Pope Francis—united to all the Bishops and Catholic faithful around the world—will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Friday, the feast of the Annunciation.
The Act of Consecration will be prayed during the “24 Hours for the Lord” Lenten penitential service in St. Peter’s Basilica, which begins at 5 PM Rome time.
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During a 22 March press briefing, a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and ACT Alliance shared their observations from a recent trip to Hungary, Romania and Ukraine, where they witnessed firsthand both urgent humanitarian needs and a robust church response.
“You see the consequences of war which is forcing millions of people to leave their land,” said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance general secretary, noting the heightened risk for human trafficking and forced labor.
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In a response to a letter from First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed both his appreciation for her candid reflections as well as his own pain at the ongoing and increasingly grave humanitarian consequences of the conflict.
“Reading your letter, I heard the cries and the weeping of the Ukrainian mothers who lost their children, of the families who lost their dear ones, the despair of those under the ruins of bombed houses, of those dehydrated and starving without hope of escape since the ravages of war do not allow for secure humanitarian corridors,” wrote Sauca.
“But I also hear the pain and suffering of Russian mothers, wives, children and parents who receive their dear ones in a coffin, from this illogical fratricide war.”
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Supply chains of food and medicines have been disrupted. Much of the society has been mobilised due to the military response and most sectors of society, including farming and industries, have come to a standstill.
All ports in the Black Sea (including the Azov Sea) have been closed for trade. This conflict is posing serious challenges to health and food security, as well as to the wider economy of Ukraine and beyond.
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WCC deputy general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri said she saw a confirmation of what we have been taught before: that churches are usually the first responders to any crisis in the world.
“What I’ve also seen is the people are emphasizing the fact that we belong to the same faith, and we are the same people, so they are looking at the Ukrainians as one of them,” she said. “You see people treating the refugees with so much respect.”
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Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Tuesday inaugurated a new palliative care centre in the Italian town of Passoscuro just outside of Rome.
The new centre is operating under the auspices of the Bambino Gesù children’s hospital, and is currently hosting a number of Ukrainian children who have been forced to flee their homeland due to the war.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the easing of several restrictions as part of Adjusted Alert Level 1 from midnight.
Addressing the nation on developments in the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic this evening, President Ramaphosa said the approach going forward is that both indoor and outdoor venues can now take up to 50 percent of their capacity provided that the criteria for entrance are proof of vaccination or a COVID test not older than 72 hours.
The President said following consultations and the recommendations of the National Coronavirus Command Council, Cabinet has decided to ease restrictions on gatherings and previous regulations.
He said the emphasis was on placing an upper limit on the number of people who could attend a gathering.
“But where there is no provision for proof of vaccination or a COVID test, then the current upper limit will remain – of 1 000 people indoors and 2 000 people outdoors,” the President said.
This change, he said, to the restrictions on gatherings will be of great benefit to the sporting, cultural, entertainment and events industries, in particular.
“This means that if we are vaccinated or have recently tested negative, we will be able to return to watching sports in stadiums and attending music concerts, theatre performances, conferences and other events,” the President said.
Funerals and after tears
The maximum number of people permitted at a funeral will increase from 100 to 200.
As before, night vigils, after-funeral gatherings and ‘after-tears’ gatherings are not allowed.
Wearing of masks
The President also announced important changes to the regulation on the wearing of masks.
“As before, it is mandatory to wear a cloth mask or similar covering over the nose and mouth when in public indoor spaces.
“However, a mask is not required when outdoors.
“This means that we still need to wear masks when in shops, malls, offices, factories, taxis, buses, trains or any other indoor public space.
“But we do not need to wear masks when walking on the street or in an open space, when exercising outdoors or when attending an outdoor gathering,” President Ramaphosa said.
Social distancing
The President said that the regulations on social distancing are also being changed, requiring that a space of 1 metre is maintained between persons in all settings, except schools.
International travel
The President also announced changes to the regulations on international travel.
“Travellers entering South Africa will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours.
“All unvaccinated travellers entering the country who want to be vaccinated will be offered a vaccination,” the President said.
The President said these measures will take effect from tomorrow, Wednesday the 23rd of March 2022, once the new regulations are gazetted.
With these changes, almost all restrictions on social and economic activity will have been lifted.
Vaccinations
Going forward, the President said the most important defences against the disease are, firstly, vaccination and, secondly, the observance of basic measures, such as wearing masks indoors.
“The further easing of the remaining restrictions will require that we increase the rate of vaccination among South Africans.
“The vaccine has been shown to significantly reduce severe illness.
“Statistics from our health facilities, clearly show that people who are not vaccinated stand a higher chance of being hospitalised or dying from COVID-19,” the President said.
He said vaccination is likely to reduce transmission at home and at places like schools and universities where there is close contact.
“It is vitally important that we get many more of our people between 18 and 35 years vaccinated, and that is why government has launched the #KeReady campaign last month.
This campaign includes messages developed by young people and focuses on making the case for people between 18 and 35 years to vaccinate.”
The President further encouraged those who are vaccinated to go and receive their booster doses.
“If we are all vaccinated, we can turn our energy, resources and effort to rebuilding our economy and creating much-needed jobs.”
Have your say on National State of Disaster
“Due to the changing nature of the pandemic, and due to the progress that has been made through our collective efforts, we intend to lift the National State of Disaster as soon as public comment on the health regulations published by the Minister of health has been completed.”
These regulations, when finalised, will replace the State of Disaster regulations as the legal instrument that government uses to manage the pandemic.
All South Africans are invited to make comments on the draft regulations before the 16th of April.
The President however emphasised that what should be clear is that the end of the National State of Disaster does not mean the end of the pandemic.
“It just means that we are changing the way we manage the pandemic, and we will be relying on health regulations rather than disaster management regulations.
“It means that we are learning to live with the virus in our presence.
“It means that we are returning, as far as possible, to the lives that we lived before the pandemic.
“It means that we are opening our economy still further, and that we are resuming many of the social and cultural activities that we have missed over the last two years.” – SAnews.gov.za
Pope Francis on Friday will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Catholic bishops from around the world have already announced they will answer his request for them to join him in the consecration.
March 25 is the feast of the Annunciation, and a solemnity on the Church calendar.
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After a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and ACT Alliance visited Hungary, Romania and Ukraine last week, the group came away with reflections on how churches are making a difference in the lives of thousands upon thousands of people fleeing the war.
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Ahead of World Water Day celebrations, the Department of Water and Sanitation has committed to enhance its efforts to explore the use of groundwater as an alternative water source to ensure water security in communities affected by water supply challenges.
This comes as the global community observes World Water Day on 22 March 2022, themed, ‘Groundwater – making the invisible, visible’.
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