COVID-19

The Latest

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Catholic survey shows ‘shocking’ impact of church closures during COVID pandemic

Dec 12, 2023

By Daniel Payne

A survey released this month by a British Catholic organization demonstrates what the group says were the “shocking” effects of... Read more

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FACT CHECK: Did 118 participants at the Synod on Synodality really come down with COVID?

Oct 9, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

After consulting doctors, Cardinal Mario Grech said there was no reason to be alarmed about the spread of COVID at... Read more

A Dutch church closed because of the global Coronavirus pandemic.

COVID on the rise again: Which states now protect churches from closure?

Sep 15, 2023

By Jonah McKeown, Zelda Caldwell

CNA compiled data on which states now protect houses of worship as “essential” and which do not. Check out our... Read more

People sitting in pews in church. Stock photo via Shutterstock.

Generation Xers’ church attendance drops to millennial levels, survey suggests

Aug 3, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

Church attendance has dropped off since the pandemic for Generation X more sharply than for other age groups since the... Read more

Apple, books, schools supplies /

National data shows U.S. students still ‘stalled’ after pandemic

Jul 12, 2023

By Daniel Payne

The NWEA noted that the decline was sharper than what was observed in 2021-2022. Read more

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New Virginia law offers churches additional protections against being shut down  

Jul 11, 2023

By Daniel Payne

The new provision stems from concerns during the COVID-19 crisis that churches were being subject to overly strict pandemic mitigation... Read more

United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch poses for an official portrait at the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court building on Oct. 7, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch blasts COVID lockdowns, closing of churches

May 23, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

Justice Neil Gorsuch called the COVID-19 emergency orders possibly “the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of... Read more

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Holy Communion from the chalice reintroduced in the UK: What about the U.S.?

Mar 2, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

The bishops of England and Wales announced that the distribution of holy Communion from the chalice during Mass will resume... Read more

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U.S. Catholic school growth slows after two years of notable increases, data show

Feb 10, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

The NCEA reported that Catholic school enrollment grew by 0.3% last year but remains lower than pre-pandemic levels. Read more

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In pandemic’s wake, churchgoing takes a hit, survey indicates

Jan 9, 2023

By Kevin J. Jones

“The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted much of American society, including religious worship,” said a January 2023 report on the survey “Faith... Read more

Pope Francis speaks during his general audience on Oct. 26, 2022.

In World Peace Day message, Pope Francis asks, ‘What did we learn from the pandemic?’

Dec 16, 2022

By Courtney Mares

In a message sent to heads of state across the world, Francis asked leaders to reflect on what lessons can... Read more

A crowd accompanied Nathanael Alberione in his ordination on Nov. 21, 2022.

He was in a coma for 50 days due to COVID and was just ordained a priest

Nov 23, 2022

By CNA Staff

Nathanael Alberione was ordained a priest Nov. 21, after he became so sick with COVID that he didn't think he... Read more

Caden Bennett and Madeleine Sri started their own business, Little Way of Perfection, while students at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

These college students started a coffee business that was inspired by a prayer

Nov 12, 2022

By Francesca Pollio Fenton

When Madeleine Sri and Caden Bennett met as students at Benedictine College, little did they know they would become co-owners... Read more

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Sunday Mass obligation re-instituted for Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago

Nov 8, 2022

By Joe Bukuras

The restoration of the Sunday Mass obligation goes into effect on Nov. 26 and 27, the First Sunday of Advent. Read more

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COVID setback: Public school students in some grades lost more ground than Catholic school students

Oct 26, 2022

By Joe Bukuras

More than 90% of Catholic schools held in-person learning for five days a week during the pandemic. Only about 56%... Read more

Cardinal Joseph Zen speaks during a Mass at the Holy Cross Church on May 24, 2022, in Hong Kong, China. The cardinal was set to stand trial on Sept. 19, 2022, in connection to his role as a trustee of a pro-democracy legal fund, which he and other trustees are accused of failing to register civilly. The trial was delayed.

Cardinal Zen’s trial has been delayed due to COVID

Sep 19, 2022

By Jonah McKeown

The criminal trial of Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong has been delayed after the judge tested positive for... Read more

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DC Catholic schools must comply with district's COVID-19 vaccination rules for students 12 and older

Aug 3, 2022

By Edie Heipel

Parents seeking a religious exemption must now provide additional information to support their request. Read more

Members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales gathered for their Spring Plenary Assembly in Cardiff, May 5, 2022.

As Covid-19 weakens, time for Catholics in England and Wales to return to Mass, bishops say

May 9, 2022

By Kevin J. Jones

Catholics in England and Wales should come back to Mass now that the dangers of the Covid-19 pandemic have receded,... Read more

Archbishop Georg Gänswein in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 25, 2019.

Benedict XVI's secretary in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19

Apr 21, 2022

By Courtney Mares

Gänswein has been in isolation since April 11, a time period that included all of the Easter Triduum and Benedict... Read more

Religious sisters pray during the Regina caeli with Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square May 2, 2021.

Masks no longer necessary inside churches in Spain

Apr 20, 2022

By ACI Prensa

Given the improvement in the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, a Royal Decree published Wednesday states that the... Read more