A federal appeals court backed the Biden administration in a Sept. 30 ruling saying officials can resume using a Trump-era public health provision to expel migrants who crossed the border illegally, citing coronavirus concerns.
While men and women have a responsibility to be vaccinated against COVID-19, they also have a responsibility to engage in dialogue with those who are hesitant, rather than trying to force them, said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia.
Cardinal Raymond L. Burke said he is continuing steady progress in his recovery from COVID-19, but explained that it is slow going in a letter to supporters and friends.
Responding to questions from parishes and schools, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said it will be developing guidance for employees and students on vaccine mandates and COVID-19 testing after the federal government issues formal rules.
Becoming vaccinated and wearing a face mask are "genuine acts of love" that can protect friends, neighbors and "our own health" during the widening coronavirus pandemic, said Bishop Mark E. Brennan of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia.
July saw record encounters between Customs and Border Protection agents and people attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border -- 213,000 in total, said U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas during an Aug. 12 trip to McAllen and Brownsville in Texas.
Cardinal Raymond L. Burke remained hospitalized for COVID-19 but as of Aug. 21 he was taken off a ventilator that he had been on for some days and taken out of the ICU to be returned to a regular hospital room, according to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse.
A Catholic has a right to seek an exemption from a vaccine requirement, but that decision shouldn’t depend on a priest’s confirmation, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said in a letter to priests Aug. 20.
As Catholic schools are preparing for the new year, and many have already opened their doors, there is a broad range of face mask policies in effect -- from none at all to strict requirements -- as the nation battles another coronavirus surge.