The Vatican published an apostolic letter on 25 March commemorating the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri. The letter coincided with Italy’s celebration of Dante Day. Pope Francis said the Italian poet gave the world a lasting treasure that embodies the virtue of hope “so desperately needed in today’s world”. The author of The Divine Comedy had issued “enduring warnings and insights … for humanity as a whole, not simply believers.” Dante’s work was “an integral part of our culture, taking us back to the Christian roots of Europe and the West”.The Pope noted that Dante Day coincided with the feast of the Annunciation which “held a special place in the life and work of the supreme poet … a witness to the innate yearning for the infinite that is present in the human heart.”
Pope Francis on 25 March named Cardinal Jose Fuerte Advincula as the next archbishop of Manila in the Philippines, succeeding Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. Advincula is the current archbishop of Capiz, central Philippines. Tagle was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples on 8 December 2019.
A Staten Island ferry boat - connecting with Manhattan - has been named in honour of Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement. She “lived a life of tremendous selflessness and service”, said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on 26 March. Day had lived on Staten Island. New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan felt it appropriate that a ferry honoured a woman, “who devoted her life to moving people from war to peace, from emptiness to fullness, from isolation to belonging”.
Churches have held funerals for multiple victims of munitions explosions at a military base in Equatorial Guinea’s main city, Bata, which killed more than 100 people and injured more than 600.Almost all buildings and homes in the city suffered "huge damage" on 7 March, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema said.The Sisters of Charity of Saint Anne in Bata offered medical supplies and support while parishes and Catholic schools have accommodated homeless families. The Salesian educational centre near Bata shelters more than 100 people and 200 others come every day for meals.
Fourteen people were injured in a suicide bombing outside a church in Makassar City on Palm Sunday. Two suspected bombers on a motorbike died. The two are believed to be newlyweds with suspected militant links who used a pressure cooker to blow themselves up. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo condemned the attack as an “act of terror” and Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas urged police to increase security measures at places of worship.During a Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis offered a prayer for the victims of the attack.
The Vatican City State took part in the annual “Earth Hour” initiative last Saturday evening, 27 March, and turned off for an hour non-essential lights of the dome and the facade of St Peter's Basilica, as well as the colonnade. Organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature “Earth Hour” is a global campaign to raise awareness of ecological footprints. The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro was in darkness for an hour.
Parishes in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, provided emergency accommodation for the elderly and displaced families and a stranded bride had to be airlifted to her wedding in Taree after recent floods destroyed homes and caused extensive damage in the Australian state. The St Vincent de Paul Society in the state has launched a flood appeal to help those affected by the heavy rains and flooding across Eastern Australia. Pope Francis said at his General Audience on 24 March that he felt close to “the people and families who are affected by this calamity, especially those who have seen their homes destroyed.” He thanked relief workers assisting around 40,000 people who have been displaced.
A Vatican conference, organised online on 25 March to mark World Water Day, has urged that oceans be better protected to continue to support healthy lifeon the planet. Oceans host 80 per cent of all life and absorb 25 per cent of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, said conference moderator, Alessandro Lovatelli, an oceanographer and marine biologist.The Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development was the key organiser. Fr Augusto Zampini, adjunct secretary of the dicastery, said pollution, overfishing, biodiversity loss and degradation are results of an “extractive mentality” and an unfair and unjust development model that “we are all part of”.
The Bangladesh Catholic Bishops’ Justice and Peace Commission, human rights campaigners and refugees have demanded immediate removal of barbed wire fences surrounding Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, which they blame for entrapping thousands of refugees during a recent fatal fire. Flames ripped through Balukhali refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar on 22 March, leaving 15 people dead, hundreds injured or missing and about 27,000 people homeless. "We are assessing the needs of refugees to deliver aid to them quickly," said the Caritas Rohingya project in Cox’s Bazar, one of the aid groups on site.
In a message on 24 March,the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan, Pope Francis stressed the Muslim-majority nation’s secular ethos and cordial links with the Vatican. However, the celebrations were tainted by violence last weekend over the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mark the Golden Jubilee. Clashes between Islamist protesters and police left at least 13 dead and scores injured.
Pope Francis has ordered a 10 per cent pay cut for cardinals along with a reduction in salaries of senior priests and religious working in the Vatican in order to save jobs of employees as the Covid pandemic fallout hits the Holy See’s income. Francis has insisted he does not want to fire any staff, even as the Holy See faces a 50 million euro deficit in 2021. The revenue-generating Vatican Museums have been closed for large parts of the past year. Cardinals who work for the Vatican or are resident in Rome are believed to get salaries of 4,000 to 5,000 euros a month while many live in large apartments at well below market rents.
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