Catholic bishop in Iceland appeals for lifting of 10-person Mass limit

CNA Staff, Jan 29, 2021 / 06:27 pm (CNA).- The Archdiocese of New York announced Thursday that Cardinal Timothy Dolan is quarantining after “close contact” with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. The cardinal does not currently have symptoms.

“Cardinal Timothy Dolan has cancelled all public appearances, including celebrating 10:15 a.m. Sunday Mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, to remain in quarantine after last week having been in close contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID,” the brief statement said.

The 70-year-old cardinal “has not tested positive, feels fine, and has no symptoms,” it added.

The archdiocese indicated that “others on his staff who also had close contact with this individual” will similarly follow “health and safety protocols as instructed by medical professionals.” The statement did not specify who or how many members of his staff will be under quarantine.

Since 2009, Cardinal Dolan has led more than 2.8 million Catholics in Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, and six counties north of the city.

New York has reached a new peak of COVID-19 cases this month, with more than 10,000 infected per day during January 2021.

Last Thursday, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a 76-page report accusing the administration of Governor Andrew Cuomo of undercounting the number of elderly who died in nursing homes by as much as 50%.

According to the Health Department’s data, there were 8,671 reported COVID-19 deaths in long-term care facilities as of January 18. The report from the Attorney General suggests that many nursing home residents died from COVID in the hospital, resulting in their deaths being reported as hospital deaths.

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CNA Staff, Feb 19, 2021 / 07:35 am (CNA).- An Austrian archbishop warned Catholics on Wednesday that a top court’s ruling on assisted suicide is “just the beginning.”

In a Lenten pastoral letter, released on Feb. 17, Archbishop … […]

Edinburgh, Scotland, Oct 4, 2018 / 03:54 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Police Scotland maintains that “if flown or displayed in a provocative manner or altered,” the display of the Vatican flag could be a criminal act.

Scotland has experienced significant sectarian division since the Scottish Reformation of the 16th century, which led to the formation of the Church of Scotland, an ecclesial community in the Calvinist and Presbyterian tradition which is the country’s largest religious community.

Sectarianism and crimes motivated by anti-Catholicism have been on the rise in Scotland in recent years. Football hooliganism in the country can be linked to sectarian football clubs.

“It would be very concerning if the Vatican flag was in any circumstance deemed offensive,” a Church spokesman said, according to the Scottish Catholic Observer.

The Herald obtained the Police Scotland document which shows symbols and flags, the “provocative” use of which could be a crime.

“Whilst the display of the following flags is not an offence, in itself, if flown or displayed in a provocative manner or altered, constitute a common law Breach of the Peace or an offence under Section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2000,” the police document stated.

Among the flags deemed potentially criminal are those of the Vatican, Israel, Ireland, Palestine, Catalonia, and the Basque Country.

“If they are altered to contain a reference to a proscribed organisation they may constitute an offence under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000.”

“Irrespective of the above, the possession of these flags within a football ground may constitute a breach of ground regulations.”

Police Scotland Chief Superindendent John McKenzie said that “often flags themselves are not the issue but the criminal conduct that accompanies them is. This could include, but is not limited to, threatening gestures or words, or flags being amended to show support for a proscribed terrorist group or amendments which constitute a hate crime.”

And a spokesman for the Scottish government said, “It is not an offence to fly the flag of the Vatican or any other country.”

A Church spokesman noted that the Vatican flag “has been flown proudly in Scotland on the occasion of two Papal visits without upset or incident and its use should not be restricted in any way.”

Sectarianism has been a problem in Scotland in recent years.

Glasgow has rerouted Protestant marches associated with the Orange Order.

An April poll of Catholics in Scotland found that 20 percent reported personally experiencing abuse of prejudice toward their faith; and a government report on religiously-motivated crime in 2016 and 2017 found a concentration of incidents in Glasgow.

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