Covid-19 Special: Beyond the Crisis

A UN lieutenant of the MONUSCO mission in DRC and a Congolese armed forces general

01/03/2021

UN supporting investigation into fatal DRC attack

Following an attack in Eastern DR Congo on a UN agency convoy that left three people dead, including the Italian Ambassador to DRC, the UN Secretary General says the organization ...

Families in Ethiopia's Tigray region receive foodstuffs from Catholic aid agencies

27/02/2021

Catholic agencies urge G20 nations to provide debt relief amid pandemic

A host of Catholic organizations renew calls for rich nations to cancel debt and offer financial support for developing nations as they struggle with massive debt loads during the ...

Medical personnel providing care for a patient amid the Covid-19 pandemic

26/02/2021

Holy See calls for increased attention to the effects of the pandemic

Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva stresses the need for faith and collaboration in order to effectively deal with ...

A French sign reads "wearing a mask is mandatory"

25/02/2021

Covid-19: Vaccination and border controls under spotlight

France and Germany are stepping up controls at their common border, while the Bishops of Ireland call on people in the country to join the vaccination campaign against COVID-19.

A medical worker holds a syringe of a Covid-19 vaccine

24/02/2021

Holy See calls for easing of intellectual property barriers for Covid-19 vaccines

The Holy See is calling for the easing of restrictions imposed by the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), in order to allow speedy and ...

Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos blesses an oxygen-bottling machine as part of "Breathe, Peru"

24/02/2021

“Breathe, Peru” campaign ramps up fundraising to help Covid-19 patients

Donors have come out in strength to support a Church-supported campaign to help guarantee oxygen supplies for hospitals treating Covid-19 patients.

Afghanistan kicked off its Covid-19 vaccination programme on 23 Feb. 2020, in Kabul.

23/02/2021

Afghanistan begins Covid-19 vaccination campaign

Afghanistan launched its Covid-19 inoculation programme on Tuesday, despite a surge in violence in the war-ravaged country.

2019.05.21 Mons. Paul Richard Gallagher a Varsavia per il centenario del ripristino delle relazioni diplomatiche tra Polonia e Santa Sede_maggio 2019

23/02/2021

Archbishop Gallagher to UN: Inalienable human rights must be defended

The Vatican Secretary for Relations with States sends a video message to the United Nations, and highlights the inalienable nature of human rights that must be respected, even amid ...

A health worker in Bosnia receives a Covid-19 vaccine

23/02/2021

Catholic leaders call on EU to speed up vaccine rollout

The Bishops of the European Union, and Caritas Europa, are calling on the EU to ensure an equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, as the 27-nation bloc struggles to ramp up ...

A security guard wears a mask inside a store in New Delhi, India

23/02/2021

Holy See: Post-Covid-19 recovery will require better multilateral cooperation

Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, the Vatican's Permanent Observer to the UN in Geneva, expresses the Holy See's desire for improved multilateral cooperation in the wake of the pandemic, ...

An Argentinian woman receives a Covid-19 vaccine

22/02/2021

Argentine Bishop deplores politicization of Covid-19 vaccine

The President of Argentina’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference speaks out against politicians redirecting Covid-19 vaccines as political favors, following a recent scandal that led to ...

Some members of the South Sudan Council of Churches

22/02/2021

South Sudan: Church leaders call for peace, security and stability

The South Sudan Council of Churches and other civil society groups call on the government to take steps to promote peace, security and national cohesion as the country celebrates ...

A nurse holds hands with a Covid-19 patient in an intensive care unit in an Italian hospital

20/02/2021

Pope: Caring for others a ‘vaccine’ against individualism

In a letter addressed to Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Pope Francis remembers doctors, nurses and other healthcare personnel who have ...

People queue to receive their first dose of the anti-covid vaccine in Mexico City

19/02/2021

Mexico struggles to inoculate covid-struck population

Mexico, which is globally the third worst country affected by the covid-19 pandemic, is struggling hard to gain vaccines and with relatively few inoculated, the virus is still ...

A meeting of the Council for the Economy in 2019

19/02/2021

Pope Francis approves the 2021 budget of the Holy See

The Pope approved the 2021 Budget of the Holy See on Thursday. Despite the heavy economic impact created by the Covid-19 pandemic, employment security continues to be a priority ...

19/02/2021

Pope sends message to “Respira Perú” campaign organizers

The Holy Father sends a message to the collaborators of the “Respira Perú” initiative prior to a second telethon scheduled to take place on Saturday aimed at donating more oxygen ...

19/02/2021

Vatican: No punishment for those who refuse Covid-19 vaccine

The Vatican City State Governorate releases a statement explaining a recent decree on the need to vaccinate employees who work in public-facing jobs, saying the directive seeks to ...

Zimbabwe began its first Covid-19 vaccinations on Feb. 18 2021.

18/02/2021

UN decries unfair access to vaccine across world

The United Nations and its partners working to achieve equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines appealed on Wednesday for the UN Security Council to ensure people caught in ...

18/02/2021

British bishops decry discriminatory resuscitation orders

The Bishops of England and Wales issue a statement in which they describe DNACPR orders for people with learning disabilities as "shocking" and “unacceptable".

Note from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

17/02/2021

Dicastery for Divine Worship issues Holy Week Guidelines

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issues a note to bishops and episcopal conferences on the celebration of Holy Week 2021 with worship and ...

The Order of Malta on the ground in rural South Africa with food assistance during the pandemic

17/02/2021

Order of Malta on the side of the poor for a better post-Covid world

An interview with the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta highlights the Order’s efforts to provide healthcare to vulnerable communities and populations during the ...

A shipment of Covid-19 vaccines in the cargo hold of a plane

16/02/2021

Leading airlines commit to humanitarian vaccine transport initiative

UNICEF secures the commitment of several international airline companies for the transportation of Covid-19 vaccines, in order to ensure equitable access to nations around the ...

12/02/2021

Yemen: UN concerned over high rate of acute malnutrition among children under five

Four United Nations agencies call for urgent action to combat severe and acute malnutrition as the humanitarian crisis in Yemen continues to disproportionately affect Yemeni ...

10/02/2021

Cardinal Turkson advocates for equal access to Covid-19 vaccines

The Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development emphasizes the importance of facilitating access to Covid-19 vaccines through production in developing ...

09/02/2021

Being elderly is a gift of God - Pontifical Academy for Life

The Pontifical Academy for Life publishes a document highlighting the plight of the elderly amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, entitled “Old age: our future. The elderly after the ...

Pope Francis addressing members of the diplomatic corps on 8 February 2021

08/02/2021

Pope to diplomats: Fraternity, the true remedy to crises and divisions

Pope Francis on Monday addressed members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See for the annual exchange of New Year greetings. In the state-of-the-world address, he ...

Workers load South Africa's first COVID-19 vaccine doses as they arrive at OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg

08/02/2021

South Africa: Xenophobia and corruption threaten fair and effective distribution of covid vaccine

As South Africa begins to roll-out its anti-covid vaccination campaign, the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Jesuit Institute South Africa are raising some serious concerns regarding ...

07/02/2021

Pope Francis: Caring for the sick is not optional

Pope Francis reflects on Jesus’ ministry of healing during the Angelus on Sunday, the first to be held in St Peter's Square as anti-covid distancing measures are slowly eased.

A medical worker prepares a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine in Jakarta

05/02/2021

‘No one must be left out’: Caritas calls for equitable distribution of vaccines

Caritas Internationalis appeals to the international community, and especially the richer nations of the global north, to ensure that the Covid-19 vaccine will be made available to ...

People line up for food at a soup kitchen in Comas, Peru

04/02/2021

Holy See: “Effective action" needed to fight poverty in Covid-hit developing nations

Leaving “no one behind” in the present Covid-19 pandemic “depends on the willingness of States to act in solidarity and fraternity in building the common good,” according to the ...

02/02/2021

"To Heal the World": The Pope's Catechesis on the Pandemic

The book published by the Vatican publishing house, Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV), brings together the catechetical discourses given by Pope Francis at his general audiences, in ...

02/02/2021

Brazilian Catholics pray for 'light of hope' amidst pandemic

Catholics in Brazil hold a day of prayer on Tuesday to implore "a light of hope", as a new variant of the coronavirus drives a surge in infections in the northern city of Manaus.

Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell being installed at St Mary's Pro Cathedral, Dublin

02/02/2021

New Archbishop of Dublin on an Archdiocese of renewal and hope

The new Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Farrell, speaks about his priorities for the Archdiocese and his appointment at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted so many lives ...

Pope Francis during an ecumenical meeting at the World Council of Churches in Geneva in June 2018

01/02/2021

WCC looks to its 11th General Assembly with call for an "ecumenism of the heart"

The World Council of Churches prepares its 11th General Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, with a call for an “ecumenism of the heart” in a broken world.

Medical staff at a Covid-19 drive-through testing site in Perth

01/02/2021

Australian Catholic social services highlights solidarity as key for economic recovery

Catholic Social Service Australia (CSSA) calls for a new spirit of solidarity and work, pointing out their importance to creating a new, equitable economy in a post-Covid-19 ...

01/02/2021

Covid-19: More vaccines on the way to EU

The European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen announces that pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is set to supply nine million more doses of its coronavirus vaccine to the ...

Grasmere Toll Plaza: South African health worker in PPE clothing

30/01/2021

Africa: Battling a devastating second wave of Covid-19.

Several African countries are grappling with a deadly second wave of the covid-19 virus being driven by a variant first identified in South Africa.

The European Union fears delays in anti-covid vaccine supplies could hamper vaccination campaigns in the bloc

28/01/2021

EU fuming over coronavirus vaccine delays

The European Union and Britain based Covid vaccine maker AstraZeneca have vowed to resolve a bitter row over supply shortages to the bloc. The comments came after the company ...

A woman prays while attending a recent Catholic festival

27/01/2021

Philippine Bishops urge Catholics to be charitable despite pandemic

The Bishops of the Philippines conclude their plenary Assembly with a call for Catholics to let their faith shine through acts of charity and mercy, as Pope Francis invites the ...

26/01/2021

Covid-19: Calls grow for seafarers to be given "key worker" status

There are growing calls for seafarers to be recognized as key workers and vaccinated so that they can continue their vital work during this pandemic and transit to and from their ...

Syrian school children stand in the rubble-strewn courtyard of a school after it was hit during an attack

26/01/2021

Syria: More than 50% of children are deprived of education

After almost a decade of war, the education system in Syria continues to be particularly affected by the crisis. UNICEF reports more than half of Syrian children are not in school ...

26/01/2021

Cardinal Sako laments recent Iraqi insecurity, launches prayer initiative

Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, invites Christians to participate in a 3-day “Resurrection of Nineveh” fasting and prayer initiative for peace ...

a recovery center in Brazil for Brazilian prison inmates

25/01/2021

Brazilian bishops decry conditions in prisons

A report issued by the Catholic Church in Brazil highlights a significant increase of torture in the county's prisons during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador delivers a speech on Sunday

25/01/2021

Mexican president tests positive for Covid-19 as infections surge

Mexico’s President tests positive for Covid-19, as the nation’s infection rates skyrockets with the younger generations driving the surge.

A Syrian woman walks in a camp in Idlib province

23/01/2021

Churches in Middle East urge US President Biden to lift sanctions on Syria

Church leaders in the Middle East renew their appeal to the United States to lift economic sanctions imposed on Syria, anticipating an unprecedented humanitarian disaster in the ...

A British doctor prepares to administer a Covid-19 vaccine

23/01/2021

The Pandemic response in an unequal world: Way forward with the vaccine

As Covid-19 vaccines begin to receive approval for use, the Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis, Aloysius John, reflects on the importance of equitable vaccine ...

Banner in Belfast showing support for frontline medical workers

23/01/2021

Covid-19: Church in Northern Ireland, Portugal suspends celebrations with faithful

Bishops in Northern Ireland and Portugal suspend liturgical celebrations and pastoral activities in the presence of the faithful due to the resurgence of Covid-19 infections.

Much of central London remains deserted due to an ongoing lockdown

23/01/2021

UK Covid-19 variant ‘may lead to increased mortality’

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warns that a new variant of the coronavirus may be associated with a higher level of mortality, though the two vaccines being used in the ...

21/01/2021

Stella Maris expands chaplaincy service in Europe

The Catholic charity Stella Maris (formerly Apostleship of the Sea) is expanding its ministry to seafarers and fishers in Europe, with the start of chaplaincy services in Denmark . ...

2020.01.20 Vaccino covid somministrato ai poveri

20/01/2021

Homeless people receive Covid-19 vaccine in the Vatican

Pope Francis is working to ensure that poor people who are assisted by Holy See facilities for the homeless be offered the possibility of being vaccinated against Covid-19.

A woman mourns a family member who died from covid-19 in the Parque Taruma cemetery in Manaus

20/01/2021

Pope prays for inhabitants of Amazon city hard-hit by covid

Pope Francis says he is praying for inhabitants of the Brazilian city of Manaus and the surrounding Amazon rainforest who are particularly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Archive image of His Beatitude Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

19/01/2021

Halki Summit IV: Focus on Covid-19 and Climate Change

“Halki Summit IV” takes place in a virtual format on the theme: “COVID-19 and Climate Change”.

19/01/2021

Pope Francis urges Venezuelan clergy to unite love and service

In a video message, Pope Francis encourages Bishops and priests of Venezuela in their pastoral ministry of service to God's people amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

View of La Moneda presidential palace on 25 October 2020

18/01/2021

Chilean Archbishop calls for national unity amid pandemic

One of Chile’s prominent Church leaders says the government lacks a project to unite Chileans in the face of the ongoing pandemic.

Inside an intensive care unit (ICU) of Yangon General Hospital, in Yangon, Myanmar.

18/01/2021

Myanmar bishops urge donations to buy Covid-19 vaccines

The Catholic Church in Myanmar has been playing a vital role in collaborating with the government to stem the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Philippines has the second-highest number of Covid-19 infections and deaths in souith-east Asia, after Indonesia.

16/01/2021

Philippine Church calls for fair, ethical Covid-19 vaccination

The Catholic bishops of the Philippines are calling on the government to ensure that the planned Covid-19 vaccination programme is accessible to all, with vaccine produced in line ...

A patient with Covid-19 is admitted to hospital in Manaus, Brazil

15/01/2021

Amazonia sees surge in Covid-19 cases, new Brazilian variants discovered

Catholic institutions report a worrying rise in Covid-19 cases in the Amazon Basin, as Brazilian hospitals buckle under pressure amid the discovery of new coronavirus variants.

A pharmacist in France holds a phial of the undiluted Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19

15/01/2021

Misereor raises alarm: 13 percent of the world's population secures half of Covid-19 vaccines

The Catholic aid organisation Misereor calls on the European Union to provide all people with fair and rapid access to vaccines against the coronavirus after it became known that ...

Health workers march while going on an indefinite strike as they demand a better national health budget and access to vaccines, in Lima, Peru

14/01/2021

CELAM: Universal access to covid-19 vaccine priority in Latin America

CELAM’s President says universal access to the COVID-19 vaccine should be a priority in Latin America in 2021.

Barbara Jatta, Director of the Vatican Museums

14/01/2021

Vatican Museums looking towards reopening in February

The Director of the Vatican Museums says that, conditions permitting, the intention is to open the Museums to the public as from 1 February.

Pope Francis and Pope emeritus Benedict XVI

14/01/2021

Pope Francis and the Pope emeritus receive Covid-19 vaccine

Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI receive their first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in the Vatican.

The deceased Bishop Moses Hamungole of Monze Diocese, Zambia

14/01/2021

Church in Zambia mourns Bishop Moses Hamungole.

Zambia’s Bishop Moses Hamungole, who announced recently to the Catholic Faithful of the Diocese of Monze, that he had tested positive to COVID-19, has died.

Researchers in Oceania work on the anti-covid vaccine

14/01/2021

New Zealand bishops: 'Covid-19 vaccine is a moral duty'

New Zealand's Catholic Bishops urge everyone to get a COVID-19 vaccine saying it is a moral duty.

A health care worker prepares a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine

13/01/2021

Vatican begins vaccination campaign

The Vatican began its program of vaccination on Wednesday, starting with the elderly and others in high-risk categories.

A consignment of Covid-19 vaccines at Guwahati airport, India, on 12 January 2021

12/01/2021

India gears up for ‘world's biggest vaccination drive'

Indian airlines on Tuesday began shipping 5.65 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine before the nation-wide inoculation drive kicks off on 16 January.

Pope Francis distributes ashes on Ash Wednesday 2020

12/01/2021

Vatican modifies distribution of ashes for Ash Wednesday

The Congregation for Divine Worship releases a note laying out the procedures priests around the world are to follow for the distribution of ashes at the start of Lent.

Young people in Mauritius (File photo: La Vie Catholique)

11/01/2021

Mauritius: Cardinal Piat on lessons from the year just ended

In 2021, everyone’s future is at stake. Cardinal Piat invites all to work for the common good.

11/01/2021

Pope: World needs unity, fraternity to overcome current crisis

In an interview to Italian TV channel “Canale 5”, Pope Francis speaks about issues ranging from the pandemic to the defence of life and the weak, the value of unity in politics and ...

A man wearing a protective face mask waits to get tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Beirut

10/01/2021

Lebanon enters new lockdown amid socio-economic collapse

Lebanon has announced a full lockdown including a nighttime curfew. The country's third lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic comes amd a critical economic crisis, soaring ...

St Bridget's Church in Baillieston, Glasgow, Scotland

09/01/2021

Covid-19: Churches stay open in England and Wales, but close in Scotland and N. Ireland

An exponential rise in Covid-19 infections has led to a third lockdown in the United Kingdom where it has been decided to keep churches open in England and Wales, but closed in ...

Syrian refugee children in a camp in Lebanon.

09/01/2021

Nuncio to Syria: “weapon of charity” heals physical, economic and social wounds

The work of Catholic institutions is essential for rebuilding the "climate of trust" in a country that seems to have "lost hope", especially among young people, says Cardinal Mario ...

A woman walks into a coronavirus testing center in Berlin, Germany

08/01/2021

WHO concerned about new Covid-19 variants

The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern about a rapidly spreading new variant of the novel coronavirus, and is urging European countries to do more to curb the ...

Venezuelan migrants heading for Colombia in October, 2020.

08/01/2021

Pope prays for Venezuelans hit hard by Covid-19 and poverty

In a letter to Cardinal Baltazar Porras Cardozo, Pope Francis expresses his closeness to the Venezuelan people, who are suffering because of the pandemic and poverty.

A healthcare worker holds a vial of a coronavirus vaccine

07/01/2021

Brazil’s Bishops promote Covid-19 vaccination as ‘a right for all’

Brazil’s Bishops are urging citizens to accept Covid-19 vaccines when offered, and call on the government to guarantee vaccinations “as a right for all Brazilians.”

Korean Catholics attend Mass at Myeondong Cathedral

05/01/2021

Korean bishops: 'Respond to Covid-19 with the virtue of hope'

The President of the Korean Bishops' Conference says the world needs to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic with the “virtue of hope”.

04/01/2021

Head of Ukrainian-Greek Catholic Church sends New Year message of peace

The Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church releases a message to mark the New Year, noting that as we leave a year in which we were forced to reduce social contact, we must ...

A family walk past Christmas decorations at Cherries Hypermarket on the eve of Christmas during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Abuja

04/01/2021

Covid Vaccine: What about Africa?

As Europe and the United States roll out aggressive anti-Covid vaccination programs, the best-case scenario is that Africa will receive a substantial volume of the vaccine only ...

A medical worker fills a syringe with Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) vaccine as she prepares to vaccinate a Russian Army service member

03/01/2021

Russia launches anti-covid vaccination campaign

Russia says more than 800,000 people have been vaccinated with its new jab against the new coronavirus. More than 1.5 million vaccine doses were dispatched across the country as ...

An anti Covid-19 vaccination dose is being prepared by a health worker.

02/01/2021

Vatican’s Covid-19 vaccinations to begin soon

Vaccine doses, sufficient to cover the needs of the Holy See and of Vatican City State, are expected to arrive in the Vatican in the second week of January.

Shopper has temperature checked in a shop in Harare, Zimbabwe

02/01/2021

Covid-19: What about Africa?

With the second wave of Covid-19 expected to peak in Africa in January or February, the prospect of a vaccination program is still not on the horizon.

01/01/2021

A culture of care as a path to peace in Africa

Every year on New Year’s Day, the Pope invites us to reflect on the importance of peace. Is the world listening?

A Covid-19 vaccine jab being prepared in Israel.

31/12/2020

Caritas Philippines calls for Covid-19 vaccine for all

The social action arm of the Catholic Church in the Philippines has renewed its appeal for the government to expedite the process of selection and approval of the Covid-19 vaccine ...

2020.12.31 Vespri e Te Deum di ringraziamento

31/12/2020

Pope reflects on past year: pandemic prompts acts of compassion

In the homily prepared for New Year’s eve Vespers, Pope Francis asks how we can give thanks to God after such a difficult year. God, he says, always has compassion for us, and we ...

The outdoor chapel of a thousand crosses and a million tears at Balally Parish Church In Dublin

30/12/2020

Irish Church Leaders: Covid-19 and Brexit remind us of our interconnectedness

In their New Year Message Irish Church Leaders say Covid-19 and Brexit are a reminder of our interconnectedness.

30/12/2020

Christmas Season 2020: Hope shines brightest in darkness - Dr Musa Filibus

The birth of Jesus is the most powerful sign and message of hope in a world darkened by the shadows of fear and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. We bring you the ...

29/12/2020

Pope Francis' 2020: the power of prayer in times of pandemic

The global health emergency caused by Covid-19 in 2020 stopped Pope Francis from undertaking international apostolic journeys, but throughout this difficult year, the Holy Father ...

A man stands in the street in Manhattan, New York

29/12/2020

US Bishops commend new bipartisan Covid-19 relief package

The Bishops of the United States thank Congress for passing a bipartisan Covid-19 relief bill into law, which will provide stimulus payments to most Americans and subsidies for ...

Administration of a dose of vaccine at Hartford Hospital in the United States

29/12/2020

Holy See calls for just and equitable distribution of vaccines

A joint document from the Vatican Covid-19 Commission and the Pontifical Academy for Life re-affirms the need to make Covid-19 vaccines available and accessible to all.

Pope Francis at one of his few General Audiences with the faithful present

29/12/2020

Pope Francis’ nearness in a year of social-distance

Despite not making a single Apostolic Journey and holding most of his General Audiences without the presence of the faithful during the year 2020, Pope Francis accompanied ...

Bishop António Francisco Jaca, S.V.D. at Rádio Ecclésia de Benguela

28/12/2020

Angola: The ‘pandemic of indifference and fear’ kills the soul

Notwithstanding COVID-19 restrictions surrounding Christmas liturgies in Angola, the Bishop of Benguela warned the faithful to guard against indifference and fear.

28/12/2020

Christmas Season 2020: Hope shines brightest in darkness - Archbishop Gomez

The birth of Jesus is the most powerful sign and message of hope in a world darkened by the shadows of fear and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. We bring you the ...

Mauricette, a 78-year-old French woman, receives the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the country.

27/12/2020

EU rolls out COVID vaccines amid ongoing pandemic

The European Union has begun vaccinating its population with vaccines against COVID-19. A coordinated effort to halt the coronavirus pandemic that authorities say has claimed ...

A medic administers a Covid-19 swab test

26/12/2020

Pope Francis donates 4,000 Covid-19 test kits to the poor of Rome

Slovakia has gifted the Pope with 4,000 Covid-19 swab test kits, which he made available to the poor of the city of Rome.

2019.12.29 Vangelo di domenica, fuga in Egitto, Santa famiglia

25/12/2020

Christmas season 2020: Hope shines brightest in darkness - Fr Tom Smolich SJ

The birth of Jesus is the most powerful sign and message of hope in a world darkened by the shadows of fear and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic. We bring you the ...

Some parishioners praying in the Holy Family Minor Basilica of Nairobi, Kenya

24/12/2020

An African Christmas in a time of COVID-19

How can an African continent plagued with so much suffering celebrate a joyous moment such as Christmas?

A nurse prepares to administer a Covid-19 vaccine in Kuwait

24/12/2020

Christian and Jewish leaders call for just distribution of Covid-19 vaccines

The World Council of Churches and the World Jewish Congress are urging religious leaders to help ensure an equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to all nations around the ...

A nativity scene in the Ukranian city of Lviv

24/12/2020

Ukrainian Archbishop: Witness to the joy of Christmas amid the pandemic

Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, sends a message urging Christians to witness the joy of Christmas in the midst of fear for the Covid-19 ...

Demonstrators wave Lebanese flags during protests near the site of a blast at Beirut's port area

24/12/2020

Pope issues appeal for stricken Lebanon

Pope Francis writes a letter to the people of Lebanon expressing his closeness in this time of suffering, and appealing to political leaders and the international community to take ...

A nurse and newborn baby at the Hospital of the Holy Family in Bethlehem

24/12/2020

Bethlehem: At the Holy Family Hospital "every day is Christmas"

The Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem has been fighting, through its maternity ward, to bring hope and joy to mothers and their babies amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

23/12/2020

Archbishop Pizzaballa: God is present amid the fear caused by the pandemic

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa reminds Christians that Christmas is a sign of God’s presence amidst the fear caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

"Urbi et orbi" prayer and benediction

Covid-19 Special: Beyond the Crisis

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