NEWS STORY
RNS-South-Saints: As pandemic ensues, Italy’s south turns to Pope Francis, saints
VATICAN CITY (RNS) – Positive coronavirus cases have started to grow in Italy’s very religious south, where high levels of unemployment and organized crime complicate the application of stringent rules to prevent the spread of the pandemic. But in this Catholic stronghold, many have turned to their faith for sustenance. By Claire Giangravè. 800 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Florida-Orders: Florida officials: Arrested pastor not exonerated by new order listing religious services as ‘essential’
(RNS) — When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a 30-day stay-at-home order on Wednesday (April 1), he noted that the regulations do not apply to “essential activities” such as religious services. But while the order may pave the way for faith leaders to hold some in-person religious gatherings, officials say it came too late to aid a pastor already arrested for hosting church services despite regulations barring large gatherings. By Jack Jenkins. 544 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Antiracist-Letter: Asian American Christians release statement against anti-Asian racism amid coronavirus
(RNS) — Asian American Christian leaders have published the “Statement on Anti-Asian Racism in the Time of COVID-19.” The statement already had gathered more than 6,500 signatures as of Thursday (April 2) morning. It came together quickly after Raymond Chang, a campus minister at Wheaton College outside Chicago, said he began messaging with Liou and Pastor Gabriel J. Catanus late last week, sharing instances of anti-Asian racism they’d seen and experienced in recent weeks. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 700 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Rosen-Oped: This won’t be the first ‘social distancing’ Passover
(RNS) — Today’s virtual meetups are in keeping with Judaism’s long tradition of social distancing in times of contagion, but this Passover many Jews are trying to strike a balance between technology and true community. By David Rosen. 822 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Reese-Oped: Is Trump killing his supporters?
(RNS) — Has President Donald Trump put the lives of his supporters at risk because of his early downplaying of the coronavirus epidemic? According to a poll taken by the Pew Research Center in mid-March, “59% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the outbreak is a major threat to the health of the U.S. population as a whole; only 33% of Republicans and Republican leaners say the same.” By Thomas Reese. 657 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Laurie-Oped: Trusting Jesus in the COVID-19 storm
(RNS) — We all know the feeling of the downward spiral of fear, anxiety and worry. We ‘start to sink’ when we forget God’s promises to us. We forget that he is in control of our lives. By Greg Laurie. 928 words. (category: k)
