Pope calls coronavirus vaccine an ethical obligation (The New York Times) Pope Francis said he would be vaccinated against the coronavirus as early as next week, calling it a lifesaving, ethical obligation and the refusal to do so suicidal, according to remarks made to an Italian television news program. He also said the storming of the United States Capitol astonished him and should be condemned…
Catholic leaders insist worship is safe as London mayor calls for closure of churches (Crux) A spokesman for the Diocese of Westminster insists Catholic churches are safe in the British capital after the Mayor of London called for the closure of places of worship in the city. Mayor Sadiq Khan on Friday declared a “major incident” over an “out of control” rise of COVID-19 cases in the city. According to Public Health England, the rate of infection in the capital is over 1,000 per 100,000 people. The mayor has written to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking that places of worship be closed, and face masks be mandated outdoors in places where people congregate…
Tommy Lasorda dies at 93 (CNS) Tommy Lasorda, who won two World Series titles during his 21-year managerial reign with the Los Angeles Dodgers and became an ambassador for baseball in retirement from the sport, died Jan. 7 in Los Angeles at age 93…
Friars return to site of Christ’s baptism (CNA) For the first time in over 54 years, the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land were able to offer Mass on their property at the site of Christ’s baptism, located in the West Bank. The Mass for the feast of the Baptism of the Lord was said in the Church of St. John the Baptist at Qasr Al-Yahud, a shrine built in 1956, and located by the banks of the Jordan River…
Arnold Schwarzenegger and ‘a servant’s heart’ (Deacons Today) Today, my daughter sent me a link to a video from an unlikely source: Arnold Schwarzenegger. She said the thing that struck her immediately was the Governor’s use of the phrase, “a servant’s heart.” I think she is absolutely right…