The Church of the Nativity reopens on May 26th. Safety protocols are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 disease. Read the full story here.
Of Beards and Bubonic Plague: German Village Prays for a (2nd) Miracle
The historic decennial performance of the Oberammergau Passion Play has been postponed for at least two years. The entire village’s elaborate preparations and the history of the play’s origins in 1633 as the bubonic plague swept Europe are highlighted in this article. Read it at the New York Times.
A Somber Easter in Jerusalem
Deserted roads and shuttered businesses mark an Easter in Jerusalem overshadowed by coronavirus. Authorities have closed all cultural sites in the city in an effort to prevent the spread of deadly respiratory disease. Read the article by AFP at MSN.com
Pope’s Palm Sunday Mass
VIDEO: St. Peter’s Basilica-Celebration of Palm Sunday and of the Passion of the Lord-Recitation of the Angelus prayer
Pope’s Urbi et Orbi Prayer of March 27, 2020
VIDEO: From the Sagrato of St Peter’s Basilica, Moment of Prayer and the Urbi et Orbi Blessing, presided over by Pope Francis
Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre Closing for Coronavirus
Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre was closed on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, over concerns about the coronavirus. The church is revered in Christian tradition as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial. Read the article by Reuters.
Bethlehem’s Nativity Church Closes for Coronavirus
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem closes indefinitely ahead of the Easter holiday season. The decision is likely to devastate the vital tourism industry of the region. Read the article by Associated Press
Good Friday collection will aid Christians in Middle East
By Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Mar 12, 2018 / 10:22 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As the Vatican’s annual Good Friday Collection approaches, the head of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches has encouraged people to take pilgrimages to the Holy Land, in addition to supporting the local Christian communities through prayer and monetary assistance. “All of us […]