page_title: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Catholic Church
hierarchical_section_title: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Catholic Church
caption_attribution_description: English: Chaplain 1st Lt. Philip O'Neill prepares for a virtual mass. Following the directions of the President and Governor Ricketts, in response to the CoronaVirus pandemic, the base chapel here is changing the format of all worship services from in-person to virtual worshipping.
context_page_description: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted liturgical celebrations of the Catholic Church worldwide. The Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need stated that the pandemic has not become "just a medical, social and economic problem, but also a pastoral problem", which leaded ACN to start encouraging a special program for the actions of priests and religious against the virus spread.
  All over the world, many churches have suspended the presence of the faithful in their Masses, and resorted to virtual services for broadcasting the celebrations, such as live streaming or other ones, like television and radio. The Vatican announced that the Holy Week celebrations in Rome, which take place at the end of Lent — Christian penitential period —, would be canceled. The Diocese of Rome closed its churches and chapels, the St. Peter's Square was empty of believers, while other dioceses, such as the Archdiocese of New York, although they canceled the masses, their churches remained open for prayer. In Spain, many cities have canceled their Holy Week festivities.
context_section_description: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted liturgical celebrations of the Catholic Church worldwide. The Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) stated that the pandemic has not become "just a medical, social and economic problem, but also a pastoral problem", which leaded ACN to start encouraging a special program for the actions of priests and religious against the virus spread.
  All over the world, many churches have suspended the presence of the faithful in their Masses, and resorted to virtual services for broadcasting the celebrations, such as live streaming or other ones, like television and radio. The Vatican announced that the Holy Week celebrations in Rome, which take place at the end of Lent — Christian penitential period —, would be canceled. The Diocese of Rome closed its churches and chapels, the St. Peter's Square was empty of believers, while other dioceses, such as the Archdiocese of New York, although they canceled the masses, their churches remained open for prayer. In Spain, many cities have canceled their Holy Week festivities. This event is usually celebrated with parades and significant collections with tourism; in Seville, it was the first time that events were canceled since 1933. Due to the interruption of several Catholic religious activities (if not their totality), Pope Francis greatly encouraged the prayer of the Holy Rosary.
caption: An American military chaplain prepares for a live-streamed service in an empty chapel at Offutt Air Force Base in March 2020
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