Faith - Page 28

The parents of a young girl who was murdered contributed one of the Good Friday meditations for this year’s commemoration of Christ’s Way of the Cross led by Pope Francis.

Jack Phillips, the baker who was sued for refusing to make a cake for a same-sex wedding because of his religious conscience, was back in court on Thursday, this time for turning down a request for a “gender transition” cake.

“Stressors” caused by the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic may trigger an increase in attacks on houses of worship once faith-based services resume, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security cautioned in a letter obtained by Politico this week.

Nurses and doctors joined Pope Francis for a torch-lit Good Friday Way of the Cross ceremony in an empty St. Peter’s Square, as Italy and much of the world remains in lockdown for the coronavirus pandemic.

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, his wife “First Combatant” Cilia Flores, and other senior members of his regime filled the San Francisco Church in Caracas on Thursday for a Holy Week Catholic Mass, a privilege denied to the Venezuelan people thanks to Maduro’s nationwide coronavirus quarantine.

Just before noon on Friday four friars processed down Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa to commemorate the “Way of the Cross” walked by Jesus before being crucified on Good Friday.

The city of San Fernando, Philippines, canceled its annual Good Friday crucifixions for the first time in decades this year, abiding by Chinese coronavirus quarantine measures. Some towns and cities did mark the holiday with socially distanced processions and acts of flagellation.

The Pro-life Action League will live stream a prayer service on Good Friday outside of a Planned Parenthood facility in Illinois.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has so far helped return home over 50,000 Americans who were “trapped” in more than 90 countries amid the travel restrictions linked to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed on Wednesday.

David Curry, the leader of the Christian aid organization Open Doors, told Breitbart News on Wednesday that the group has received reports of Indian government officials sending Christian nurses to tend to the most contagious Chinese coronavirus patients because “they are considered dispensable.”

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin telephoned Pope Francis on Wednesday to wish him a happy Easter, Vatican News reported.

Pope Francis blaming the coronavirus epidemic on humanity, specifically humanity’s failure to address Global Cooling Global Warning Climate Change (which is a hoax) is nothing short of a blood libel.

The release of Cardinal George Pell from prison and the quashing of his sentence by Australia’s High Court is a long overdue correction for one of the greatest miscarriages of injustice in Australian history.

The coronavirus outbreak reveals the value of faith communities in assisting people during times of crisis, said radio host Dennis Prager.

Pastor Joel Osteen is planning a star-studded virtual Easter Sunday service amid the coronavirus crisis, including Kanye West, Mariah Carey, and Tyler Perry.

“The people of God need their pastor to be close to them, not to overprotect himself,” Pope Francis says in an interview published Wednesday.

Rabbi Akiva also survived a pandemic that wiped out his disciples — all 24,000 of them, representing the entirety of Jewish religious scholarship in that generation.

The Knights of Columbus, the world’s largest Catholic fraternal group, launched a multi-million-dollar food drive and delivery operation Tuesday, mobilizing its 1.25 million members in the United States to aid food banks in over 20 cities during the coronavirus crisis.

Rev. Franklin Graham’s charity is making sure Alaska residents have the supplies they need to fight the coronavirus.

ROME — Pope Francis compared those unjustly condemned to Jesus in his Passion, coinciding with the Australian High Court’s unanimous decision to acquit Cardinal George Pell of charges of abuse.

Italian law enforcement intervened at the end of a Palm Sunday Mass celebrated by Bishop Raffaello Martinelli with some 40 persons in attendance.

Australia’s highest court unanimously acquitted Cardinal George Pell of child abuse on Wednesday, after the 78-year-old prelate spent 405 days in jail.

Pop star Pink credits the power of prayer for helping her get through her three-year-old son’s bout with coronavirus.

A California pastor who has continued to hold in-person services despite stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus outbreak was met by police in the parking lot of the church building Sunday.

Bologna Cardinal Matteo Zuppi said Monday that he opposes Matteo Salvini’s call for open churches on Easter, saying that it is too “risky” and the Church has to “respect the rules.”

Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy’s opposition party, has called for churches to be open at Easter, insisting that people should be able to care for their spiritual health as they care for their bodies.

Jesus faced “extreme desolation” during his passion, Pope Francis told the faithful on Sunday, and so he understands our own weakness, fears, and discouragement.

“I think we’re in the greatest revival in history,” said Mike Lindell, describing adversity as an opportunity for spiritual development.

A rosary made out of blue and white balloons was released into the sky in Italy, giving hope to many quarantined Italians as they were stuck in their apartments, according to a video.

Actor Mark Wahlberg delivered an emotional Palm Sunday message in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, reminding his fans that “we still have faith and we have each other.”

JERUSALEM — A small group of Franciscan monks and Roman Catholic faithful took to the streets of Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter in the Old City Sunday to distribute olive branches after the traditional Palm Sunday procession was cancelled due to restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Pope Francis has issued a special message for Holy Week, urging Christians to cling to hope in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown.

Cairo — Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox church has decided to suspend prayers preceding Easter celebrations later this month as part of efforts to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Saturday in an appearance on the Fox News Channel, Samaritan’s Purse President Rev. Franklin Graham discussed his organization’s efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, which included opening an emergency field hospital in Central Park in New York City to help those diagnosed with COVID-19.

More and more Catholics in Italy are voicing their disappointment with Church leadership in the face of violations of religious liberty, including the classification of worship as a nonessential activity.

Friday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” 3M’s Chief Executive Mike Roman said President Donald Trump’s criticism over the distribution of its masks amid the coronavirus pandemic “is just not true.”