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With the news that dozens of people were suffocating to death due to a lack of oxygen in hospitals in the Amazon city of Manaus, Catholic bishops made a plea for the supply of an essential element for survival.

The vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in the Vatican which began on Wednesday continues with both Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI receiving their first doses of the vaccine.

The Congregation for Divine Worship releases a note laying out the procedures priests around the world are to follow for the distribution of ashes at the start of Lent.

"I think this is a time of conversion for Sweden," Cardinal Arborelius told Catholic News Service Jan 8. "We now have more than 9,000 deaths for quite a small population. If we compare with the other Nordic countries, we must realize that we have not been able to do what we were supposed to do."

Dr. Kevin Reichmuth, pulmonologist, at the at Bryan Health debunk some of the fake news about vaccines.

The Vatican's doctrinal office said that when alternative vaccines are not available, it is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines developed or tested using cell lines originating from aborted fetuses.

Solidarity, our communion with one another, requires that we shoulder responsibility to assure that another key principle of Catholic social teaching, the common good of the human family, is achieved.

"Last night, I got a text message that there were 10 people receiving the vaccine. And I was one of them. I was excited, grateful, humbled," Smialkowski said Dec. 16. "I think it contributes to the success of keeping my family safe, my co-workers safe, my friends. I just feel like it's just a start. It's a start to get us back to the new normal."

Pope Francis pledged Vatican City State would achieve net-zero carbon emissions before the year 2050, and he urged everyone in the world to be part of a new culture of care for others and the planet. "The time has come for a change in direction. Let us not rob the new generations of their hope in a better future," he said in a video message for a global summit.

The life-size ceramic statues hold a cultural heritage not immediately visible to the eye, adding to the excitment and anticipation they bring as they recount the story of the birth of baby Jesus.

The "gravity" of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and "the lack of availability of alternative vaccines," are "sufficiently serious" reasons to accept the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the chairmen of the U.S. bishops' doctrine and pro-life committees said Dec. 14.

Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann, Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas and Chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and of Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades, Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend and Chairman of the Committee on Doctrine, address moral concerns about the creation of a vaccine for COVID-19. The statement may also be found on the USCCB website.

The Vatican health service will begin vaccinating employees and Vatican citizens against COVID-19 using the Pfizer vaccine, the director of the Vatican health service told Vatican News.

Our acute healthcare system is experiencing heavy stress and is near the breaking point. If our community does not take immediate action to slow or stop the spread of COVID-19 in Pima County, the results for the healthcare delivery system could be catastrophic.

Bishop Weisenburger encourages us all to wear masks, wash your hands, stay home if you don't feel well

After consideration of input from pastors, deacons and the faithful, Bishop Weiseburger has issued the following liturgical protocols effective November 30, 2020, Monday of the First Week of Advent.

As the number of COVID-19 cases rises dramatically in the U.S., Canada and around the world, government officials almost universally have returned to stricter lockdowns, with U.S. officials even urging families to reconsider how many people to host on Thanksgiving dinner or perhaps cancel the holiday meal altogether.

While confusion has arisen in recent days in the media over "the moral permissibility" of using the COVID-19 vaccines just announced by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna, it is not "immoral to be vaccinated with them," the chairmen of the U.S. bishops' doctrine and pro-life committees said Nov. 23.

Mexico's bishops, the Mexico City government and other religious and civil authorities have announced the closure of the basilica Dec. 10-13, 2020, due to COVID-19 concerns. Normally an estimated 8 million pilgrims visit the basilica for the Dec. 12 feast of the national patroness.

Sin embargo, sabíamos que todo esto no iba a ser suficiente para detener el virus y, el 12 de noviembre tuvimos que cerrar nuestra Iglesia porque yo salí positivo. No es suficiente, pero si ha sido de mucha ayuda en la lucha contra esta enfermedad.