Saint Thomas Aquinas observes that man lives by relating on three levels: with himself, with society, and with God. His sin provokes a triple punishment: “one from himself, which is the remorse of conscience; another from men; a third from God”.  But the primary intention of God is neither a punitive nor a vengeful outburst, but simply that we may be converted so that we may turn to him.

Christianity has always addressed both individuals and nations. Abortion, euthanasia, the destruction of human embryos, divorce, homosexual adoptions: these are the "structures of sin" described by St. John Paul II. Together they form a deposit of individual sins that become social evils. This is why it is critical the Church goes back to preaching about conversion. And not just the conversion of man, but of society as well.

«There are also priests today who are capable of heroic gestures, but they are personal initiatives. There is no mobilisation of the clergy that defined the Church in past times of plague.” “We have instead the perception of a Church that is barricaded. The gates that close off St. Peter’s Square are a symbol of this.” The closing of Lourdes? “It really saddened me; it is the first time in history; I understand there is a real risk, but you cannot test God.” “Obeying civil authorities is a duty, if they are legitimate and do not go against the faith, but this does not mean that Mass could not be celebrated under certain conditions.” Vittorio Messori, the most well-known Catholic writer in the world, speaks about the Church in the time of the coronavirus.

The government decrees and bishops decisions which have closed churches or limited access do not have any basis in reality. There is no risk that a large group of people will gather nor that infection will spread, and we demonstrate why. In fact the opposite is true: visiting the Lord, in his House, is an experience that is full of grace, especially in this time of trial. If you have not already done so during these days, go without any fear and you will find out why it is a source of grace!

Original sin establishes the first relationship between man's sin and punishment. But is suffering only the result of breaking an equilibrium or is there also a positive intervention from God? The Bible takes into account a varied reality, which involves different kinds of divine action. The Old Testament interprets some natural disasters and painful situations as God's punishing interventions. The New Testament also describes a chastening action of God, but reveals definitively that His purpose is always - in respect for human freedom - our salvation.

The bishops of Portugal and Spain are carrying out an epochal salvific act with the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We implore  all bishops to imitate them today. The Lord is allowing, in His infinite mercy, that we experience first-hand the great fragility of man, of his health, of his economic systems, of his earthly certainties. And He is making it clear to the whole world. This is a great warning, and it would be wrong and a harbinger of disastrous consequences not to accept it.

We are at the mercy of fear and panic, so we must seek to understand the language of God by asking him with open and humble hearts: Lord, what do you want me to do? Let’s do something worthwhile: lets make vows. God is speaking to us in an eloquent way. Are you cooped up at home? Then let’s make a vow to dedicate more time to Him on the Lord’s Day. Are we deprived of the Mass? Let’s make a vow to return to Mass when it is celebrated again without being full of pride.

“The pandemic has brought to light the precariousness of the human being and exposed the individualist lie, which has favored the breaking of bonds with the family, with tradition and with God.” The Spanish bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla explained to The Daily Compass why he has decided not to suspend Masses with the faithful: “The Holy Mass is heaven on earth, and without it man loses his soul.” The coronavirus is a blow for “the pride of globalism and our technocratic society,” but also for the Church that now “ought to turn to the decisive questions of human salvation.”

Asia‘s Catholic news agency, UcaNews, has denounced the Holy See for failing to open the process of beatification of Cardinal Kung Pinmei in order not to displease Beijing. Meanwhile, dozens of British signatories are petitioning the Holy See for an immediate end to its agreement with China.

It is being said that anyone who is asking for the celebration of Mass to be reinstated, anyone who is going to church to pray, anyone looking for a priest to ask for confession and the Eucharist, is a selfish person. And yet, whether we are thinking of ourselves, of people dear to us or who are more at risk, what should make us most afraid is not death but rather leaving this world in fear and without being well-prepared for death. Death must not become something taboo for the Church: it is what we most need to hear about, as well as hope for eternal life.

A new decree by the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Angelo De Donatis, revokes the decision made just a few hours earlier to close the churches of Rome, after the pope thundered at his morning Mass in Santa Marta against “drastic measures.” And so the churches in Rome are reopening, but Cardinal De Donatis wrote to the pastors of Rome and revealed that the decision to close churches was made by the Pope. The protests by many of the faithful and alarmed phone calls from bishops and cardinals convinced him to make a U-turn. A disturbing spectacle of a church hierarchy in a state of confusion. And now may the bishops have the courage to reinstate public Masses with the faithful (obeying all security and health directives).

The disturbing story of Rome’s churches – first ordered closed and then reopened  –  clearly reveals a Church bent on living for today and unaware that God’s is worth more than our present lives. Precisely because of the seriousness of the epidemic, it is necessary to lift suspensions on public Masses, even if it means taking necessary precautions.