THE KOREA TIMES – Gov’t to take legal actions against churches ignoring ‘social distancing’ guidelines
*Thanks to Prof. Massimo Introvigne for letting us know this note.
UNITED SIKHS URGES THOSE IN NEED TO USE HOTLINE DURING COVID-19 CRISIS
Link: https://unitedsikhs.org/united-sikhs-urges-those-in-need-to-use-hotline-during-covid-19-crisis/
New York, New York, March 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In cities across the globe citizens are being asked to work from home or social distance themselves while health organizations prepare testing sites, hospital units and clinics. UNITED SIKHS, a global humanitarian non-profit organization based in New York, has devoted a HELP HOTLINE to serve those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As soon as the government declared a COVID-19 a National Emergency; UNITED SIKHS immediately began working with local authorities to provide as much support as possible.” reported UNITED SIKHS, International Humanitarian Aid Director, Gurvinder Singh.
In Canada, UNITED SIKHS has appealed to the public to avoid the, “Panic buying” of supplies. In response, the Canadian administration calmed the country stating that the food supply in Canada will remain unaffected by the Coronavirus pandemic.
As a preventative measure, several Sikh worship sites have been closed across the United States. However, in the state of New Jersey, gurdwaras are prepared in Bergan, Passaic, Atlantic, Somerset Middlesex, Morris and Mercer counties to provide food and additional services to those in need. Each county is staffed with volunteers to serve langar and lend support where needed. Additionally, COVID-19 information in varied languages to prevent the spread of the virus.
UNITED SIKHS has launched a global COVID-19 assistance program. The organization urges those most in need to check with the UNITED SIKHS chapter within their country. Unite States residents can call (855) 878-6333, or here for assistance. Populations urged to call for this support are at- home elderly persons with pre-existing conditions, and low-income households with children.
The UNITED SIKHS HELP HOTLINE will provide free supplies including:
- Hot meals
- Dry goods
- Medicines, (Over-the -counter meds)
In a public appeal, UNITED SIKHS Chief Executive Officer Jagdeep Singh, urged “Our seniors, children and vulnerable groups with pre-existing medical conditions are suffering the most due to this pandemic. Those who are financially able should consider donating to UNITED SIKHS so that this free delivery service of life essentials can be expanded to everyone who needs it.”
In step with the UNITED SIKHS mission, humanitarian action is needed to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and after disasters caused by natural hazards. The UNITED SIKHS goal is to always prevent and strengthen preparedness for emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The reach of UNITED SIKHS is global and invites those living anywhere in the world to contact UNITED SIKHS via email at: contact@unitedsikhs.org, to activate a Sikh Aide support team in their community. Our teams run year-round to help eradicate poverty and work towards creating a healthier and happier world. For more information on UNITED SIHKS, visit: www.UNITEDSIKHS.org.
COVID-19 Sikh Guideline Materials will be distributed at more than 450 gurdwara institutions nationally.
Click here for COVID-19 resource materials in English and Panjabi.
About UNITED SIKHS: UNITED SIKHS is a U.N. affiliated, international non-profit, non-governmental, humanitarian relief, human development and advocacy organization, aimed at empowering those in need, especially disadvantaged and minority communities across the world. UNITED SIKHS is registered: as a non-profit tax exempt organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in the USA; as a Registered Charity in England and Wales under the Charities Act 1993, Charity Number 111 2055; registered in Australia as a not for profit NGO (ABN 24 317 847 103); and is a registered NGO in Belgium; as a non-profit organization in Canada; under the Societies Registration Act 1860 in Panjab and as a tax exempt organisation under section 80G of the Income Tax Act 1961; under the French Association Law 1901; under the Societies Registration Act 1860 in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan; as a registered society under the Registrar of Societies in Malaysia (registered as UNITED SIKHS Malaysia Humanitarian Aid Organisation- Regn No: PPM-015-14-06042015); and an NGO pending registration in the Rep of Ireland.:
Click here to Download COVID-19 Resources in English and Panjabi
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Mimusubi – Association of Shinto Shrine advices for Covid-19
Link: https://www.mimusubi.com/2020/03/12/jinja-honcho-and-covid-19/
by David Chart
This is a quick follow-up to my last post, because I have now read about Jinja Honchō’s official response to covid-19. This is broadly along the lines of the editorial in Jinja Shinpō, which is not surprising, as those editorials are written by people who are influential in the Shinto world, and thus tend to share opinions with the people making decisions at Jinja Honchō. (They are not, however, the same, and do occasionally disagree.)
Most of the advice is the sensible standards — clean and disinfect, follow the procedures laid down if you think you might be infected, and get ready to close your museums and similar if the situation gets worse. (Since that advice was offered on February 21st, I suspect that a lot of jinja have closed their museums by now.) They also recommended hand-washing and the use of face masks for jinja staff, which should remove any doubts that people might have been feeling over that.
They did reinforce the basic policy given in the editorial. In updated advice issued on February 28th, they started by saying “You should work to perform matsuri”, and then went on to note that associated events, such as naorai (group meals) and things like mikoshi processions, could be cancelled or greatly reduced in scale. Similarly, lectures planned at jinja should be rescheduled.
Jinja Honchō is also cancelling or rescheduling a lot of its meetings. The spring meeting to discuss how to get more Jingū Taima (the ofuda from Jingū at Isë) out into the world has been cancelled, for example, and that’s a big deal for Jinja Honchō; one of their main goals is to get more households receiving Jingū Taima.
This advice is, at present, for March, but it may well be extended and revised as the situation develops.
Church in Cambodia: Stand firm in faith and close to the fragile
Link: https://www.vaticannews.va/it/chiesa/news/2020-03/chiesa-cambogia-fede-deboli-coronavirus.html
Isabella Piro – Città del Vaticano
Il “coronavirus” è arrivato anche in Cambogia: dodici i casi certificati finora, ma resta alta
l’allerta per gli oltre 1.200 passeggeri della nave da crociera americana Westerdam, sbarcati
nei giorni scorsi nel porto di Sihanoukville, che potrebbero essere stati contagiati da una
donna presente a bordo e trovata positiva al “Covid-19”. Il Ministero della Salute ha messo in
atto le consuete misure di sicurezza, come il divieto di assembramenti. La Chiesa locale si è
subito adeguata ed ha annunciato la sospensione delle Messe con la partecipazione fisica
dei fedeli e l’avvio delle celebrazioni in streaming.
Spiegare ai fedeli le misure anti contagio
Inoltre, il 19 marzo, il Vicariato apostolico di Phnom Penh, guidato da Monsignor Olivier
Schmitthaeusler, ha istituito un’apposita Commissione pastorale denominata “Covid-19” per
spiegare ai fedeli le nuove misure anti-contagio. La Commissione è stata presentata da una
lettera pastorale di Monsignor Schmitthaeusler. “Quest’anno – scrive il presule nella missiva,
pubblicata dall’agenzia Eglise d’Asie – il nostro cammino verso la Pasqua è una Via Crucis per
il mondo intero, a causa della rapida diffusione dell’epidemia di coronavirus”. Le
preoccupazioni per le vittime e gli ammalati, “i dubbi e le ansie che ci attanagliano alla gola”,
la crisi economica globale che può derivare da tutto questo – scrive il Vicario apostolico –
“possono segnare il nostro mondo per molti anni a venire, soprattutto tra i più poveri e
vulnerabili”.
Le iniziative di Quaresima
CHIESA ASIA CORONAVIRUS MEDICINA E SALUTE
21/3/2020 Chiesa in Cambogia: restare saldi nella fede e vicini ai fragili print – Vatican News
L’appello in tempo di Quaresima, dunque, è a “non chiudere i cuore, ma a pregare per il
Paese, la Chiesa, le famiglie e il mondo intero”. “Questo è un momento di sacrificio per tutti –
continua Monsignor Schmitthaeusler- siamo invitati ad unirci al sacrificio di Cristo nella sua
Passione attraverso la comunione spirituale”. Ribadendo, poi, la sospensione delle
celebrazioni pubbliche fino a nuove disposizioni, il presule propone però “diverse iniziative
per rimanere in comunione con Cristo e tra fedeli, per sostenerci l’un l’altro e portare il
mondo in difficoltà nelle nostre preghiere”. Vengono, infatti, ricordate le tante Messe
trasmesse in diretta Facebook e YouTube, lo streaming per recita quotidiana serale del
Rosario e l’invito ad “accendere un cero davanti alle finestre, affinché la luce di Gesù illumini
il mondo e lo guarisca”. Il Vicariato prevede anche l’invio quotidiano, tramite i mezzi di
comunicazione digitali, dei testi liturgici del giorno e delle intenzioni di preghiera, per
accompagnare i fedeli.
“Questo tempo di preghiera – scrive ancora Monsignor Schmitthaeusler – ci permetterà
di essere in comunione con la Chiesa universale e con il mondo, di pregare per coloro che
sono colpiti dal coronavirus e per la pace universale”. Il Vicariato apostolico chiede poi ai
sacerdoti ed a tutti i responsabili di “incoraggiare le proprie comunità attraverso il telefono,
gli altoparlanti, il suono delle campane alle 6.00 e alle 18.00 per ricordare a tutti che Dio è
con noi”. Le Chiese rimarranno aperte, ma solo per la preghiera individuale; battesimi e
matrimoni verranno rinviati, mentre per i funerali saranno ammessi solo i parenti più stretti
del defunto. Per le celebrazioni del Triduo Pasquale, invece, maggiori informazioni verranno
date in seguito.
Il sostegno dei sacerdoti
Infine, Monsignor Schmitthaeusler ringrazia tutti i sacerdoti per il sostegno offerto alle
comunità: “Abbiamo più che mai bisogno – scrive il presule – dei vostri cuori come pastori,
formati a immagine del cuore di Dio”. Il presule si rivolge anche ai bambini e ai giovani, le cui
attività scolastiche e parrocchiali sono state sospese: “Gli Uffici pastorali per la Gioventù e
per l’Educazione cattolica continueranno a starvi vicino con i mezzi a disposizione – li
rassicura – così da incoraggiarvi a pregare e a studiare durante queste vacanze forzate”. Un
incoraggiamento finale viene, quindi, rivolto a tutti “i battezzati”: “Dio è lì in mezzo alle
tenebre – conclude il presule – Rispettiamo le indicazioni sanitarie del governo;
sosteniamoci l’un l’altro, soprattutto per quanto riguarda malati, anziani e poveri; in questi
tempi difficili rimaniamo saldi nella fede e uniti camminiamo insieme, fiduciosi in Dio
Onnipotente”.
21 marzo 2020, 10:34
TPPP – MGN Emperor holds large Covid-19 blessing ceremony
Link: https://m.phnompenhpost.com/national/mgn-emperor-holds-large-covid-19-blessing-ceremony
Three hundred monks, including patriarchs, from across the Kingdom were in attendance as MGN Emperor Bank held its second biggest Buddhist blessing ceremony at its headquarters in Phnom Penh last Saturday.
The bank’s CEO Om Visal and staff held the blessing — which was presided over by Men Sam An, Minister of National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection — to pray for its employees and the whole of Cambodia as the Covid-19 outbreak intensifies.
The event offered blessings for good health and peace as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world.
Visal called on everyone to, like MGN Emperor Bank, practise good hygiene and make sure all precautions are taken in combating the disease.
“We need to all work together and pay the strictest attention in the fight against the coronavirus and ensure the sustainable operation of financial institutions,” Visal said.
MGN Emperor Bank has taken strict precautions against the disease by regularly providing Covid-19 care packages — including face masks and hand sanitisers — to its employees.
The bank also measures body temperature and disinfects both employees and customers before they enter its premises, and Visal strongly urged everyone to follow the precautions outlined by the Ministry of Health.
These include to regularly wash hands thoroughly, avoid touching the face, make sure food is well cooked before eating and practise social distancing.
He also encouraged all companies to provide their staff with appropriate Covid-19 care packages and to be highly alert for any symptoms, such as a high body temperature, a fever, a cough and difficulties breathing.
TJP – Hundreds attend ordination Mass in East Nusa Tenggara despite COVID-19 warnings
Despite requests to cancel an ordination Mass for Siprianus Hormat, who was named the new bishop of Ruteng, following restrictions on mass gatherings amid the COVID-19 outbreak, organizers pressed ahead with the event in Ruteng district, Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara, that was attended by hundreds of people on Thursday.
The ordination Mass began at 9 a.m. at the Ruteng Cathedral on Thursday.
Manggarai regent Deno Kamelus argued that the event was held under tight health screening with organizers providing hand sanitizer and checking the body temperatures of churchgoers before they entered the premise. He said around 1,500 people attended the event on Thursday.
“The visitors accounted for only 1 percent of the population of Manggarai Raya. The Manggarai regency administration and the organizers followed the protocols set by the central government,” he told The Jakarta Post.
He added that the administration would follow the policies set by the central government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Siprianus was ordained to lead the Catholic congregations in Manggarai Raya, which comprises Manggarai, East Manggarai and West Manggarai regencies.
The administration decided to go ahead with the event, as it was scheduled months ago, Deno said.
“The administration and the organizers are also closely monitoring churchgoers from outside Manggarai while they are in Ruteng,” he added.
Previously, the head of the COVID-19 rapid-response team, Doni Monardo, had asked the Ruteng Archdiocese to postpone the ordination Mass to prevent spreading COVID-19.
“We beg you to postpone the event on behalf of humanity,” he said in a letter sent to the cardinal and Manggarai regent as quoted from Kompas.com.
Doni expressed his concern that COVID-19 carriers could potentially transmit the virus to the elderly and the sick, who are especially vulnerable to the disease.
Indonesia has recorded 227 confirmed COVID-19 cases in 13 provinces with 19 fatalities. (trn)
South Korea: Unprecedented delay in school calendar for coronavirus
 |
| (Yonhap) |
The Korean government announced Tuesday that day care centers, kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools in the country will remain closed until early April, amid an all-out fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The start of the spring semester at kindergartens and schools nationwide will be pushed back from the current March 23 to April 6 on concerns that crowded classrooms might turn into new clusters of infections and further spread the virus in local communities. It was the third delay in school openings since the outbreak started.
“The ministry respects concerns raised by health authorities and experts that schools could be a major source of community spread of the virus,” Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said at a briefing Tuesday, addressing the need to participate in nationwide “social distancing.”
The date of school openings could be “flexibly” adjusted — brought forward or delayed further — depending on how the situation develops here and around the world, she said.
The ministry did not announce whether there were any plans to delay this year’s college entrance exam, scheduled for Nov. 19, though it said it was reviewing “feasible” adjustments to the current university admission schedule in the wake of the five-week delay in school openings.
“We are reviewing various options and we will announce the decision on the university admissions schedule when schools open again,” Yoo said.
The move comes as the government grapples with clusters of infections across the country and a growing number of cases imported from abroad, although Korea has seen a slowdown in new cases this week. There were 8,320 cases and 81 deaths here as of Tuesday, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some 522 people under the age of 20 — 86 people aged up to 9 and 436 aged 10-19 — had tested positive for COVID-19 here as of Tuesday, according to the KCDC. None has died of the virus.
This year’s academic year was originally scheduled to begin March 2 before the date was pushed back three times. This will now mark the first time that Korean children return to school in April.
The ministry is to recommend the closure of private academies for two more weeks.
Before schools open again, the ministry plans to take preventative measures to ensure safety in classrooms in cooperation with regional education offices.
A total of 253 billion won in an extra budget will be spent on offering emergency care for children and students, buying masks and hand sanitizers and running online learning platforms, the ministry said.
Desks and chairs will be rearranged to widen the distance among students, the timetable for meals and rest periods will be readjusted, hand sanitizer will be provided and masks will be stockpiled.
Students, in the meantime, will take classes online under the guidance of teachers until school starts.
To ease the burden on educators, the legally required numbers of school days and classes will be slashed, the ministry said.
Under current local laws, the number of days that elementary, middle and high schools must be open is set at 190. In accordance with the ministry’s guidelines released in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, up to 19 days could be eliminated at school principals’ discretion.
Parents appeared relieved about the decision to delay school openings, though the prolonged closure of schools could place a burden on working parents.
“My parents are looking after my child. I am worried to send her to the child care classrooms because she might get infected there. It would be difficult for her to keep a mask on all day or wash her hands frequently,” said a 39-year-old working mother who only gave her surname, Kang.
“I cannot afford to take a leave at work, forcing me to neglect my duty as a mother.”
The Education Ministry is running “child care classrooms” during the week at designated schools for parents who cannot afford to look after their children at home, but the service is not widely used.
Only about 2.2 percent of the parents of elementary school students have applied for the service, according to a survey carried out by the ministry.
Welcoming the decision, the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations, the country’s biggest teachers’ labor group, called for thorough follow-up measures to get the schools ready for the new school year.
By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)
Source: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200317000814
Coronavirus: remembering the history of Christians in Japan
Oggi 17 marzo, in Giappone si celebra la memoria della Beata Vergine di Oura (Nagaski), o Vergine dei Cristiani giapponesi nascosti e riscoperti, kakure kirisutan.
E’ una storia che ha dell’incredibile, e dell’impossibile se non si hanno gli occhi della fede. Eppure, anche per chi oggi sta dubitando, o non crede, o addirittura le vicende legate al coronavirus lo inducono a bestemmiare, la storia dei “kakure kirisutan”, dei “cristiani nascosti giapponesi” è una luce potente che Dio invia su questo tempo così difficile, doloroso e pieno di incognite. Sette generazioni di cristiani (quasi 250 anni) hanno vissuto nella totale clandestinità, senza preti, senza chiese e senza sacramenti all’infuori del Battesimo impartito da responsabili locali che tenevano il calendario liturgico. Due secoli e mezzo nascosti in casa, assediati da un n nemico subdolo, feroce, astuto e imprevedibile, forse ancor più temibile del coronavirus. Sette generazioni di cristiani hanno vissuto giorno dopo giorno, ora dopo ora, istante dopo istante nella consapevolezza di poter essere scoperti e giustiziati in qualsiasi momento a causa di qualunque persona. Proprio come sta accadendo ora in tutto il mondo. Eppure hanno continuato a vivere, felici, ma felici davvero, senza perdere la pace e la serietà con cui attendevano alle loro cose, perché radicati in una fede incorruttibile. La fede dei loro padri ricevuta da santi missionari che hanno letteralmente perduto la vita per loro, e poi fortificata nel crogiuolo della persecuzione, della solitudine e del martirio. Fede nata dalle acque insanguinate del fonte battesimale che era fatto di torture le più feroci. Anziani, giovani, bambini, hanno visto Cristo vivo in mezzo a loro, sperimentando in loro la forza inarrestabile della resurrezione. 
Leggi anche: Ricordiamoci che nessuno può morire da solo
I cristiani nascosti hanno visto, come Santo Stefano, i Cieli aperti riflessi nei volti dei loro padri e fratelli martiri. Avevano cioè la certezza del destino eterno nell’amore incorruttibile di Dio in Cristo. Hanno visto il Cielo vero negli apostoli che per annunciare loro la Buona Notizia avevano lasciato tutto per infilarsi, con uno zelo inenarrabile, nella totale precarietà di mondi sconosciuti, spesso al prezzo della propria vita. Qualcuno aveva ritenuto la loro vita, la vita di sconosciuti, poveri contadini senza diritti e dignità di un Paese lontano. I cristiani nascosti avevano ricevuto in dono la fede che schiude le porte del Cielo, e per nulla avrebbero voluto perderla. Questo desiderio di pienezza, di amore, di pace, che significa desiderio inesausto di Dio, è stato esaudito dalla Grazia che non li ha mai abbandonati.
Dopo il loro ritrovamento a Nagasaki, il 17 marzo del 1865, essi hanno dovuto affrontare l’ultima e decisiva prova. Vigeva ancora il decreto di persecuzione, e per questo furono incarcerati e molti di loro, tra cui anche bambini, sono stati giustiziati. Due secoli e mezzo nascosti a difendere la fede e, appena vista la luce di un sacerdote e di una Chiesa, eccoli chiamati ad offrirsi sull’altare del martirio, segno indelebile della fede e della presenza di Cristo in loro. La storia di questi cristiani giapponesi parla a noi oggi. Ci annuncia la stessa Grazia, e illumina questo tempo che siamo chiamati a vivere insegnandoci come: approfittando di ogni momento per restare in intimità con Cristo; ad aprire gli occhi e guardare in faccia la realtà, che è la nostra estrema fragilità e precarietà, che in ogni istante potrebbe essere quello buono per incontrarci con Lui, e sperimentare in questo la dolcezza del suo amore che ci perdona e ci libera dalla paura della morte.
Conoscere Cristo infatti è la vita eterna. Siamo in casa, perseguitati da un nemico invisibile, ma Cristo ha vinto la morte, è risorto, è vivo, possiamo avere pace in Lui, che si dona a noi anche se non possiamo partecipare alle liturgie e nutrirci dei sacramenti. Il Signore apre il Cielo anche per noi in questo tempo, e ci dona occhi per contemplarlo, nell’attesa della sua venuta, insegnandoci a prepararci all’incontro con Lui. Perché anche quando (e se) passerà questa pandemia, ci aspetta un altare dove compiere nell’amore l’opera che Dio sta realizzando in noi, rivelare a tutti Colui che ha vinto la morte e ama ogni uomo con un amore infinito, che nessun peccato può allontanare. Può esserci utile questa indicazione dei missionari ai cristiani prima di partire, promettendo loro che sarebbero tornati. Facciamo come loro, ci aiuterà:
“Con un breve orasho (preghiera), lasciando che il tuo cuore si elevi, emettendo un respiro, prendi l’abitudine di offrire spesso il tuo cuore indiviso a Dio. È come aggiungere ciocchi di legno sul fuoco, volta per volta, in modo da non far spegnere il fuoco. Allo stesso modo dovresti prendere a cuore questo esercizio ascetico per non smorzare mai il fuoco della devozione che arde nell’orasho»”.
Source: https://it.aleteia.org/2020/03/17/storia-cristiani-giapponesi-vivere-questo-tempo/