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Vatican Faces Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
Currents News Staff
St. Peter’s Square is empty.
The Holy Father’s Angelus and General Audiences are being live-streamed, museums remain closed, but that hasn’t stopped the coronavirus from slipping into the Vatican.
Two days ago, the Vatican announced that the four known cases of infection within its borders involved employees, already recovering.
Now a new case has arisen.
A high-ranking official of the Secretariat of State’s Italian department has tested positive for the virus and is now in a hospital.
The situation is particularly delicate, as the official lived at Casa Santa Marta, also the Holy Father’s residence. He was probably in direct contact with other people in important roles.
It is much less likely that he’d had close contact with Pope Francis.
The pontiff has been tested and does not have the virus.
The Italian newspaper, “Il Messaggero,” explained the measures Pope Francis is taking to avoid contagion:
– He has lunch and dinner alone in his room.
– He keeps a safe distance from people during the few meetings he has.
– He uses hand sanitizer.
In any case, as of March 25, no measure can be considered too drastic within Casa Santa Marta.
Spreading the Faith: Evangelizing Through Electronics During Virus Crisis
By Tim Harfmann
Father Christopher O’Connor and a group of nuns are evangelizing through electronics at Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians parish in Woodside, Queens.
“We’re working together to bring Jesus to the people,” said Father O’Connor.
The religious women are on a Lenten mission trip from Colombia and planned on returning home April 4, but Colombia closed its borders. Now, the six sisters are stranded.
“[I’m] maybe a little worried because we are human,” said Sister AnnaMaria of Holy Love.
They’re making the most of their situation by helping Father O’Connor live stream bilingual videos in English and Spanish, which are going viral.
“We can feel the power of Jesus,” said Sister AnnaMaria.
These sisters live streamed a concert from the Queens church March 21, which had over 100,000 hits.
They posted a procession March 16 as they walked four miles with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Woodside. The video has been seen 25,000 times.
They processed again March 24, capturing an emotional parishioner as Father O’Connor stopped by her house.
“I blessed her and she said, ‘I really miss church,’ and started crying. I said, ‘I know. that’s why I’m here,” explained Father O’Connor.
They continue to post daily on the parish’s social media pages, live streaming Masses, holy prayer hours and evening reflections.
It’s all to spread the faith and plead for an end of the virus crisis.
Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 3/25/20
On the newscast: They’re stranded far from home because of the pandemic but a group of nuns are giving all their talents to help out in the Diocese of Brooklyn; The Guardian Angels are on the streets to care for some of New York’s most vulnerable people. We’re there with them; Pope Francis invited Christians everywhere to join him this morning for the Lord’s Prayer; The Tablet is offering perspective on the crisis – and hope.
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Amid Coronavirus Pandemic, New York Asks for Federal Help
By Christine Persichette
As coronavirus cases surge, many New Yorkers are getting out of town, searching for a safe haven.
That’s causing a lot of concern at The White House over fears these people are disease carriers.
At City Hall, the mayor says time is running short to get desperately needed help to our hospitals.
“Right now, I am satisfied we can get through this week in NYC, in terms of our healthcare system, and even with that, I think some of our hospitals are going to be very stressed,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force’s coordinator is asking anyone who’s visited New York State recently to act now.
“Everybody who was in New York should be self-quarantining for the next fourteen days to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread to others no matter where they’ve gone,” said Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator.
Governor Andrew Cuomo is blasting the federal government, saying it needs to provide more medical equipment like ventilators.
“How can we be in a situation where you can have New Yorkers possibly dying because they can’t get a ventilator, but a federal agency saying, ‘I’m going to leave the ventilators in the stockpile?,’” said Cuomo.
The President fired back, saying it’s Cuomo’s problem, not his.
“He’s supposed to be buying his own ventilators. We are going to help,” Trump said on Fox News.
About half the United States has been ordered to stay at home, with more coming by week’s end. But President Trump is still optimistic the country will be back to normal in less than three weeks.
“I would love to aim it right at Easter Sunday so we are open for church service and services. That would be a beautiful thing. We can socially distance ourselves and go to work,” said Trump.
Meanwhile, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor says it’s impossible to set a deadline.
“You can look at a date, but you have to be very flexible and on a literally day by day, week by week basis. Obviously no one is going to want to tone down things when you see what is going on in places like New York City,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci.
‘Guardian Angels’ Help the Homeless During Coronavirus Crisis
By Emily Drooby
The roads and sidewalks surrounding New York’s Penn Station are normally packed with people, but now they’re silent. It’s an eerie scene.
Millions of New Yorkers are inside their homes, hidden from the deadly Coronavirus. However, one group of people cannot hide: the homeless.
A non-profit New York City-based group, the Guardian Angels, have stepped up to help.
They have been patrolling Penn Station, the subways and other places where homeless people seek shelter.
“The last few days that we have been out doing it, they’re forgotten, people pass by them,” explained Jose Gonzalez, who has been with the Guardian Angels for over 25 years.
The group has been putting themselves at risk to make sure that the homeless have food, water, a way to wash their hands and support during this scary time.
Guardian Angel Jose Mejias said, “They have a smile on their face we let them know, hey, we’re here, this is the Guardian Angels. We are here to give you some food, and just know that we are here and we love you.”
According to the non-profit The Bowery Mission, nearly one in every 125 New Yorkers is homeless.
The group’s founder, Curtis Sliwa, says they were inspired to help because the government and local programs were not doing enough to help during the COVID-19 crisis.
“The homeless and the emotionally disturbed persons are the last, the last in the chain of humanity and we are making sure they get cared for, ” explained Sliwa.
Sliwa, who is considering a run for mayor, said he would have handled the pandemic differently if he was in charge.
“You have to show that you’re compassionate as the mayor. You have to be out there with the people, and not just the rich people making your contributions, but the homeless, the emotionally disturbed, the poor, the impoverished the indigent,” he explained.
As the fight against the coronavirus rages on, the group is urging the young and healthy to help. As they always say, one person can make a difference.
Pope Calls World’s Christians to Pray for End to Coronavirus Pandemic
By Melissa Butz and Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Joined by Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant church leaders and faithful from around the world, Pope Francis led the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, imploring God’s mercy on humanity amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“As trusting sons and daughters, we turn to the Lord. We do it every day, several times a day, but at this moment we want to implore mercy for all of humanity so harshly tried by the coronavirus pandemic,” the pope said March 25 as he introduced the prayer.
“We will do so together, Christians of every church and community, of every age, language and nation,” he said.
“We pray for the sick and their families, for health workers and those who help them, for civic leaders, police and volunteers and for the ministers of our communities,” the pope said.
Holding the prayer on the feast of the Annunciation, when the angel told Mary she would bear God’s son, Pope Francis said that “with full confidence we, too, place ourselves in God’s hands, and with one heart and soul, we pray.”
The Church of England asked Anglicans to join Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury in praying with Pope Francis and to share their photos on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #PrayTogether.
Archbishop Welby himself tweeted: “Please join us wherever you are. Prayer unites us in testing times.”
The Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, encouraged all members to take advantage of the opportunity for a global prayer in the face of a global pandemic.
“As people across the globe are in their scattered working places at home, we will have the opportunity to unite our voices in praying to God with the words that our Lord Jesus Christ taught us,” Rev. Tveit said. “At this challenging time, prayerful activities that unite us are a reminder that we are one human family.”
While many Christians woke extra early or stayed up late to pray at the same time as Pope Francis, others gathered for the common prayer at noon their local time.
Archbishop Jose Bettencourt, the Vatican nuncio to Georgia and Armenia, posted a photograph on Twitter of him praying with Georgian and Armenian Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant leaders at noon local time, three hours before the pope.
The Catholic bishops of Ireland called on their faithful to pray with the pope and, then, to join in prayer as Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, primate of Ireland, was to consecrate the country and its people to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for protection from the coronavirus.
Earlier in the day, at the end of his livestreamed general audience, Pope Francis told viewers, “We will unite our voices of pleading to the Lord in these days of suffering when the world is harshly tried by the pandemic. May the good and merciful Lord hear the united prayer of his sons and daughters, who call on his omnipotence with trusting hope.”
While not praying with the Christians, rabbis around the world called on Jews to observe a half-day fast March 25, and Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Lau also asked that during the traditional afternoon prayers, called the “Mincha,” people add the “Selichot” prayers, which are prayers for forgiveness.
In addition, the Jerusalem-based Interfaith Encounter Association, which brings together Israelis and Palestinians of different faiths, announced an “Interfaith Prayer for Humanity’s Health” the same afternoon.
“As both the pope called Christians to pray at midday (March 25) and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel called Jews to pray at 4:30 p.m. that day — for the same goal to implore God to rid the world of the coronavirus pandemic — we thought it would be most appropriate to connect the two with an interfaith prayer in the middle,” the association said in a March 24.
When individuals and governments are taking “harsh measures” to slow the pandemic, the group said, “it is important to add the active aspect of prayer. When our main measures are physical separation from one another, it is vital add the connection of our hearts in mutual care.”
– – –
Contributing to this story was Judith Sudilovsky in Jerusalem.
White House, Senate Come to Agreement on COVID-19 Stimulus Package
Currents News Staff
After days of back-and-forth, the White House and senators agree on a package aimed to boost the COVID-19 ravaged U.S. economy.
“To all Americans, I say, ‘Help is on the way.’ Big help, and quick help,” said Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader.
This is one of the most expensive and far-reaching deals ever made in Congress.
“It’s good news for the doctors and nurses in the emergency rooms around the country who are waiting for more masks and more funding,” said McConnell. “It’s good news for families all across America.”
While all the details haven’t been released yet, the breakdown includes $250 billion for direct payments to individuals and families, and $350 billion in small business loans. There is also $250 billion in unemployment benefits and $500 billion for business loans.
“We’re going to take up and pass this package to care for those who are caring for us and help carry millions of Americans through these dark economic times,” said Schumer.
Majority leader McConnell says the Senate will move to pass the legislation March 25.
In Act of Hope During Pandemic, Priest Takes Blessed Sacrament to the Skies
Currents News Staff
One-hundred-and-twenty knots and 1,000 feet isn’t normally where you would find the Blessed Sacrament, or a statue of the Blessed Mother, but Father Anthony Manuppella and Father John Seo of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla parish in Northfield, New Jersey took to the air, praying the Litany of the Saints and prayers for deliverance as they traveled the perimeter of the Diocese of Camden.
Fr. Anthony saw a video of the air force in Italy flying a priest on the plane to bless the people and try to mitigate what is happening.
Using history as a guideline, he brought up the importance of the Blessed Sacrament during times of tribulation.
“Popes would process in the streets with the Blessed Sacrament. In fact one of the popes ordered that the Blessed Sacrament would be exposed in every church in Rome for forty hours,” he explained.
“And after that time, the plagues seemed to subside. So in that same tradition, instead of walking in procession with Jesus, we’re going to fly with Him around the perimeters of the whole diocese, so that way we can pray that Jesus will bless, heal. And we pray that this virus will be contained, will be stopped,” he said.
“Because medicine is wonderful,” Fr. Anthony added, “but at a certain point, it’s only God that can affect miracles.”
Fighting the Coronavirus: How Military Ships Become Makeshift Hospitals
Currents News Staff
The Navy is mobilizing its ships, and the Army Corps of Engineers is on the ground building emergency hospitals. The role of the military in confronting the coronavirus pandemic is growing, almost by the hour
Joining Currents News is Archbishop Timothy Broglio, leader of the U.S. Archdiocese of Military Services, to explain the challenges military personnel face during this pandemic.