As Canadian churches continue to re-open, it would be wise to heed advice Pope Francis offered to Catholics everywhere.

The cancer of racism is too widespread and too entrenched for one man to remedy alone, but if any one man could command international attention and speak with moral authority on the issue it would be Pope Francis.

Closed churches have provided a blunt reminder of how much we rely on our parish priests — and perhaps sometimes take them for granted.

As the world begins to stir from its pandemic hibernation, governments face the important question of how to accommodate houses of worship. At least, we hope they realize the question is important.

We tend to think of the planet as a patchwork of nations and continents, but it is really a single tapestry in which everything and everyone is intertwined. The COVID-19 pandemic is tragic evidence of that, but the new coronavirus only illuminates a lesson taught to us already.

Medical experts worldwide are racing to create a COVID-19 vaccine. Of course, these efforts should be encouraged and well funded because normal life won’t return until an effective vaccine is developed and distributed around the world.

Before reading this editorial, take a few seconds to return to the cover of this week’s issue. That tender scene of a senior in long-term care reaching out but not touching a loved one is happening daily across Canada.

It’s not every day the Pope is thankful to be “scolded” by one of his bishops but, of course, these are not ordinary days.

Among the lessons driven home by the COVID-19 crisis is that people and societies are morally bound to care for one another. This care is accomplished in many ways but one gaining wide attention, including encouragement from Pope Francis, is the potential merit of paying everyone a state-guaranteed income.

Among the many stories of illness and death wrought by COVID-19 comes the tragic case of Jean Truchon.