds, should resort to falsehoods in making his case. I will not call the two falsehoods “lies” because that implies deliberate intention to deceive. At the same time, ignorance in such matters is a matter of culpability for pastors who have a duty to know what they are talking about.
1. The Latin of GIRM 299 has been analyzed by many Latinists who have shown, grammatically, that it either cannot or need not mean what the bishop says it means — and this is important, as he rests his case on the GIRM. A helpful article at Corpus Christi Watershed gathers together various sources on this paragraph. Fr. Zuhlsdorf proposes the following translation:
The main altar should be built separated from the wall, which is useful wherever it is possible, so that it can be easily walked around and a celebration toward the people can be carried out.
Fr. John Hunwicke, a formidable classicist, has proposed this translation:
The High Altar [not, be it observed, every altar] should be constructed away from the wall, so that the option is open [possit] of walking easily around it and using it for Mass facing the people. This [i.e., having the altar free-standing so that the options are open] is desirable wherever possible.
According to further research summarized at Corpus Christi Watershed, the official translation of GIRM 299 on which Bishop Christensen relies is defensible. However, as the same CCW article demonstrates with six arguments (and accompanying documentation), the Congregation for Divine Worship has repeatedly clarified that the ad orientem position is by no means ruled out and remains fully legitimate in the Ordinary Form. Moreover, there are other authoritative sources that suggest the normativity of ad orientem, which leads to a tension between different sources. This larger context points out the serious weakness of Bishop Christensen’s claim that the GIRM is “unambivalent” (he seems to have meant “unambiguous”) on the matter.
2. The bishop’s claim that “[i]t was clearly the mind of the Council that the priest should face the people” is totally unsustainable.
According to a most useful resource, Henri De Lubac’s Vatican Council Notebooks, vol. I, which provides summaries for almost every intervention on the liturgy in the Council’s first session, there were two Council Fathers who brought up the issue of versus populum in the aula: Luis Gonzaga da Cunha Marelin, Brazil, on October 31, 1962: “talk about the celebratio versus populum” (p. 227) and Wilhelm Josef Duschak, Philippines, on November 5, 1962: “Christ celebrated coram popula, alta voce, lingua vernacula” (p. 235).
I find two things interesting here. First, there were hundreds of speeches in the aula on Latin (it was by far the most controversial subject, to which De Lubac’s book bears witness) but, as far as I can tell, only these two mentions of versus populum. To get a sense of comparison, the question of whether to abolish the maniple arose more frequently than that.
Second, the Brazilian intervention says the topic should merely get a mention in the Constitution, not that it should be recommended or enforced, and Duschak’s viewpoint about the Last Supper, popular in his day, has been called into question, since the ancient customs of dining could not accurately be called versus populum (see my article “The Possibly Dubious Liturgical Legacy of Leonardo’s Last Supper”). The great scholar Joachim Jeremias in The Eucharistic Words of Jesus (pp. 196–97) notes that Our Lord could well have spoken the words of institution in liturgical Hebrew.
These two points in the bishop of Boise’s memo remind me of the similarly inaccurate statements of Pope Francis (who appointed him) in the Apostolic Letter Magnum Principium of 2017:
The great principle, established by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, according to which liturgical prayer be accommodated to the comprehension of the people so that it might be understood, required the weighty task of introducing the vernacular language into the liturgy and of preparing and approving the versions of the liturgical books, a charge that was entrusted to the Bishops. … [E]specially given the various clearly expressed views of the Council Fathers with regard to the use of the vernacular language in the liturgy, the Church was aware of the difficulties that might present themselves in this regard.
This paragraph is telling for its mixture of accurate and inaccurate phrases. For it was the same Council that emphasized the other great principle that “the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites” (SC 36.1), “steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them” (SC 54), and “[i]n accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine office” (SC 101.1). The “clearly expressed views of the Council Fathers” included an avalanche in favor of retaining Latin either totally or for the fixed parts of services, as catalogued in my article “The Council Fathers in Support of Latin: Correcting a Narrative Bias.”
Once again, it is a matter of moral integrity that we make our cases based on what authoritative texts actually say, not on the “Spirit of Vatican II.”
This post has been updated (04-07-2020).
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--2020-04-02--Cdl Schönborn ‘disappointed’ how Pope treated women in Amazon exhortation

VIENNA , Austria , April 2 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has said he can understand “ very well ” the disappointment of some that the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Querida Amazonia , published by Pope Francis last February , did not open the doors to married priests and female deacons .
Schönborn said during a March 22 interview on national television in Austria that he was “ surprised ” and “ disappointed ” by the few paragraphs of the document talking about women .
“ I believe you could say other things , ” the Austrian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ restrict our understanding of the Church to her functional structures .
Such a reductionism would lead us to believe that women would be granted a greater status and participation in the Church only if they were admitted to Holy Orders.
” According to the Holy Father , “ that approach would in fact narrow our vision ; it would lead us to clericalize women , diminish the great value of what they have already accomplished , and subtly make their indispensable contribution less effective.
” “ The big question remains open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women in positions of leadership within the Church remains a wound , an open question , ” Schönborn claimed .
He said it has been largely overlooked that Pope Francis in Querida Amazonia “ speaks very explicitly of the role of women in these Amazonian communities being irreplaceable and worthy of advancement.
” Those passages , Schönborn said , really speak about true female leadership within the communities .
The 75-year-old asked how the Church , as well as other religions , should deal with the role of men and women in view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We should ask ourselves these questions .
I have no answer at the moment , ” he admitted .
The archbishop of Vienna recalled that the most important message of the Amazon Synod document “ is the ecological message.
” That message , he explained , is that the death of the Amazon forest is the death of the world .
“ An expert has said this , ” the cardinal reported .
The expert who made that claim is Hans Joachim Schellnhuber .
In 2015 , Schellnhuber was appointed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Sciences .
Prior to that , he had already officially presented Pope Francis ’ s encyclical on the environment , Laudato Si ’ , in the Vatican .
“ He is considered one of the world ’ s leading climate scientists , and one of the strongest advocates of the theory that the earth is undergoing catastrophic global warming , ” LifeSiteNews reported in 2015 .
The German professor is a proponent of one-world government .
“ In order to avoid his catastrophic predictions for unchecked climate change , Schellnhuber proposes the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – or in his own words , a ‘ global democratic society ’ — to be organized within the framework of the United Nations , ” LifeSiteNews wrote .
“ Schellnhuber says in his 2013 article ‘ Expanding the Democracy Universe ’ that ‘ global democracy might be organized around three core activities , namely ( i ) an Earth Constitution ; ( ii ) a Global Council ; and ( iii ) a Planetary Court.
’ ” While Cardinal Schönborn admitted that Schellnhuber ’ s claims regarding the Amazon forest sound “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is really is “ this dramatic.
” “ If we do not manage to get the ecological question halfway under control , the future for us on earth will be very , very difficult , ” the cardinal said .
In the interview , Schönborn also tried to frame the COVID-19 pandemic as an “ ecological ” question .
“ I would first leave out the question of God , ” he said .

'I believe you could say other things,' the Austrian cardinal said, adding that women's eligibility for certain 'positions of leadership' in the Church remains 'an open question.'
VIENNA, Austria, April 2, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has said he can understand “very well” the disappointment of some that the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Querida Amazonia, published by Pope Francis last February, did not open the doors to married priests and female deacons.
Schönborn said during a March 22 interview on national television in Austria that he was “surprised” and “disappointed” by the few paragraphs of the document talking about women. “I believe you could say other things,” the Austrian cardinal added.
Pope Francis warned that to “restrict our understanding of the Church to her functional structures. Such a reductionism would lead us to believe that women would be granted a greater status and participation in the Church only if they were admitted to Holy Orders.”
According to the Holy Father, “that approach would in fact narrow our vision; it would lead us to clericalize women, diminish the great value of what they have already accomplished, and subtly make their indispensable contribution less effective.”
“The big question remains open. The question of the role of women in positions of leadership within the Church remains a wound, an open question,” Schönborn claimed.
He said it has been largely overlooked that Pope Francis in Querida Amazonia “speaks very explicitly of the role of women in these Amazonian communities being irreplaceable and worthy of advancement.” Those passages, Schönborn said, really speak about true female leadership within the communities.
The 75-year-old asked how the Church, as well as other religions, should deal with the role of men and women in view of the social developments of recent decades. “We should ask ourselves these questions. I have no answer at the moment,” he admitted.
The archbishop of Vienna recalled that the most important message of the Amazon Synod document “is the ecological message.”
That message, he explained, is that the death of the Amazon forest is the death of the world. “An expert has said this,” the cardinal reported.
The expert who made that claim is Hans Joachim Schellnhuber. In 2015, Schellnhuber was appointed as an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Prior to that, he had already officially presented Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, in the Vatican.
“He is considered one of the world’s leading climate scientists, and one of the strongest advocates of the theory that the earth is undergoing catastrophic global warming,” LifeSiteNews reported in 2015.
The German professor is a proponent of one-world government. “In order to avoid his catastrophic predictions for unchecked climate change, Schellnhuber proposes the need for indispensable forms of world governance – or in his own words, a ‘global democratic society’ — to be organized within the framework of the United Nations,” LifeSiteNews wrote.
“Schellnhuber says in his 2013 article ‘Expanding the Democracy Universe’ that ‘global democracy might be organized around three core activities, namely (i) an Earth Constitution; (ii) a Global Council; and (iii) a Planetary Court.’”
While Cardinal Schönborn admitted that Schellnhuber’s claims regarding the Amazon forest sound “incredibly dramatic,” he stressed that that is really is “this dramatic.”
“If we do not manage to get the ecological question halfway under control, the future for us on earth will be very, very difficult,” the cardinal said.
In the interview, Schönborn also tried to frame the COVID-19 pandemic as an “ecological” question. “I would first leave out the question of God,” he said.
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