CFN News Roundup: Coronavirus Update, Pius XII Archives Opened

In this episode, CFN Editor-in-Chief Brian McCall and Managing Editor Matt Gaspers discuss the following news items:

Coronavirus Update
- As of this morning, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported the existence of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in over 80 countries around the globe.
- Officials from the Lourdes Shrine in France announced on Feb. 28 that the baths containing the miraculous water (in which sick persons typically immerse themselves) “have been closed until further notice,” although the shrine itself remains open.
- In response, a petition is now circulating online which urges shrine officials “to cancel the decree closing the pools of Lourdes and to reopen them immediately for pilgrims”.
- The Latin Mass Society of England & Wales has issued a statement “On COVID-19 and the Reception of Holy Communion at Celebrations of the Mass according to the Extraordinary Form”.
- The Vatican has postponed the “Global Compact on Education” summit, which was schedule for mid-May, until mid-October due to “[t]he uncertainty linked to the Coronavirus”.
Secret Archives on Pius XII’s Pontificate Opened
- “From Monday, 2 March 2020, the Vatican Apostolic Archives, alongside several other archives of the Holy See on the pontificate of Pius XII (1939 – 1958), have been opened to consultation by scholars.” (Vatican News)
- Edward Pentin, reporting for the National Catholic Register, explains that “as historians and researchers begin to scour some 2 million documents for information, most attention will be paid to what they reveal about Pius’ actions and attitudes toward the Jews and the Nazis during the Second World War. But it is what is disclosed about other historical matters that might ultimately be more significant.”