Unlike in the U.S., where an almost $2 trillion economic relief plan is in the works, Haiti doesn't have any such resources to give similar support to its people.

To help Catholics support their local parishes, the Archdiocese of Chicago has created a website that donors can use to make a one-time or recurring gift to any parish they choose.

"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.

The medical and humanitarian emergency unfolding before their eyes has made it clear that the Western health care system of centralized hospital care cannot handle this and future epidemics and needs to shift toward more community-focused care.

Brother John-Sebastian Laird-Hammond, 59, was soon to join the Franciscan friars of the Immaculate Conception Province in New York.

Many countries are characterized by huge cities containing neighborhoods that contain millions of people living close together in often highly unhygienic conditions. Even the most basic protocols for warding off COVID-19 are all but impossible to practice.