While Catholics in the U.S. continue to grapple with fallout stemming from the clergy abuse scandals, new polling suggests that Catholics have a higher opinion of the Church than they did this time last year.

According to data from the Saint Leo University Polling Institute, the favourable opinion – those who responded strongly and somewhat favourably – was recorded at 73.5%, up from 69.3% in November 2019.

In addition, the new data shows a significant increase from April 2019, where U.S. Catholics only expressed a 57.1% level of favourability.

Along with the heightened favourability ratings among Catholics, overall the general favourable opinion of the Church among the public ticked slightly upward to 43.6%, compared to 42% in November. This marks another slight improvement from April 2019, when the favourable opinion was measured at 40.1%.

Meanwhile, seven years into papacy, Francis has suffered a dip from 56.6% in November 2019 to 52.2% in the latest round of polling among the general population. Since St Leo first began their polling, the numbers have ranged from 64.4% in August 2018 to 44.7% in October 2018, to a now midway point between the two. Among U.S. Catholics, however, the pope – who marked the seventh anniversary of his pontificate on March 13 – clocks in at 74.6%, down from 78.1% in November 2019.

A Peruvian bishop has rescinded permission for priests of his diocese to hear confessions by telephone, just five days after authorizing them to do so.

Bishop Reinhold Nann of the Diocese of Caravell, Peru said March 15 that priests of his diocese could hear sacramental confessions by telephone, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, and obligatory social isolation in Peru. Nann added that no public Masses or religious services could take place in his diocese.

On Friday, however, the bishop announced that the possibility of confessions by telephone “is annulled” in light of Vatican guidance on the subject of confession issued earlier the same day.

That guidance called for “prudent measures to be adopted in the individual celebration of sacramental reconciliation, such as the celebration in a ventilated place outside the confessional, the adoption of a convenient distance, [and] the use of protective masks.” The guidance “did not make mention of confession on the telephone,” Nann said, which is why he had rescinded the possibility.

From the moment he was introduced to the world after his election, Pope Francis has emphasised his identity as “the bishop of Rome.”

The 2020 Annuario Pontificio, the official Vatican year book, has made the same emphasis typographically by listing other descriptions of the papal office as “historic titles”.

Like the 2019 edition, there is a page that says simply, “Francis, bishop of Rome.”

But unlike last year’s edition, the new year book does not precede the biography of “Jorge Mario Bergoglio” with the titles: “Vicar of Jesus Christ. Successor of the Prince of the Apostles. Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church. Primate of Italy. Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Province of Rome. Sovereign of Vatican City State. Servant of the Servants of God.”

Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, told Catholic News Service that unlike in 2006 when Pope Benedict XVI had the title “Patriarch of the West” removed from the list, this time “there has been no suppression” of a title.

“The definition of ‘historic’ in relation to the titles attributed to the pope on one of the pages dedicated to him in the Annuario Pontificio of 2020 seems to me to indicate the bond with the history of the papacy,” Bruni said.

A 250 page book presenting the worldwide Salesian Family lists 32 groups with a total of 2,51,159 (two lakh fifty nine thousand one hundred fifty nine) members.

The book published in 6 languages (Italian, French, English, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish) with numerous photos is entitled: The Salesian Family of Don Bosco.

The third edition after the initial one in 1988 and the most recent in the year of 2000, the book presents the worldwide spiritual and apostolic family of St. John Bosco popularly known as Don Bosco.

The newly elected South Asia Regional Councilor Dr Biju Michael says, “The ‘Book of the Family,’ is long-awaited gift to the 28th General Chapter members.”

Covid 19 threat compelled General Chapter 28 of the Salesians of Don Bosco being held at Turin, northern Italy, to be closed on 14 March 2020 ahead of scheduled closure in April.

“This book will help the young people and our lay mission partners appreciate the vast movement of the Holy Spirit raised through Don Bosco and his Salesians over past 150 years,” adds Fr Biju Michael.

Presenting the book, the re-elected Rector Major of the Salesians Fr Angel Fernandes Artime said, “this ‘Book of the Family’ is ‘gratitude to God for the gift of Salesian Family with its charismatic energy for the Universal Church and it is a beautiful opportunity to thank the Spirit of God for having given us our Father Don Bosco because this Family was not born as the fruit of a single human project but of God’s initiative.”

The iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil was lit up March 18 night with flags and messages of hope to the nations affected by the growing coronavirus pandemic.

The stunning light show atop Rio de Janeiro’s Corcovado mountain featured more than 150 flags, representing every country with confirmed COVID-19 cases, as well as the phrase “pray together” projected in multiple languages.