Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

CORONAVIRUS: Coronavirus restrictions could renew appreciation for community, faith

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By Carol Zimmermann, Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) — During the coronavirus pandemic, life as most people have known it, including parish life, has come to a halt. But despite closed churches, canceled parish gatherings and limited outreach, many church leaders are emphasizing that Catholics can take this time of recommended isolation and pause of […]

As the church becomes more diverse, the Catholic vote becomes harder to define

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Faith politics By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — In the last presidential election, some political pundits referred to the “Catholic vote,” one that predicted Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency, and one that aligned in 2016 with the voting constituency that landed him the White House: overwhelmingly white and politically conservative voters. But […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: When Gospel accounts conflict, Politics from the pulpit

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QUESTION CORNER Q: In the Gospel for the feast of the Epiphany, Matthew indicates that the Magi visited with King Herod in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ birth and that apparently very soon after their visit, the Holy Family fled to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod and stayed there until Herod had […]

CORONAVIRUS: How Italy went from ‘wash your hands’ to ‘stay at home’

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By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service ROME — Acknowledging how difficult it can be to adapt to restrictive measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, Pope Francis told people watching his morning Mass March 12 that it was for “our own good.” After two Chinese tourists in Rome tested positive for COVID-19 on […]

CORONAVIRUS: Public will not be admitted to papal Holy Week liturgies

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By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The Vatican office that distributes free tickets to papal events has posted a notice on its website that “the liturgical celebrations of Holy Week will take place without the physical presence of the faithful.” While public gatherings, including Masses, have been banned in Italy through April […]

Carolyn Woo: Integrity: To whom does it matter?

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OUR GLOBAL FAMILY On Fat Tuesday, I gave a talk titled, “Business as a Force for Good.” A gentleman from the back haltingly raised a question, “What would you do when all your competitors cheat?” This is a common inquiry. People want to do good, but they are subjected to an increasingly lax moral environment […]

CORONAVIRUS: Pope makes mini-pilgrimage outside Vatican to pray for end of pandemic

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By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service ROME — With Italy on lockdown and Rome streets almost deserted, Pope Francis left the Vatican March 15 in a mini-pilgrimage to an icon and to a crucifix associated with miraculous interventions to save the city and its people. The icon is “Salus Populi Romani” (health of the Roman […]

CORONAVIRUS: Churches around the world begin canceling Masses in effort to stem COVID-19 pandemic

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By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — In an effort to stem the pandemic of COVID-19, bishops’ conferences and dioceses around the world began suspending public Masses. The measures were designed to “flatten the curve,” an effort to ease the burden on the health care system so treatment is available. In Italy, the health care system […]

Citing cold, Pope Francis skips Lenten retreat with Curia

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By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Continuing his recovery from a mild cold, Pope Francis said that he would be unable to attend his annual Lenten retreat with Roman Curia officials. “Unfortunately, my cold forces me to not participate,” the pope told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square March 1 for his […]