“Some of our individual hospitals are experiencing losses upwards of $1 million to $2 million [per] day, while some of our health systems are reporting revenue losses in the range of $200-$600 million per month.”

The fund will operate "thanks to the active collaboration of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) and the Pontifical Mission for Palestine," the statement said.

Catholic clergy in Africa are concerned that there could be a rise in violence and insurgency during the pandemic, leading to more political and civil disruption.

A Catholic school uniform company in Oregon, in an effort to assist medical personnel dealing with the pandemic, are making and providing face masks for their work.

Around Europe, asylum seekers typically live in crowded shelters or detention centers, makeshift refugee camps or on the streets.

At the start of the live broadcast of Mass, the pope first prayed that people would use the pandemic-induced time of increased silence in their lives to learn how to listen.