Pope Francis prays for coronavirus victims in China

January 26, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs 2 Print

Vatican City, Jan 26, 2020 / 06:30 am (CNA).- Pope Francis prayed Sunday for people infected by the coronavirus, which has killed 56 people in China.

“May the Lord welcome the deceased in his peace, comfort families and support the great commitment of the Chinese community, already put in place to fight the epidemic,” Pope Francis said in his Angelus address Jan. 26.

Originating in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the virus has spread to nine countries with 1,975 confirmed cases.

The World Health Organization’s latest report Jan. 25 stated that among the confirmed cases, 237 people have been reported as severely ill.

The number of people with coronavirus has increased by 655 cases in the 24-hours since the WHO report’s release, the Chinese government reported Jan. 26, one day after Lunar New Year. Hundreds of millions of people travel for the holiday, which is the biggest celebration of the year in China.

Wuhan, a city around the size of London, has been on lockdown since Jan. 23 with restrictions on travel by trains, planes, ferries, and cars. The United States Embassy is working to evacuate all American citizens in Wuhan.

A third U.S. case of coronavirus was confirmed in California on Jan. 26.

Outside of China, coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Australia, France, South Korea, Vietnam, Nepal, and the United States in Chicago, Seattle, and Orange Country. There are currently suspected cases among recent travelers from China in Canada, Portugal, and the Ivory Coast.

Before his Angelus prayer, Pope Francis gave thanks for the Church’s first Sunday of the Word of God being celebrated throughout the world on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time.

“It is this – the Word of Jesus … the Gospel – which changes the world and hearts! We are therefore called to trust the word of Christ, to open ourselves to the Father’s mercy and allow ourselves to be transformed by the grace of the Holy Spirit,” he said.

The pope also prayed for people affected by Hansen’s disease, also known as leprosy, and spent a moment in silence in remembrance of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. He invited everyone to spend time in prayer on the anniversary, Jan. 27, and to repeat in their hearts: “Never again!”

The coronavirus was first reported to the World Health Organization on Dec. 31. Bishops in the Philippines have urged residents to be vigilant and to quickly check into a hospital if they believe they have been infected with the illness.

Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga released a special prayer for the prevention of a global outbreak:

“We pray that you control and prevent a global epidemic of coronavirus. We fervently ask that you display your power and stop the rapid spread of this deadly virus. Manifest your presence to those who have already been infected. Give them hope and courage and may your miraculous healing hands be upon them.”

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Pope Francis taps Helena bishop as new head of Las Vegas diocese

February 28, 2018 CNA Daily News 0

Vatican City, Feb 28, 2018 / 05:36 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop George Leo Thomas, who until now has led the Diocese of Helena, will be taking the reins in Las Vegas, bringing with him broad pastoral experience and expertise in psychology, mental health issues, mission work and prison ministry.

In the Feb. 28 announcement from the Vatican, it was noted that Bishop Thomas of will be taking over for Bishop Mons. Joseph Anthony Pepe, who has led the Diocese of Las Vegas since 2001, but is now stepping into retirement.

Thomas, 67, was born May 19, 1950 in Anaconda, Mont. as the second oldest of five children. He was raised in Butte where he attended Catholic school, graduating from Christian Brothers High School in 1968.

He received a degree in literature from Carroll College in 1972 before entering St. Thomas Seminary in Washington as a student with the Archdiocese of Seattle. He obtained a master of divinity degree there before being ordained to the priesthood May 22, 1976 in Seattle.

After his ordination, Thomas served in several parishes, including Holy Family Parish in Kirkland and St. James Cathedral in Seattle, where he had been ordained. He also served as parish administrator for Sacred Heart Parish in Bellevue and Holy Innocents Mission in Duvall.

In addition to his pastoral positions, Thomas was also the prison chaplain for the King County Jail and the Seattle City Jail for 12 years. He was chairman of the board of directors for Catholic Community services for 10 years, and also served as chaplain for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Seattle.

Thomas then entered graduate school at the University of Washington in 1981, where he received a master’s degree in counseling and mental health.

In 1986, he obtained a doctorate in philosophy with an emphasis in Pacific Northwest mission history. His dissertation, titled “Catholics and the Missions of the Pacific Northwest,” was given the university’s Gordan C. Lee award.

A year later, Thomas was appointed chancellor and vicar general for the Archdiocese of Seattle. He held the positions for 17 years before being named apostolic administrator for the diocese in 1997, following the death of Archbishop Thomas Murphy.

Thomas was appointed auxiliary bishop for Seattle two years later in 1999, and in March 2004 was tapped to head the Diocese of Helena.

He speaks Spanish and is also a member of the Bishops for the American College in Louvain and  Native-American Catholics committees for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

[…]

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News Briefs

Benedict XVI tells Ukrainian archbishop: ‘I continue to pray for peace’

November 10, 2022 Catholic News Agency 1
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Nov. 9, 2022 / Rome’s Secretariat of the Major Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Church

Rome Newsroom, Nov 10, 2022 / 02:53 am (CNA).

The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church met with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery Nov. 9 and asked him to keep praying for Ukraine. 

The pope emeritus told Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk that he “keeps praying for Ukraine.” 

The last meeting between the two dates back to February 2019. During that meeting, Benedict proved to be incredibly informed of the events in Ukraine and stressed that he always prayed for peace in Ukraine.

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Arcbbishop Georg Gänswein, Nov. 9, 2022. Rome's Secretariat of the Major Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Church
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Arcbbishop Georg Gänswein, Nov. 9, 2022. Rome’s Secretariat of the Major Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Church

In their meeting on Nov. 9, Shevchuk spoke about the war in Ukraine, presented the humanitarian situation to the pope emeritus, reiterated that the war in Ukraine is ideological and colonial, and compared it to the Nazi regime.

He also thanked Benedict XVI for his letter at the beginning of the war.

Benedict stressed that he was following the situation in Ukraine closely, expressed his great sorrow for the suffering of the Ukrainian people, and said that he always prayed for peace to come.

Shevchuk replied that “only the power of prayer keeps the Ukrainian people alive,” so he asked to continue praying for Ukraine.

Benedict XVI appointed Sviatoslav Shevchuk bishop on January 14, 2009, assigning him as an auxiliary to the eparchy of Santa Maria del Patrocinio in Buenos Aires, where he met Pope Francis. Benedict XVI also confirmed the election of Sviatoslav Shevchuk as head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church on March 25, 2011. There is, therefore, a strong link between the two.

The Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is in Rome for a week of meetings at the Vatican. It is the first time he has left Ukraine since the Russian aggression on February 24. 

On Monday, he met Pope Francis, to whom he brought a fragment of a mine that destroyed a Greek-Catholic church in the city of Irpin. On November 12, he will meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state. On the 14th, he will meet ambassadors accredited to the Holy See.

[…]

2 Comments

  1. Should the pope also pray for the victims of the Communist regime in China? When we compare the number of victims of this regime with the number of victims of the coronavirus, which of the two pales by comparison?

    Reply

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