Magufuli had downplayed the severity of the coronavirus, keeping the country open while others announced curfews and lockdowns. Last June, he declared the country was free of the virus, attributing the result to Christian and Muslim prayers.

This March, as we celebrate Women’s History Month, let us pledge to rediscover and remember the lives and labors of the Black women, like Mother Tolton, who in the face of unyielding discrimination fought to make the church in the United States truly Catholic.

The first responsibility here lies with the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, who should do what Pope St. Clement I did with the rowdy Corinthians in the immediate post-apostolic period and what Pope St. Gregory the Great did with brother bishops during the age of the Fathers: call the German bishops back to the “faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”

While the Catholic Church cannot bless unions that are not sacramental marriages, the church will always welcome and accompany everyone, no matter their situation in life, said the prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life.

“In a year like no other, it’s just a real tribute to our coaches and our student-athletes and really the entire university,” said athletic director Lynne Robinson.