AMERICA/PARAGUAY - Sunday May, 16 a mass in suffrage for those who died from Covid-19 in all churches

Asunciòn (Agenzia Fides) - Monsignor Amancio Benítez Candia, Bishop of Benjamin Aceval and Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Paraguay (CEP), sent a note to all the Bishops of the country, proposing "a joint action of an ecclesial nature", for next Sunday, May 16, on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. The proposal, the note reads, is that in all the Cathedrals of the Dioceses and in the various parishes of the country, a Mass is celebrated in suffrage for those who died due to Covid-19. "This month of Mary, of the Mother and of the Fatherland, is an occasion to unite our prayers and these family and community intentions around the Eucharist, source and summit of our Christian life", underlines the note from CEP sent to Fides. The solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated forty days after Easter - in some nations it is postponed to the following Sunday - and commemorates the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven in the presence of his disciples, to whom he promises to send the Holy Spirit. While the first wave of coronavirus had affected Paraguay less compared to other countries, the second wave has proved to be more devastating: the total toll has so far been 302,000 infected and 7,284 victims, out of a population of 7 million inhabitants, while the vaccination campaign is just the beginning. In March, the Paraguayans protested in the streets for the government's mismanagement of the health situation and the economic and social crisis resulting from the pandemic (see Fides, 9/3/2021). The Bishops have constantly called for peace (see Fides, 11/3/2021) and to follow health guidelines: "in the current emergency it is clear that we must all be in solidarity to do good, avoiding the worst". (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 12/5/2021)

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