Should Church buildings now be closed following the further severe restrictions announced last evening by An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and Minister for Health, Simon Harris?

Seamus Ahearne is reflecting on the imposed restrictions and like many is making discoveries about himself: "I need people! The empty house. The silence. The absence of banter. The non-visiting. The non-communion (2 metres)."
But there is also the awareness that "We have been given so much. We cannot take it for granted.  The virus tells us of this being one world and that we share a common world. We all belong. We all need each other."

A proposal of how we can mark the occasion of Easter when we cannot gather to celebrate......
Any other practical ideas, in keeping with best practice Public Health guidelines?

Brendan Hoban, in his Western People column, says that our response to the corona virus pandemic "depends on how, as a people, we respond to the challenges facing us and whether our traditional ability to pull together to do what has to be done will serve us in the days and weeks and months ahead"

With the horrific death toll from the Coronavirus pandemic in Italy now rising towards 5,500 the Catholic News Agency reports that at least 60 Italian priests have died from COVID-19

Tony Flannery, in his own blog, cites the fact that scripture scholars are now saying much, and more, of what he was silenced for ten years ago. The difference is that there is now no problem with scholars expressing their thoughts and opinions and engaging in a healthy discussion of the topics involved.

Seamus Ahearne was somewhat redundant on Sunday morning. "I read the Morning Prayer very slowly. I had to do it out-loud.  Otherwise, it was in danger of being rushed thoughtlessly.  And my mind retreated to the past.  The long distant past."

Chris McDonnell in the Catholic Times recounts the life of Ernesto Cardenal, Priest, Poet and Politician, who died recently at the age of 95

Seamus Ahearne gives his thoughts on the reality we are now face with. "A new Religion may be taking shape just now. It is forced on us.  Communion is expressed by keeping distance."

Note from the Apostolic Penitentiary on the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the current pandemic.