Churches in China, where the coronavirus first emerged in December in the city of Wuhan, have kept in touch with their congregations online, but bishops have warned Catholics against some of the online prayer programmes.
These programmes include some where priests are maintaining that illness is a result of sin are not in line with the Catholic faith, said Bishop Peter Fang Jianping of Tangshan.
He particularly warned against the preaching of one priest, Fr Fei Zhisheng, based in Liaoning, northeast China, and said: “Everyone is reminded to stop sharing information about Fr Fei."
The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong has seen public Masses and other liturgies suspended since mid-February, in line with government health guidelines promoting social distancing, and many churches have been broadcasting services online.
However, some funerals and weddings booked before the outbreak have gone ahead. At a recent wedding at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in downtown Hong Kong, guests in face masks had their temperatures checked before entering the chapel. Nuns and volunteers were seen cleaning the pews after the ceremony. Hong Kong has reported 130 cases of Covid-19 and three deaths.
In the US, President Donald Trump declared Sunday a National Day of Prayer for delivery from the virus. Churches throughout the country were largely empty this past weekend as most bishops suspended services. In most jurisdictions, Catholic schools followed the example of their secular counterparts, closing for the next two weeks.
Bishops agonised over whether or not to cancel Masses. Bishop Edward Burns of Dallas announced the suspension of all public Masses. He said: “In order for all the Catholic faithful to be at peace and to live without any anxiety as well as to remove any conflicted conscience of whether or not they should attend Mass these days, as the shepherd of the diocese and out of affection for the faithful, I make this decision so that they may remain healthy and strong.”
The Archdiocese of Chicago announced that daily Mass would be broadcast on their YouTube channel from St James’ Chapel and weekend Mass from the cathedral. In Boston, where St Patrick’s Day is a public holiday and the cathedral is normally packed, Cardinal Sean O’Malley announced he would livestream the service, but that there could be no congregation.
With most schools closed, children in poverty who rely on meal programmes at school are an object of special concern as are elderly patients in nursing homes, closed to all visitors. Depleted church bank accounts after years of sex abuse settlements will have trouble coping with the expected uptick in charitable needs.
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, President of the bishops’ conference, called for prayers for the sick and for all medical personnel. “God does not abandon us, he goes with us even now in this time of trial and testing,” he said. ”In this moment, it is important for us to anchor our hearts in the hope that we have in Jesus Christ.”
The rising number of coronavirus cases in Brazil reached the inner circle of President Jair Bolsonaro week, as his press secretary Fabio Wajngarten tested positive. Bolsonaro confirmed on Friday that has test result came back negative. Both Bolsonaro and Wajngarten met Donald Trump on Saturday 7 March in the US President’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Mr Trump also tested negative for the virus.
The Carceral Pastoral group of the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference called on the government to release prisoners from the country's chronically overcrowded prisons, warning in a 13 March letter that the spread of coronavirus in Brazil's prisons would be "disastrous". They pointed to Iran, where thousands of prisoners were released to prevent spreading the virus.
One of the first cases of coronavirus in Peru is Fr Luis Núñez Del Prado Reynoso of the Diocese of Lurín. He is in critical condition in a Lima hospital, after being diagnosed on 11 March. Núñez, 47, has not travelled out of Peru recently, but met with European clergy at the end of February in Lima. He is in critical condition with acute respiratory failure.
Peruvian health authorities have made contact with more than 100 families that attend his parish to monitor potential cases.
The Archbishop of Lima, Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio, returned from a visit to Rome last week and said he would enter a period of quarantine.
The first two confirmed cases of coronavirus were announced in Venezuela on 13 March and by the next day, officials raised the total to 10. The country's already over-taxed medical system is ill-prepared for the virus. President Nicolás Maduro appeared on national television in a face mask to announce measures including immediate closing of schools.
Colombian President Iván Duque announced the closure of his country’s border with Venezuela. Colombia currently has 16 confirmed cases. About 4.5 million Venezuelans have fled in recent years and Colombia is one of their main destinations. Many Venezuelans living in Colombia are not registered in the health system, raising concerns of how they will be able to seek treatment in the case of infection.
The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference published a list of recommendations to reduce the transmission of the virus, recommending that people stay at home instead of attending church services if they are not feeling well and receive the Eucharist in the hand.
Public Masses have been suspended in Manila Archdiocese to help stop coronavirus spread in the densely populated city of 12 million people. Bishop Broderick Pabillo, auxiliary in Manila, ordered the cancellation after Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte placed Manila in a citywide lockdown. The bishop asked for compassion, care and resilience in the face of the “medical emergency” and suggested “everybody should refrain from touching and kissing statues and sacred images” and avoid panic buying.
Myanmar’s Catholic Church is conducting a campaign of prayer, solidarity and support for those fighting the coronavirus pandemic. A prayer chain has focused on special intentions for "all the brothers, sisters and countries affected by this sad scourge", said Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon. Although Myanmar has no reported cases, the spread of the virus in neighbouring Southeast Asian countries keeps the whole country on the alert.Mass gatherings are banned, including public celebrations in Holy Week.
On Sunday, two new cases in Kenya that brought the total number to three prompted the government to shut all schools and learning institutions.
On Saturday 14 March the Church, among several guidelines, urged priests to maintain a high level of hygiene during and after communion. The faithful were required to wave at each other instead of exchanging peace handshakes, and those with colds were urged to voluntarily abstain from celebrations.
By 16 March, 26 African countries had confirmed cases with South Africa closing down all schools, issuing visa ban and shutting its borders. With the first death, Algeria also closed schools.
Early in March African bishops, through the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar urged the people to adopt the highest level of preventive measures to curb the spread.“We encourage all the faithful to meticulously follow the instructions given by the civil and ecclesiastic authorities regarding the virus,” said Cardinal Philippe Ouédroago of Burkina Faso.
In Luxembourg, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich entered quarantine. Hollerich has been at home since Thursday evening after an employee of the archdiocese tested positive for the virus, domradio reported.
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