The Catholic Weekly 5 April 2020

16 5, April, 2020 W orld catholicweekly.com.au Pandemic is not God’s wrath: Academy THE COVID-19 pandemic has caught entire communi- ties and nations off guard, and the best way to tackle this glob- al crisis is together as a global family, the Pontifical Academy for Life said. “An emergency like that of COVID-19 is overcome with, above all, the antibodies of sol- idarity,” the academy said in a seven-page “note” published on 30March on its website. With experts in the field of science and ethics, the papal academy wished to “contrib- ute its own reflections” in order to foster “a renewed spirit that must nourish social relations and care for the person” during this pandemic, it said. All 163 papal academicians were asked to take part, and the Note on the COVID-19 Emergency was the result of that consultation, the academy said in a news release. Arch- bishop Vincenzo Paglia gave Pope Francis a copy of the text during a private meeting in the Apostolic Palace on 30March. “The pope confided in me two of his concerns: how to help right now, especially the weakest; and for the future, how to come out of this (crisis) strengthened in solidarity,” in- cluding on a global level, the archbishop said in the written statement. Titled, Pandemic and Uni- versal Brotherhood , the text highlights what ethical stand- ardsmust prevail whendealing with the care and support of both individuals and commu- nities in health care as well as more “existential” concerns that often go ignored in a world increasingly focused on indi- vidual rights, isolationist na- tional interests and a flood of data divorced from the people it represents. The pandemic does not rep- resent God’s wrath, because it affects most frequently and tragically theweakest andmost vulnerable – the very people God loves and cares for the most, it said. - CNS WHILE MANY churches in Italy remain open, visiting a church to pray is not a valid excuse for leaving one’s home during Italy’s COVID-19 lock- down, said a note from the Ministry for Internal Affairs. Cardinal Gualtiero Basset- ti of Perugia, president of the Italian bishops’ conference, had asked the government to ¾ ¾ Cindy Wooden England is Mary’s Italian government clarifies lockdown Richard II dedicated his nation to Our Lady in 1381. This week it happened again ENGLISH CATHOLICS re- dedicated their country as Mary’s Dowry “in the eye of the storm” of the coronavirus pandemic. Because of restrictions on movement and assembly to slow down the transmission of COVID-19, an estimated 530,000 people attempted to join the rededication by watching livestreaming ser- vices from parishes, church- es and the National Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham, Norfolk.The vol- ume of traffic was so high by the rededication time of noon March 29 that it caused the website of the Walsingham shrine to crash, along with the livestreams in cathedrals and parishes provided by Church- services.tv, a technology firm offering media platforms within churches. Viewers were redirected to watch the event over You- Tube instead. The first dedi- cation of England as Mary’s Dowry was carried out in 1381 by King Richard II amid great domestic turmoil, with the intention that the country was set aside for the guidance and protection of Mary. In his homily during the re- dedication, Msgr. John Armit- age, rector of the Walsingham shrine, said when the English bishops decided in 2017 to rededicate England, “they could never have foreseen the extent of our need at this time.” “Today we undertake this dedication in the eye of the storm,” he said. “In the face of the peril that we find our- selves 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. “The fruitfulness of Eng- land in the days to come will be dependent on the faithful- ness of her people.” He added that England was at present also “humbled by the dedication of the thou- sands of men and women, who, in the face of such dan- ger each day, serve the sick and those in need and enable our locked-down communi- ties to survive.” “May their dedication be blessed, and their spirits be strengthened,” he said. - CNS ¾ ¾ Carol Glatz clarify the lockdown rules and how they apply to the church and church services. People who want to pray in a church may do so only if “the church is situated along one’s way” to or from a gov- ernment-approved reason for leaving one’s home: going to the grocery store, pharma- cy, doctor’s office or to work when it is necessary and cannot be done from home, said the ministry’s response, which was posted on its web- site on 28 March. Law enforcement officials can stop anyone who is out in public; when they leave their houses, people are required to carry with them a “self-certifi- cation” swearing they are not under quarantine and have not tested positive for COV- ID-19 and stating the reason for which they are outside. The government can fine or even jail those who lie on the form. On 28 March alone, the ministry said, police demand- ed the forms from more than 203,000 people and fined close to 5,000 of them. The fig- ures do not include the num- ber of people the police sim- ply advised to go home. After almost three weeks on lockdown, Roberto Speranza, Italy’s minister of health, said Today we undertake this dedication in the eye of the storm ... In the face of the peril that we find ourselves in today ... a stronger spiritual resilience will be need- ed to survive the ordeal ahead and to rebuild our society in the coming days.” Msgr. John Armitage This “Dowry Painting” of Our Lady of Walsing- ham, was blessed by Pope Francis in February. PHOTO: CNS PHOTO/COURTESY BEHOLD 2020 on 29 March that the country was still in the worst phase of the pandemic and people should not let their guard down. The health ministry re- ported that day that a total of 97,689 people in Italy had tested positive for COVID-19 since February; 10,779 people had died; and 13,030 have re- covered. The Internal Affairs minis- try’s Department for Civil Lib- erties and Immigration, in the note about how the lockdown measures impact churches, said, “The measures for con- taining the COVID-19 epidem- ic emergency carry with them the limitation of various con- stitutional rights, including the exercise of worship, but they do not foresee the closure of churches nor a banon religious celebrations.” - CNS