A European-wide family association has issued a call for greater solidarity between EU member States during the coronavirus outbreak. They also underlined the central importance of the family as the primary social unit of every society.

The Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) represents 27 national and local associations including Family Solidarity in Ireland.

In a press release yesterday, they said no European family should feel abandoned by the institutions. “In this moment where fear and disorientation might seem to prevail, we wish to reaffirm the fundamental importance of the family: the corona-virus outbreak in Europe is an occasion to rediscover the role of the family as the primary social unit of our communities”.

They added that they support greater solidarity between member States and expressed confidence “in the financial coordinating role of the European institutions which guarantees the effectiveness of the initiatives to be carried out in favour of families”.

 “At the European level, it is high time to show our adherence to the basic principles that unite us all: solidarity, subsidiarity and common good”, they concluded.

In northern Italy’s city of Bergamo, six Catholic priests have died during the past week from the coronavirus disease and, as of Sunday, over 20 priests were hospitalised.

The Bishop of Bergamo, Francesco Beschi, confirmed this numbers speaking with the Italian TV news network RaiNews24.

“Our priests are many, and numerous are those who have exposed themselves [to the virus] to be close to their community,” he said Sunday. “Their illness is an evident sign of closeness, a painful sign of closeness and sharing in the suffering.”

Beschi also said that no one is “exempt” during this “extremely painful trial.”

Bergamo today is the Italian province with the highest number of people who’ve fallen ill. The number of deaths in Bergamo is also growing exponentially, with an estimated 50 people dying daily in this region due to the virus.

Western nations have an obligation to defend Nigerian Christians being slaughtered by Boko Haram since many are being killed because the militant group views them as being “allies of the West,” says one Catholic priest from the African country.

According to Father Joseph Bature Fidelis of the Diocese of Maiduguri, “the rise of militant groups is growing very high and that should be the concern of Western leaders to say ‘we need to step in there and we need to help these people.’”

“It is very clearly stated by Boko Haram that they are persecuting Christians because they fear Christians are allies of the West,” he told Crux during a visit to the U.S. sponsored by the international papal charity Aid to the Church in Need, which supports suffering Christians around the globe.

While Bature said that Christians in Nigeria aren’t necessarily allies “in the strictest sense,” Boko Haram has targeted them for their support of Western civilization and Western education.

Dr. Leandro Rodriguez Lastra’s 14-month suspended prison sentence has been confirmed and he will also be suspended from all public appointments for 28 months, as was decided by the first judges last May.

The appeal judgment on Wednesday was a divided decision, where one judge considered Rodriguez Lastra not guilty against the two others, Miguel Angel Cardella and Maria Rita Custet Llambí, who went further than the original trial judges.

Judge Cardella said the accused did not take into account the mother’s will “to decide about her body and health; they made her give birth. That’s gender-based and obstetric violence.”

The unborn child at the centre of the case is now a two-year-old little boy who is alive and well today.

Rodriguez Lastra’s lawyer, Damián Torres, told the local press that he considered the decision to be “ideological.”

Catholic leaders have told the Department of Justice it is experiencing “much difficulty” in securing visas for religious personnel coming to Ireland from missionary countries, particularly India, Pakistan, Nigeria, North Korea and China. Protestant churches are experiencing the same trouble.

The Association of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland (Amri), which represents the leaders of 180 congregations, said this was causing “immense pressure, difficulty and confusion” for its members.

A pre-clearance procedure to streamline entry to the state by religious ministers was introduced in April 30, 2018. The association says this is not working, because of the strict definition of “minister of religion”. Some of those refused entry were not ordained or had taken final vows but were coming to Ireland to finish their formation. A requirement to show financial independence was problematic for those who had taken vows of poverty. A six-year maximum stay requirement was impossible for those moving to Ireland to take on leadership positions. And, while priests can provide an ordination certificate, female religious have no equivalent documentation to prove their status.

A constitutional challenge to abortion exclusion zones in the UK will not be heard by the UK Supreme Court. Alina Dulgheriu had taken a case against a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) around an abortion facility in the London Borough of Ealing. Introduced in April 2018, the Order criminalises activities including silent prayer and offers of help. The young mother had herself received help from a now-banned group and argued that the Order violates the fundamental rights to freedom of speech and assembly. Ms. Dulgheriu is now considering an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Commenting on the case, Laurence Wilkinson, Legal Counsel for ADF International in London, said that the disproportionate and wide-ranging measure taken by Ealing Council “poses a serious threat to freedom of speech and assembly”.

“ It sets a negative precedent and outlaws even the most compassionate offer of assistance. In refusing permission to appeal, the Supreme Court has denied Alina the opportunity to argue her case before the highest court in the country and failed to recognise the human rights violations caused by the Order. Free societies must be free to discuss even ideas some consider controversial rather than simply criminalising them. Evidence shows that hundreds of women – like Alina – have accepted the help offered by peaceful pro-life groups outside abortion facilities,” he said.

Two pro-life Swedish midwives have been denied an application to the European Court of Human Rights to have their conscientious objection cases heard.

Ellinor Grimmark and Linda Steen refused to perform abortions for conscientious reasons and were then denied employment as midwives in Sweden. After going through Swedish courts, they appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, but in a short written decision Thursday, the Court found the application inadmissible.

Representing the midwives, Robert Clarke, Deputy Director of ADF International, said they were “very disappointed” with the Court’s decision.

“A positive judgment from the Court would have been an important step in the protection of the right to freedom of conscience. Medical professionals should be able to work without being forced to choose between their deeply held convictions and their careers.  Although freedom of conscience is protected as a fundamental right in almost every other European country, the decision today marks a missed opportunity to uphold this important protection in Sweden. In its short written decision, the Court agreed that Sweden had interfered with the rights of these midwives. However, in failing to take up the case, the decision marks a dangerous departure from the Court’s purpose in protecting fundamental freedoms.”

Belgium’s Euthanasia Commission announced that 2,655 Belgians were killed by euthanasia in 2019. The figures represent an increase of 12.5% compared to the previous year. One child is confirmed to have been killed.

Belgium legalised euthanasia in 2002 and there has been a consistent increase in the numbers being killed by it since then.

The law is not restricted to the terminally ill or to adults as children and people with psychiatric conditions are also eligible to be killed there.

Despite its laxity, legislators are looking to expand the law further to permit euthanasia based on having reached a ‘completed life’ which would not require any physical suffering at all as a pre-condition.

John Deighan of SPUC UK said the worsening situation in Belgium is an example of the ‘slippery slope’ in operation.

“Here in the UK, we cannot make the same mistake. We must oppose every move to legalise euthanasia and assisted suicide. That would be a tragic step towards creating a culture where people feel their best option in life is to die.

“There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ law on assisted suicide. And we cannot hide behind the idea that it is always a ‘voluntary’ act. Once assisted suicide is legal, disabled, sick and elderly people can easily be made to feel that they ought to choose death.

Underground Christian churches in the city of Wuhan delivered vital medical aid to the city’s residents in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak.

According to William Huang, a China and East Asia researcher, churches often delivered masks and protective gear in the early days of the outbreak, whilst the rest of China recoiled in horror as the government-sponsored Wuhan Red Cross failed to distribute much needed resources to the frontlines, leaving many medical staff exposed and frustrated.

Writing for Mercatornet, he said as medical masks lay idle in a Red Cross warehouse or get siphoned off by Wuhan local officials, one pastor and his team managed to deliver 400 N95 masks, 1000 gloves and 1000 protective goggles to the Wuhan Central Hospital, the workplace of the deceased whistleblower Dr Li Wenliang.

“Most of those donations were sent directly by overseas believers from Taiwan, Hong Kong and North America. An additional 30,000 face masks were handed out on the street by the members of Luo’s team in the first week of the quarantine,” he wrote.