Analysis of the phenomenon of changes in faith and the practice of Poles on the basis of the CBOS research report in reference to S. Hjarvard's theory of mediatization of religion

The aim of the article is to analyze the phenomenon of change in the process of faith and practices of Poles on the basis of the CBOS Research Communication Religiousness of young people against the background of the general public, published in November 2021 in relation to the process of mediatization of religion. The analytical-synthetic method and the non-media-centric approach were used. The analysis of the CBOS report on changes in the process of faith and practices of Poles made it possible to notice unprecedented changes in this area in the two youngest age cohorts. The main reasons for the decline in religious beliefs and practices, especially of the youngest Poles, go beyond the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022, University of Economy. All rights reserved.

Religious freedom and pandemics: towards a new paradigm of relations between the State and religious denominations?

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted on all aspects of our lives, affecting various freedoms and rights, including religious freedom. The fundamental core of this freedom, namely the individual, public and collective exercise of worship, which was indeed likened to attending a theatre or cinema performance, was eroded, first by preventing and then restricting religious celebrations. In the absence of a framework law on religious freedom that could constitute the legal basis for an agreed discipline, the stipulation of memoranda of understanding between the Italian government and six religious denominations, following a collective online meeting, appears to suggest a different way of understanding the bilateral system in our pluralist and multicultural society. © 2023, Societa Editoriale Federalismi s.r.l. All rights reserved.

The Polish Catholic Church in Martin Coronado, Buenos Aires, and its Role in the Life of the Argentinian Polish Community during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The objective of the article is to determine the role of the Catholic Church in the life of the Polish community in Argentina as exemplified by the Polish Catholic Centre in Martin Coronado during the pandemic caused by the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus. The article presents opinions of the Polish community in Buenos Aires concerning the priestly service of the Bernardine friars during the pandemic. The research confirms that the Argentinian Polish community evaluates the work of the clergymen very highly and emphasises that thanks to their support, peace and constant contact through, inter alia, introduction of the broadcast of the masses in the Polish language, they felt the care and support of the priests, which was necessary during social isolation. The article will also present a proposal of the model of activities that Polish priests from Martin Coronado can implement during the COVID-19 pandemic so that the faithful feel even greater support and closeness to the Polish missionary centre in Argentina.

Pandemic and Postcovid World: Interpretations of Italian Catholic Researchers

The article deals with the pandemic "lessons" in the works of researchers of the Catholic school. Among "media" scenarios for covering the pandemic, "military", "empathic" and "security" narratives are considered. The author comes to the conclu-sion that the interest in the post-COVID world order in Italy is determined by the desire to fully preserve civil rights, cultural and religious values. The pandemic stimulated the public activity, interest in the theories of critics of neoliberalism, who pronounceded for complete revision of the current social model as obsolete or betraying the interests of the majority. Politicization and depreciation of such concepts as “conspiracy theo-ries” devalues the theses of the opponents of neoliberalism, taking the discussion away from the scientific and political spheres into the “conspiracy theory”. The Catholic Church considers fundamentally new forms of human solidarity, construction of welfare state, recognition of values of various cultural traditions within the framework of a single Christian identity of European peoples, as the main principles of the post-COVID world order. © 2022, Institute of Europe Russian Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Christianity and medical science: A historical quest for remedy in time of epidemics

On 27 March 2020, Pope Francis led a special prayer to seek divine intervention for the cessation of the global corona virus pandemic. At the end of the prayer, the pontiff, carrying a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament, pronounced an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing. At its worst, nature can be overwhelming and destructive in its universal ability to strike fear and terror that ridicules the best efforts of science. In such moments of universal terror and dread, human beings, in their helplessness and regardless of place and time, instinctively seek to escape their fate. In most instances, they do so either through faith or reason (science) alone, or through a combination of both. Supernatural powers are invoked through prayers and entreaties to assist mortals in their afflictions. For its part, reason dictates what needs to be done in terms of practical and necessary measures to alleviate pain and suffering while waiting for divine intervention. This article explores the historical response of Christianity during epidemic outbreaks. It does so more specifically through the lens of Catholic religious tradition and practices, in order to highlight a few instances when the Catholic Church partnered with science to shield human beings from nature’s threat of extinction. © 2022, University Of The Free State. All rights reserved.

The munus sanctificandi to the test of the coronavirus. A "renewed" canon law for a "new" reality

The health emergency from Covid-19 has limited, especially during the lock down, the participation of the faithful in the liturgies and sacraments, stimulating the Catholic Church to work to find ways and times to respond to the emergency context, following the "signs of the times" and adapting the forms of development of the munera ecclesiae, first of all the munus sanctificandi, in order to pursue the salus animarum. In this context, the sacraments of the Eucharist and of Reconciliation are of central importance, since they place greater emphasis on the inseparable link between the formal and substantial aspects of law, particularly in a legal system such as the canonical one, that applies aequitas as a means for its own updating. © 2021 Societa Editrice il Mulino. All rights reserved.

The response of Roman Catholic priests to Covid-19: A case study on the pastoral and communication activities of nine dioceses worldwide during the first months of the pandemic

This case study focuses on the pastoral and communicative activity of priests from nine Roman Catholic dioceses during the first wave of Covid-19, i.e. from the beginning of the pandemic to approximately June 2020. The dioceses belong to all continents: two are in North America (Saint Augustine, USA, and Ciudad Victoria, Mexico);two in Africa (Isiro-Niangara, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Owerri, Nigeria);two in Europe (Valencia, Spain, and Tempio-Ampurias, Italy);and one each in South America (Duitama-Sogamoso, Colombia), Oceania (Parramatta, Australia), and Asia (Seoul, South Korea). A quantitative methodology was employed through a questionnaire-survey distributed to the clergy of these diocese, with the goal of learning how they communicated with their faithful and helped them to maintain their life of faith during the period of lockdown and restriction of movement. The survey was conducted online between February and April 2021. Findings show that while the pandemic has reduced the attendance of the faithful at church, priests have responded in various ways, trying to continue spiritual assistance.

SOCIAL AND RACIAL ISSUES AS CHALLENGES FOR THE CHURCH'S SOCIAL DOCTRINE IN BRAZIL TODAY

This article brings some elements that question us about the duties of the Church and the State in and towards Brazilian society. Using as a starting point the charitable actions of the first Christian communities, the text follows the evolution of the doctrine on charity and social commitment. The Brazilian state is marked by the lack of a project for the black population and, therefore, people in a situation of greater social vulnerability are mostly Afro-descendents, blacks and browns. And, finally, the advance of the Covid-19 pandemic makes even more evident the lack of public policies and the challenges for pastoral actions that correspond to the teachings of the Church's social doctrine.

Pastoral Care at the Time of Lockdown: An Exploratory Study of the Catholic Church in South Tyrol (Italy)

In order to assess the impact of COVID-19 on catholic pastoral care, an exploratory study was conducted in South Tyrol (Italy) by administering an online survey to parish priests and laypeople with an office within the local Diocese. With reference to the lockdown period, the research aimed to investigate: (1) how pastoral care was delivered;(2) changes in the use of ICT within religious activities;and (3) the vision of the future for the Church in a mediatized world. Respondents believe that: (1) pastoral activities have slowed down, even though contact with the faithful was kept up through phone or the Internet;(2) the level of digitalization of the parishes has increased;however, the communication was mostly one-way and top-down. Finally, results show that (3) attitudes towards digital media are divergent: they are perceived as having the potential to either strengthen or weaken the relationship between the Church and the faithful.

A fundamental Christian argument for vaccine promotion.

A recent correspondence highlighted the need to change the COVID-19 vaccine narrative to combat vaccine hesitancy by stressing that vaccination is a moral act. The said article was in response to another correspondence which said that science and religion must work together for vaccine promotion. This article presents a fundamental Christian argument for vaccine promotion by saying that God may have provided an answer to the pandemic through the COVID-19 vaccine.

In the service of the Filipino: the role of Catholic higher education institutions in promoting COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines.

There has been a stigma and hesitancy regarding COVID-19 vaccination in the Philippines. Many Filipinos are still hesitant to be vaccinated. This paper highlights the role of the Catholic Church as a powerful institution which can influence the people not only in spiritual aspect but also in promoting public health by motivating locals to get vaccinated. This task can be specifically done through the efforts of Catholic Higher Education Institutions (HEI) that place prominence and priority on social work and mission.

Take-home and digital Lenten filter ashes for Ash Wednesday: creative ritual practices of faith during COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, previous research cautioned that complex and meaningful quotidian rituals involving intimate touch need re-evaluation as these pose a hygienic concern in pandemic culture. Faith-based practices entail human-to-human contact that could inevitably cause the virus infection contagion if not appropriately addressed. In a World Health Organization document, the crucial role of inter-faith collaboration and sharing of best practices to combat the spread of the virus are encouraged. In this correspondence, we assert that taking home ashes and launching digital Lenten ashes filter are non-traditional yet creative ways for the Catholic Church to perform the ritual practice in celebrating Ash Wednesday. We argued that such creative ritual practices changed the landscape of faith-based practices and implied trans-local participation of the Catholic community as witnesses of faith while upkeeping public health.

Building public trust in COVID-19 vaccines through the Catholic Church in the Philippines.

Due to the expedited production of the COVID-19 vaccines and other issues related to it, many Filipinos are hesitant to receive the inoculation program set by the government. Because of this, it is crucial to gain public trust for the COVID-19 vaccines. This paper argues that the Catholic Church, being an influential institution in the Philippines, can help in building public trust in COVID-19 vaccines in the country.