Coronavirus Expected to Spread to the U.S.

Currents News Staff

“Prepare for the expectation that this is going to be bad.” Those words came Feb. 25 from the CDC’s director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

The coronavirus began its spread in China and has moved to other countries. U.S. government health officials are worried.

“Given the high-risk environment that the Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers came from, I would not be surprised if we have additional cases,” said Nancy Knight, director of the Division of Global Health Protection at the CDC.

Hundreds onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship were infected and then quarantined in Japan, but were recently given the okay to disembark and return to their home countries.

Meanwhile, earlier Feb. 25, President Donald Trump said the coronavirus crisis was under control in the U.S. But behind the scenes, he’s reportedly frustrated at how his administration is handling the outbreak.

That morning, on a state visit to India, Trump expressed confidence to reporters that the situation here is okay, even as other countries are hit hard.

“I can speak for our country and our country is under control,” he said. “But again, we do business with a lot of other countries. We take care, we work with other countries. We want other countries to be happy, healthy and well.”

There are outbreaks being reported in several parts of the world. As new cases slow in China, they’re increasing in countries like Iran, Italy and South Korea.

The doctor who heads up emergencies for the World Health Organization, Michael Ryan, is worried that if the coronavirus is not brought under control, it could engulf the globe.

“The virus may settle down into endemic pattern of transmission into a seasonal pattern of transmission, or could accelerate into a full blown global pandemic,” explained Dr. Ryan.

Local Nigerian Catholics Honor Holy Family’s Flight to Egypt

By Jessica Easthope and Melissa Enaje

EAST NEW YORK — The Nigerian Igbo community celebrated its annual remembrance of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt with a Mass and fellowship Feb. 23 at St. Fortunata Church, East New York.

“Moving from Nigeria to here, we formed a community,” said Father Cosmas Nzeabalu, the Diocese of Brooklyn’s coordinator of ministry to Nigerians.

“We formed a body of love, and we share with each other — both those who are in sorrow and those who are in joy. It made us all feel that even though we are not in our country, we are also very comfortable because we have our brothers and sisters here with us.”

While the day was a celebration of sorts, it also served as an occasion to remember Nigerians who are being persecuted for their faith. Christians in Nigeria have been targeted by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and by bandits seeking to extort money from the Catholic Church.

Last month, in the Diocese of Sokoto, four seminarians and the wife of a doctor were kidnapped. Seminarian Michael Nnadi, 18, and the wife of the doctor were killed. The remaining three seminarians were freed in late January.

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto was the homilist at the slain seminarian’s funeral Mass. Bishop Kukah has called on Christians to “rise up and defend their faith with all the moral weapons they have.”

The African country has been in a constant fight against the Boko Haram insurgents, who in 2014, kidnapped girls from a secondary school in Chibok, northern Nigeria. On Feb.24, the bishops of Nigeria asked the faithful to wear black on Ash Wednesday, or at least black armbands, as a sign of mourning and solidarity with the victims of kidnapping and other violent crimes.

In a statement, signed by the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, the faithful have been invited to join a “Day of Prayer Procession” to kick off the Lenten season. The bishops’ statement read: “May we, once again, remind all the arms of the government in Nigeria and all whose responsibility it is to protect Nigerians that without security there can be no peace, and without peace, there can be no development or national growth.”

Nigerian-born Father Kieran Udeze, parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands, attended the Brooklyn event and spoke passionately about the injustices Christians face in his home country.

“We really understand what the Holy Family did in their life because persecution led Jesus Christ to Egypt … We are called to stand up for them, pray for them and get involved for our Christian faith,” Father Udeze said.

Where Ash Wednesday Ashes Come From

By Tim Harfmann

On Ash Wednesday, millions of Catholics around the world receive a mark on their foreheads, symbolizing the start of Lent.

But where do churches get the dust from? How is it made?

“This is our preparation,” explained Father Bryan Patterson, rector of Saint James Cathedral-Basilica in Downtown Brooklyn. “Burning the palms to create the ashes, which people will turn away from sin and evoke themselves to the Gospel.”

Parishioners donate blessed palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday Masses.

“I asked them to bring palms, and I got a lot of palms,” Fr. Patterson said outside the cathedral-basilica, standing by a pile of palm strands and cross-shaped branches burning in the Brooklyn breeze.

According to him, there is no Vatican-approved guide on how to hold a palm-burning service. In fact, parishes aren’t required to burn their own palms. They can order ashes from religious goods suppliers.

It’s not about the mark on your forehead, but conversion towards Christ, said Fr. Patterson.

“The ashes, putting them on your head or not putting them on your head, it’s really the change of heart that affects the blessing,” he explained.

Isabel Navarro, a parishioner at St. James, agrees.

“What lent means is a time of reflection, a time of maybe reading the Bible more to understand the things that you’re doing,” she said.

It’s a reflection Fr. Patterson wants other Catholics to consider during this solemn season.

“Is God really the center of your life,” he asked, “or is God an accessory to your life?”

Now, Catholics prepare for Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

Pope Francis to Lead Centuries Old Tradition for Ash Wednesday

By Melissa Butz

On Ash Wednesday, the streets will be full of faithful processing from the church of St. Anselm to the Basilica of St. Sabina, and they will all be led by Pope Francis.

For centuries, beginning with Gregory the Great, popes have participated in the penitential procession to St. Sabina. It’s the basilica traditionally marked as the first station church to visit in Rome for Lent.

The rector of St. Sabina, Father Philipp Wagner, said walking to the basilica on Ash Wednesday is a time to recall the way to Calvary.

“It could be a kind of remembrance of the heavy way we have to go for Lent,” he explained.

The Holy Father then not only participates in the procession, but is the first one to receive ashes inside the basilica, before they are given to all the faithful.

“The imposing of ashes is also a symbol of the confession of our own sins,” said Fr. Wagner. “The pope is the first one to get it, also He takes part, like every man, as a sinner.”

Fr. Wagner said the Eucharistic celebration is not only for the people of Rome, but attracts a diverse, global crowd.

“You will have people here from every continent, from every generation, and you can see them all in one spot,” he said.

Dating back to the 400s AD, the basilica was home to St. Dominic and St. Thomas Aquinas for a period. Since 1222, it has been run by Dominican friars, who eagerly await the papal Mass on Ash Wednesday.

Located on one of Rome’s seven hills, simplicity and centuries old history contained inside the Basilica of St. Sabina makes it the perfect place to kick off the liturgical season of Lent.

P.S. 87 Parents Skeptical of Student Safety as Asbestos Removal Project Begins

By Jessica Easthope

For any parent, sending a young child off to school can be scary. They face challenges with schoolwork, bullying and sometimes worse.

Now parents at P.S. 87, the William T. Sherman school have another, very real concern: asbestos.

P.S. 87 was built in 1889, and now requires some much needed repairs. The school is just weeks away from undergoing a major renovation to replace its roof, windows and boiler, not to mention removing asbestos, the very thing that has parents terrified to send their kids off to school.

“This is a kind of scary thing but it’s also something that has to get done,” said parent Bernie McCormick. “But it also has to get done for the school to improve, so overall I think it’s a good thing, but it doesn’t come without risk.”

“Taking the precautions they need, they do things to separate the areas to make it safe, but it would still be a concern of mine,” said Chris Jones, whose child also goes to the school.

The school construction authority has assured parents all the work done to the school will be well within local, state and federal guidelines. The agency has also insisted it’s taking every precaution.

“They know what needs to be done and they’re trying,” Chris added, “but they can’t stop every single microscopic particle from being moved to the wrong area. It’s the reality of how things work.”

The removal can cause microscopic asbestos fibers to be released into the air, and if breathed in can, cause life-threatening illnesses such as lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis that could go undetected for years.

“The residual effects of asbestos are years down the line, and that’s concerning to us as well because it’s not immediate,” explained parent Karinna Dancourt.

In a statement, the school construction authority said in part, “air samples are collected before, during and at the completion of projects.”

One expert, Jacob Singer, said the safety measures are so strong he wouldn’t worry about sending his own child to the school.

“They should feel like New York City has their best interest in mind, and that the company is being compliant,” he said.

The work gets underway in March, and should be done by 2022.

Coronavirus Cancels Mass in Italy Days Before the Start of Lent

Currents News Staff

The streets in Milan, Italy are empty. Stores are closed and supermarket shelves have been cleaned out.

Cafés are vacant too, all as cases of the coronavirus surge from just three on Feb. 21 to more than 200 to date, forcing local governments to ban public gatherings.

Those gatherings include Mass. Catholics in northern Italy won’t be allowed to go to church during this lenten season. The quarantine was issued in the hopes of stopping the spread of the virus across the country, where at least five people have died.

At the airport in Milan, travelers are getting their temperatures checked before entering security lines. Novel coronavirus cases have been spreading quickly outside China’s borders.

‘Me and my mother, parents and friends are worried, very worried,” said one traveler.

There’s also concern in South Korea, where cases have also surged to more than 830, prompting a national “red alert.”

A religious group is at the heart of the spike in cases there, where hundreds have contracted the illness. A former member says the nature of the group makes it easy for a virus to spread.

“They’re packed together like sardines in one area,” said Duhyen Kim, a former church member. “They are forced to sit line in line and literally, your knees will be touching the other person’s knee.”

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its coronavirus tally, saying there are now at least 53 confirmed cases. That number is up 18 since Feb. 21. The new cases are all from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, whose passengers — recently released from quarantine in Japan — have now come home.

Currents News full broadcast for Monday, 2/24/20

On the newscast: An emotional memorial for Kobe Bryant – his daughter and the 7 others killed last month in a helicopter crash in California; Pope Francis warning against inequitable solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; Then, the unusual move to help public school students who are experiencing homelessness; And a tradition shared by Nigerian Catholics in Brooklyn to promote love and kindness for all – including immigrants fleeing from harm.

Watch weeknights at 7:00 pm EST on NET-TV in the New York City area on Spectrum, Optimum, and Fios. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive notifications about new content.

Faithful Catholic, Kobe Bryant, Remembered by Family, Friends and the NBA’s Elite

Currents News Staff

An emotional, and at times joyful celebration of life was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Feb. 24, for Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, almost one month after the died in a helicopter crash with seven friends.

More than 20,000 fans, friends, and family gathered to say goodbye to one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Kobe Bryant, and his 13-year old daughter Gianna.

“I don’t think any of us could have imagined this,” said host Jimmy Kimmel. “Everywhere you go, you see his face, his number. Gigi’s face, Gigi’s number.”

Many of Bryant’s former Los Angeles Lakers teammates were in the audience, with the team’s general manager giving a touching tribute to Mamba.

“Kobe the best friend, Kobe the father, and Kobe the husband,” is how Rob Pelinka described the star player.

Kobe’s wife of 18 years, Vanessa, gave an emotional tribute to Gigi, and Kobe, the M.V.P. of “girl dads.”

“Gigi would have most likely become the best player in the WNBA,” she said. “She would have made such a difference.”

“I couldn’t see him as a celebrity, nor just an incredible basketball player,” she said of Kobe. “He was my sweet husband, the beautiful father of our children. He was mine.”

“In the game of basketball, in life as a parent, Kobe left nothing in the tank,” said NBA star Michael Jordan. “He left it all on the court.

Secret Documents on Pope Pius XII to Be Revealed

Currents News Staff

In one week, the secret documents on Pope Pius XII will be revealed. Critics have long attacked the World War II pope for not doing enough to stop the slaughter of millions of Jewish people during the Holocaust.

One of the people who has fought to clear his name is Gary Krupp, co-founder of the Pave the Way Foundation, which helps promote interfaith understanding.

The organization has done a lot of research on the actions of Pope Pius XII during World War II, including reading these documents, which have been unavailable for many years.

Krupp joins Currents News to share Pave the Way’s findings.

Pope Francis to Bishops: ‘War Can Never Be Considered Normal’

By Melissa Butz

Pope Francis returned from South Italy, where he met with nearly 60 bishops to find solutions for peace and protection for persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

The pontiff condemned war and violence while speaking to Catholic bishops from North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He met them in Bari to conclude a five-day synod-style meeting seeking solutions for peace in the Middle East.

“War can never be considered normal, or accepted as an inevitable means of settling differences and conflicts of interest,” Pope Francis said.

The encounter’s goal was to find solutions for how the 19 countries surrounding the Mediterranean can help Christian minorities.

Pope Francis asked the bishops to involve governments in protecting the vulnerable.

“The persecution experienced above all – but not only – by Christian communities is a heart-rending fact that cannot leave us indifferent,” he said.

The pontiff called the Mediterranean a cemetery, saying countless migrants have died while seeking a better life or fleeing persecution in their home countries. He asked that they be welcomed.

“As I said, it is unthinkable that this process of acceptance and dignified integration can be accomplished by building walls,” the Holy Father said.

He asked religious leaders to lead efforts of respect, dialogue and justice in order to combat this drama, instead of succumbing to the evils of the throwaway culture.

Pope Francis recalled his last encounter in Bari with the same theme: peace in the Middle East.

While the encounter in July 2018 involved Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox church leaders, this one was organized by the Italian bishops conference for bishops bordering the Mediterranean.