Archbishop Santos notes that forced isolation should be an opportunity to enhance one’s understanding of the Lord. Fasting and abstaining are important acts of self-denial during Lent. The Archdiocese of Cebu makes the International Eucharistic Congress Center available for COVID-19 patients. The outbreak is spreading in the country.
Card Tagle calls for COVID-19 'jubilee' to forgive poor countries’ debt
| VATICAN – PHILIPPINESAs Indonesian hospitals cope with lack of antivirus gear, Catholics respond to the crisis (video-photos)
by Mathias Hariyadi | INDONESIA“The Christian is a Christian not because he can show the faith of baptism: the faith of baptism is an ID card. You are a Christian if you say yes to the election that God has made of you, if you go behind the promises that the Lord has made to you and if you live a covenant with the Lord: this is Christian life.
The epidemic affects all of Abraham's children and questions those who wonder if Islam is the only true religion, because the virus affects Muslims. The extremists are silent and the joint initiatives between the faithful of the three religions are multiplying.
Being a disciple means letting oneself be guided by the Holy Spirit. For this reason, a disciple of Jesus is someone of Tradition and novelty, a free person, never subject to ideologies.
“We cannot forget the tragedies of our day, because the Passion of the Lord continues in the suffering of men. May your hearts find, in the Cross of Christ, support and comfort in the midst of the tribulations of life".
Jesus came into the world to take our sins on himself and on the cross he really suffered and died. "We have to get used to looking at the crucifix in this light, which is the truest, it is the light of redemption".
To avoid contagions, the Archdiocese of Hồ Chí Minh City suspended Masses. Churches, chapels and religious communities remain open for prayers and worship. The Pope’s universal prayer and Urbi et Orbi blessing moved many.
“Each of us has our own sins. And if you don't remember them, think a little: you will find them. Thank God if you find them, because if you don't find them, you are corrupt. Each of us has our own sins. We look to the Lord who does justice but who is so merciful ".
At the Angelus, Pope Francis joins the UN secretary general’s appeal because "in countries at war, health systems have collapsed and already reduced health personnel, have often been targeted". A renewed commitment to overcoming rivalries. “Conflicts are not resolved through war!”. Prayer for the sick in nursing homes, for barracks, for prisoners. The explosive problem of overcrowding in prisons. "God's answer to the problem of death is Jesus: 'I am the resurrection and the life'." The Christian is "a reflection of the love and tenderness of God, who frees from death and gifts the victory of life!"
During mass in the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis prayed for those who weep: “isolated people, people in quarantine; the elderly alone; hospitalized people and people in therapy; parents who see that since there is no salary, they will not be able to feed their children. " Ask for "the grace to cry", like "Jesus who was not ashamed to cry".
Vietnam has suspended cereal exports to protect domestic consumption. Malaysia is the 22nd largest consumer in the world. Imports cover between 30% and 40% of domestic need. Kuala Lumpur has stockpiles of 59 million chickens, 800 million eggs, enough meat and fish.
"We pray for families who are beginning to feel the need because of the pandemic." “I often think: they are good people - priests, nuns - who lack the courage to go and serve the poor. Something is missing. What these people were missing, the doctors of the Law. They lost their memory, they lost what Jesus felt in his heart: that he was part of his own people ".
GDP per capita is growing, but also the destruction and exhaustion of environmental resources. Half of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere are emitted in the region. Woodland continues to be lost. The UN calls for improvements in waste management and defense against natural disasters.
The pontiff holds an "extraordinary moment of prayer" for the end of the coronavirus epidemic. "The Lord asks us and, in the midst of our tempest,” urges to show solidarity and have hope, above all to be converted. “It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to” the Lord and others.
Celebrations with people have been suspended because of the coronavirus outbreak. Three private TV channels will broadcast religious services live. Meetings and negotiations between the authorities and the Catholic association Komunitas Universal (KU) were crucial. Indonesian Catholics will not miss the universal prayer and Urbi et Orbi blessing tonight.
