The Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, Cardinal Peter Turkson, visits Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Hospital on Friday afternoon, to express the Pope’s closeness to coronavirus sufferers and healthcare workers.

Pope Francis sends a video message as Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Holy Week in an unusual manner due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) calls for a national moment of prayer on Good Friday, inviting Catholics to join together in praying the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As the entire world grapples with the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, Caritas Internationalis, the global confederation of 165 national Catholic relief and development agencies, is trying to ensure the poor and vulnerable are not forgotten.

St. Irene of Rome was the widow of the martyr Saint Castulus, a Roman military officer who was killed for spreading the Christian faith in 286. She lived in the Roman Empire during the reign of Diocletian, and died in 288. According to legend, she attended to the wounded St. Sebastian after he was shot full of arrows as depicted in the painting by artist Vicente López y Portaña.

Ahead of its fortieth independence anniversary on 18 April, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC) has challenged the government to prioritise the welfare of the majority and the poor and to adhere to the country’s constitution in the promotion of rights and freedoms for the people of Zimbabwe.

Pope Francis has appointed Father Michael G. McGovern Bishop of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois, USA.

This is the story of Debbie, a homeless woman living in Boston during Covid-19. She is one of many.

In his fourth Lenten Sermon, the Preacher of the Papal Household, Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., reflects on the spiritual maternity of Mary, as Mother of Christians. The full text of his sermon follows:

The President of CELAM, Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte of Trujillo, Peru, appeals for generous, compassionate and merciful love for the most needy who are suffering as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.