Gossip is “a plague worse than COVID,” Pope Francis said, asserting that while speaking ill of others comes almost naturally, it is a tool of the devil to divide the church.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has put the brakes on most foreign travel and many in-person meetings, Pope Francis still has some major events on his fall 2020 agenda.
Given the longevity of the pandemic, the church in Europe will have to deal with the urgency of keeping the faithful engaged in their faith, according to the archbishop of Luxembourg.
Before resuming their studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, seminarians from the United States had to undergo a 14-day quarantine, as mandated by Italian authorities.
The “common thread” among the celebrations, especially in 2020, the cardinal said, “is our common home in which the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one cry.”
Their heads encased in bandages covering the wounds where they had been conjoined, 2-year-old twins named Ervina and Prefina were baptized by Pope Francis in the chapel of his residence.
Even at the height of Italy's strict COVID-19 lockdown this spring, migrants arrived. The government said 241 newcomers came in March and 671 arrived in April.