ANONYMOUS - OUR VOICE

Abortion rights, Joe Biden, and communion: the controversy, explained

In a break from the Vatican and past policy, the American arm of the Roman Catholic Church this week kicked off a process that could eventually sanction the exclusion of President Joe Biden, the nation’s second Catholic president, from receiving holy communion.
On Thursday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which consists of all Catholic bishops in the US and the US Virgin Islands, voted overwhelmingly to <a href="https://www.usccb.org/news/2021/us-bishops-approve-action-items-their-agenda-spring-general-assembly">draft</a> “a formal statement on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church” that would clarify church policy on the topic — at least in the US. If approved, such a statement could allow individual bishops to prevent Catholic politicians who disagree with church doctrine about abortion from receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist, a sacred rite in Catholicism.
It’s a change that has been pushed by conservative bishops with renewed fervor in recent months, following Biden’s victory over former President Donald Trump, and appears to specifically target Biden, who is vocal about his Catholic faith, and whose personal views on abortion have been subject to question throughout his <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-campaign-abortion-biden-ryan-debate/catholics-ryan-biden-disagree-over-abortion-rights-idINDEE89B04C20121012">time as vice president</a> and while campaigning in 2020 for the Oval Office.
Thursday’s vote also reflects an internal divide among US church leadership over how involved the religious institution should be in political life. If the conference does produce a statement opposing sacraments for pro-choice politicians, it would be a sharp departure from past non-responses to politicians who have gone against church teachings on other issues, such as the death penalty. And it would diverge from the teachings of Pope Francis, head. of the Catholic Church, who has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/world/europe/pope-bluntly-faults-churchs-focus-on-gays-and-abortion.html">called for the church</a> to be a “home for all,” rather than overly focusing on a handful of social issues.
Biden, 78, is an observant Catholic who regularly attends Mass — including in Cornwall, England, during the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-k-churchgoers-stunned-bidens-join-them-sunday-service-n1270608">recent G7 summit</a> — and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-catholic-bishops/2021/06/18/acf576c0-d04a-11eb-a7f1-52b8870bef7c_story.html">reportedly considered</a> entering the priesthood at multiple points in his life.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1624165620_5998_134035" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22669020,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ajCIXdp2HvtvH5mEBU4fjkV7UKE=/0x0:3470x2313/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ya8-CCBTVIwtsVd6_e3l0V_Hnpo=/0x0:3470x2313/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/r5V0LF05n5NNNWzWPciIdlsEcJg=/0x0:3470x2313/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vEW42b4vD1mMMvvSYez0-LRkf4w=/0x0:3470x2313/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/z7Iv4HsowbkTRgZmaEy2pdH-_WY=/0x0:3470x2313/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7MuLPXuBzzmmL3SFbj3JEJM0XyI=/0x0:3470x2313/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LSCPZJf8Fe2M3L4Ye4t2KGGMN-Y=/0x0:3470x2313/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X3HG_PoZPq9dupJ9RVwS_qSEBLA=/0x0:3470x2313/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/n7fucu7inj7cgrAjvEbUUxdlrps=/0x0:3470x2313/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="BRITAIN-G7-SUMMIT" data-upload-width="3470" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/m3xr9Hg29pQRaPALkXwzK4aACbI=/0x0:3470x2313/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/G5NLGvJtdNIIEg1xgFJ8qjgZn6k=/0x0:3470x2313/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tuX6ozVcjPLmpK46cbdOHSLiUZo=/0x0:3470x2313/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zPIAym0y9PMyt3iuWryRAm-yrtE=/0x0:3470x2313/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/j2fpNbbIWAnscJ3yEwhogfVfBCI=/0x0:3470x2313/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6StDZTqY7sGboiEUar1tnj9Lt7g=/0x0:3470x2313/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6_bHQRPMSOZHwqfAuV0x1Ebtyvw=/0x0:3470x2313/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/njuHGLi8NLYQ-2TUhl0p4ClOPC4=/0x0:3470x2313/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YeVljJZOws0EgJOB9_HRYWV1NIA=/0x0:3470x2313/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Tik4f9DDfOwLQFU1axIlsH2yVFg=/0x0:3470x2313/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3470x2313):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22669020/1233424320.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>President Joe Biden leaves church after attending mass in St Ives, Cornwall during the G7 summit on June 13, 2021.</figcaption>
<cite>BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images</cite></figure>
But his pro-choice stance on abortion stands in stark contrast to that of the Catholic Church, and especially that of conservative Catholic leaders in the US, who place particular focus on the issue.
<a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/17/us-bishops-conference-eucharist-vote-communion-biden-240890">According to the Jesuit magazine America</a>, Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who leads an anti-abortion committee in the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, cited public figures who “love to describe themselves as devout Catholics” while nonetheless supporting abortion rights, as a reason for his vote to draft the statement.
In May, Naumann also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/05/25/catholic-bishops-biden-communion-abortion-francis/">told Washington Post religion reporter Michelle Boorstein</a> that such a statement is particularly urgent now because of a “different climate” on abortion rights in the US.
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I spoke to Archbishop Joseph Naumann, leader of the US bishops’ pro-life committee and one of the men pressing for the vote. He noted the bishops took a similar vote in 2004, but said the new effort is urgent because of what he calls a “different climate” on abortion. 2/7
— Michelle Boorstein (@mboorstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/mboorstein/status/1397511926951907328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
Other Catholic leaders, such as Bishop Liam Cary, have been <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/06/17/us-bishops-conference-eucharist-vote-communion-biden-240890">even more explicit</a> about their focus on Biden: “It seems to me this is an unprecedented situation in the country,” Cary said, according to America Magazine. “We’ve never had a situation like this where the executive is a Catholic president who is opposed to the teaching of the church.”
The results of the vote were released on Friday, and the measure was approved by a wide margin, with 168 US bishops <a href="https://www.usccb.org/news/2021/us-bishops-approve-action-items-their-agenda-spring-general-assembly">voting in favor</a> and just 55 opposing. Six members of the conference abstained from the vote.
However, many steps remain before the church takes any action that could affect Biden’s ability to receive the sacrament, and the result may ultimately be more symbolic than anything. For one, the statement has yet to be drafted, much less approved (that requires a two-thirds majority from the same conference), and the Vatican will likely also have to approve the statement first. (Francis has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/19/world/europe/pope-francis-vatican.html">remained silent</a> about this week’s vote.)
Consequently, there’s no guarantee that the statement will go as far as some conservative bishops hope in emphasizing that pro-choice politicians should be banned from receiving communion, even if one is approved — and as America Magazine writer Michael J. O’Loughlin <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeOLoughlin/status/1405177395339014164?s=20">pointed out on Twitter</a> Friday, the conference doesn’t have the ability to ban Biden from receiving communion outright in any case.
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
But ultimately, the decision on who can receive Communion rests with an individual bishop, not a bishops conference. There will not and cannot be a vote by the bishops conference on whether an individual believer is able to receive Communion. 6/
— Michael J. O'Loughlin (@MikeOLoughlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeOLoughlin/status/1405177395339014164?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
According to O’Loughlin:
<blockquote>
Some Catholic conservatives, including some bishops, want to include a section in the proposed future statement about public figures who disagree on church teaching, especially on abortion, and reiterate that their position bars them from Communion. ... But ultimately, the decision on who can receive Communion rests with an individual bishop, not a bishops conference. There will not and cannot be a vote by the bishops conference on whether an individual believer is able to receive Communion.
</blockquote>
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop for Washington, DC, has <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/11/24/cardinal-wilton-gregory-joe-biden-communion-dialogue">said</a> categorically that he will not block Biden from receiving communion.
It’s not unprecedented for an individual bishop to weigh in on whether a political figure should receive communion. In 2008, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24359892">according to the AP</a>, New York Cardinal Edward Egan condemned former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s decision to receive communion during a papal visit to the city because of Giuliani’s support for abortion rights. However, this week’s vote could lead to a much broader rebuke of Catholics who go against church doctrine on abortion.
Although it is not yet certain what the final statement could end up looking like, nearly 60 Catholic Democrats have pushed back on the conference’s decision. In a “<a href="https://delauro.house.gov/sites/delauro.house.gov/files/documents/Statement%20of%20Principles%206.18.21.pdf">Statement of Principles</a>,” the lawmakers wrote that “the Sacrament of Holy Communion is central to the life of practicing Catholics, and the weaponization of the Eucharist to Democratic lawmakers for their support of a woman’s safe and legal access to abortion is contradictory.”
“We solemnly urge you to not move forward and deny this most holy of all sacraments, the source and the summit of the whole work of the gospel over one issue,” reads the statement, signed by prominent progressive Catholic lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and released Friday.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), who joined the formal statement, also condemned the conference’s decision in harsher language on Twitter. On Friday, he called the bishops’ conference “hypocrites,” and in a <a href="https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1406059092951453697">series</a> of <a href="https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1406160913678303237">posts</a> has pointed out that other Catholics have not been denied sacraments for going against church teachings on other matters, such as divorce, contraception use, and supporting the death penalty.
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/USCCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USCCB</a>: I’m Catholic and you are hypocrites. You did not tell Bill Barr, a Catholic, not to take communion when he expanded killing human beings with the death penalty. You are being nakedly partisan and you should be ashamed. Another reason you are losing membership. <a href="https://t.co/kpIYRolnHD">https://t.co/kpIYRolnHD</a>
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1405967402894958596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
All told, there are more than 150 Catholic members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who did not join Friday’s statement. Catholics <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2021/01/01/catholics-rise-prominence-religion-congress/">hold 29 percent of seats</a> in Congress — making it the most-represented religious denomination in the body. Of those members, <a href="https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1405969670545551365?s=20">according to the Washington Post’s Dave Weigel</a>, 91 are Democrats and 67 are Republicans.
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Obviously Biden should be the focus of these stories, but the Speaker of the House and most Catholic members of Congress would be denied communion if this advances. (91 Catholic Dems in Congress, 67 Republicans.) <a href="https://t.co/ARKn3dA2Py">https://t.co/ARKn3dA2Py</a>
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) <a href="https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1405969670545551365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
And while the motion to draft a statement was approved easily by the conference of bishops this week, polling suggests that Friday’s statement by Catholic lawmakers is more in line with the views of American Catholics writ large.
According to a <a href="https://www.pewforum.org/2021/03/30/most-democrats-and-republicans-know-biden-is-catholic-but-they-differ-sharply-about-how-religious-he-is/">recent survey</a> by the Pew Research Center, a sizable majority of US Catholics — about 67 percent — believe that Biden should still be allowed to receive communion regardless of his views on abortion, while just 29 percent say he should be denied.
The question breaks along sharply partisan lines, with 87 percent of Catholic Democrats supporting Biden’s ability to receive communion and a smaller majority of Catholic Republicans opposing.
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I see a lot of conservatives gloating about this but I think telling observant Catholic liberals and Democrats they’re not wanted or welcome in the Church is not going to work out the way they seem to think it will. <a href="https://t.co/lcZtivvraq">https://t.co/lcZtivvraq</a>
— Adam Serwer (@AdamSerwer) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSerwer/status/1405967980928897029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
Additionally, an outright majority of all US Catholics support the right to an abortion, <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/10/20/8-key-findings-about-catholics-and-abortion/">according to a 2019 Pew survey</a>. About 56 percent say it should be legal in all or most cases, while 42 percent say it should be illegal in all or most cases.
For his part, Biden seems unworried by the conference’s move.
“That’s a private matter, and I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1405966299159740419?s=20">said</a> on Friday when asked by a reporter about potentially being denied communion.
Though this week’s vote by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is only an agreement to move forward with a draft — a long way from anything final or substantive — it’s still noteworthy for what it says about the church’s willingness to involve itself in partisan politics.
Were conservative bishops to succeed in blocking pro-choice politicians from receiving the Eucharist, the impact would break down along largely partisan lines and could put pressure on devout Catholics who are also pro-choice.
In debating the resolution to draft a statement this week, bishops also expressed <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahmccammon/status/1405637547439558661?s=20">concern</a> that backers of the proposal had their eyes on the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential election and warned against “get[ting] embroiled in the political situation.”
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"I can't help but wonder if the years 2022 and 2024 might be part of the rush and I think we need to be careful not to get embroiled in the political situation." ~Bishop Coerver of Lubbock, TX, worrying that bishops are rushing discussions about denying communion. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCCB21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCCB21</a>
— Sarah McCammon (@sarahmccammon) <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahmccammon/status/1405637547439558661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
</div>
And Bishop <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/05/05/joe-biden-communion-eucharistic-exclusion-abortion-us-bishops-240596">Robert McElroy</a> of San Diego warned that taking steps to prevent politicians from receiving the Eucharist could damage the sanctity of the rite.
“Once we legitimate public policy-based Eucharistic exclusion as a regular part of our teaching office — and that is the road to which we are headed — we will invite all of the political animosities that so tragically divide our nation into the very heart of the Eucharistic celebration,” McElroy said, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/us/targeting-biden-catholic-bishops-advance-controversial-communion-plan.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage">according to the New York Times</a>. “That sacrament which seeks to make us one will become for millions of Catholics a sign of division.”
Thursday’s vote by the bishops’ conference is also notable for at least one other reason: It marks a split from the Vatican, which has previously warned American bishops against taking such a step — and it reflects a peculiarly American focus on abortion rights above other matters of church doctrine. It also diverges from statements from Pope Francis, the organization’s head, who has advised against overemphasizing social issues at the expense of other matters of morality and justice.
“It is not necessary to talk about these [social] issues all the time,” Francis said in a 2013 interview with America, referring to same-sex marriage, abortion, and contraception.
In May, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, who heads the Catholic Church’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — an international body, seated in Rome — specifically <a href="https://www.catholicnews.com/cardinal-ladaria-cautions-us-bishops-on-politicians-and-communion/">cautioned</a> Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, the current president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, against attempting to implement national policy without widespread support.
Without universal agreement by US bishops, Ladaria said, the proposed statement on the Eucharist could “become a source of discord rather than unity” within the church.
According to Catholic News Service, which obtained the letter, Ladaria also argued to Gomez that “it would be ‘misleading’ to present abortion and euthanasia as ‘the only grave matters of Catholic moral and social teaching that demand the fullest level of accountability on the part of Catholics.”
Indeed, Gomez did just that in a <a href="https://www.usccb.org/news/2021/usccb-presidents-statement-inauguration-joseph-r-biden-jr-46th-president-united-states">statement</a> marking Biden’s January inauguration. “For the nation’s bishops, the continued injustice of abortion remains the ‘preeminent priority,’” he wrote at the time, though he also stressed that “preeminent does not mean ‘only.’”
As other writers have noted, that emphasis by American Catholicism isn’t new. “Especially since the 1990s, the American Catholic Church has become increasingly identified with the religious right, emphasizing the perils of abortion and gay rights,” writes <a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/02/joe-biden-catholic-social-teaching-centrism.html">UCLA Prof. Jeffrey Guhin in an article for Slate</a>.
However, the church also takes stances that could be seen as liberal on other issues, such as social justice and environmentalism. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/us/targeting-biden-catholic-bishops-advance-controversial-communion-plan.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage">As the New York Times pointed out</a> on Friday, Biden’s Catholicism, which stems more from such liberal Christian doctrine and is “focused less on sexual politics and more on racial inequality, climate change and poverty,” aligns closely with that of Francis in many ways, despite their differing stances on abortion.
In that sense, the strong conservative bent of the American bishops’ organization diverges from the spirit of the Vatican since Francis ascended in 2013. Previously, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/14/world/europe/biden-vatican-communion-abortion.html">according to the Times’s Jason Horowitz</a>, Pope Francis “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/world/europe/pope-francis-schism.html">has explicitly identified the United States as the source of opposition to his pontificate</a>,” and described it as “an honor” to be attacked by conservative American bishops. On Saturday, Francis did not comment on the week’s vote — because, as Horowitz writes in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/19/world/europe/pope-francis-vatican.html">separate article</a>, “The divergence of the conservative American church from Francis’ agenda is now so apparent as to become unremarkable.”
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/6/19/22541270/biden-abortion-communion-catholic-bishops">https://www.vox.com/2021/6/19/22541270/biden-abortion-communion-catholic-bishops</a>

vox Abortion rights, Joe Biden, and communion: the controversy, explained

In a break from the Vatican and past policy, the American arm of the Roman Catholic Church this week kicked off a process that could eventua...

Five Dead As School Construction Site Partially Collapses In Belgium

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Five Dead As School Construction Site Partially Collapses In Belgium" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/97gg4ndo_belgiumschoolcollapseafp650_625x300_20_June_21.jpg" title="Five Dead As School Construction Site Partially Collapses In Belgium" /></div>
Belgium school collapse: Two of the dead were from Portugal and Romania, police said.
</div>
Brussels:
Five building workers were confirmed dead Saturday, a day after a school construction site partially collapsed in the Belgian city of Antwerp.
The last two bodies were pulled out the rubble on Saturday afternoon, Antwerp's fire department said, meaning that all the missing victims were now accounted for.
King Philippe of Belgium visited the scene on Saturday accompanied by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
Two of the dead were from Portugal and Romania, police told local media while the nationality of the other dead workers was not clear.
But when three people were still missing, rescue workers had said they were looking for two more Portuguese and one Russian.
Nine other people were injured in the incident on Friday afternoon, with three still in intensive care a day later, but not in critical condition, the fire department tweeted.
As the school was still under construction, no students were present when the accident happened.
The cause of the collapse was not known, but all the victims were sub-contractors for construction firm Democo, Belga news agency reported.
"All the employees are devastated," Frederik Bijnens, Democo's managing director, told Belga.
"Now that the emergency services have done all they can, a thorough investigation will begin to identify the cause of the accident," he added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/belgium-five-dead-as-school-construction-site-partially-collapses-2467952">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/belgium-five-dead-as-school-construction-site-partially-collapses-2467952</a>

news world Five Dead As School Construction Site Partially Collapses In Belgium

Belgium school collapse: Two of the dead were from Portugal and Romania, police said. Brussels: Five building workers were confirmed de...

Covid Cases In Moscow Hit Record High For Second Straight Day

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Covid Cases In Moscow Hit Record High For Second Straight Day" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/2vg30i2o_russiacovidafp650_625x300_20_June_21.jpg" title="Covid Cases In Moscow Hit Record High For Second Straight Day" /></div>
Officials are now rushing to reintroduce COVID-19 restrictions in Moscow (File).
</div>
Moscow:
Russia's capital Moscow on Saturday reported a pandemic high for new coronavirus cases for the second straight day, while Saint Petersburg introduced fresh restrictions ahead of its Euro 2020 matches.
Brazil's death count from the pandemic meanwhile passed the half-million-mark on Saturday.
Moscow's hospitals were flooded with new patients due to the Delta variant, registering 9,120 new coronavirus infections in 24 hours, according to government figures. That made it a second consecutive high, topping the previous day's total of 9,056 cases.
Those figures have ballooned from just 3,000 daily two weeks ago, with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin saying the highly infectious Delta variant first identified in India represented nearly 90 per cent of new cases.
Across the country, officials recorded 17,906 cases and 466 deaths over 24 hours -- 76 of them in Moscow -- the worst nationwide figures since March 13.
The new wave of infections came as Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg, the country's worst Covid hotspot after Moscow, is slated to host several Euro 2020 matches -- including a quarter-final on July 2. They are expected to draw thousands of European football fans.
Officials are now rushing to reintroduce pandemic restrictions and roll out new beds dedicated to coronavirus patients.
On Saturday, Saint Petersburg announced it would restrict access to its main Euro 2020 fan zone on Konyushenaya Square to 3,000 people, down from 5,000, having earlier banned food sales in the fan zones.
Measures have been more drastic in Moscow, where Sobyanin on Friday shut down the city's fan zone, banned gatherings of more than 1,000, suspended all mass entertainment events and closed dance halls.
In Brazil, meanwhile, Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tweeted, "500,000 lives lost due to the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the world."
He did not give the death count from the past 24 hours, but as of Friday, the ministry had recorded 498,499 deaths, with a daily average of more than 2,000 over the last seven days.
Delta Variant
The pandemic is also casting a shadow over the Tokyo Olympics which will start in just over a month.
The Japanese capital's governor said Saturday the city would cancel all public viewing events.
Rather than setting up six planned viewing sites, "we will make greater use of the web to create exciting atmospheres for the Games," Yuriko Koike said.
The faster-spreading Delta variant is a top concern in many countries.
Fears over the rapid spread of the variant prompted the airport in the southern Chinese city Shenzhen to cancel hundreds of flights and tighten entry controls Saturday, after a single restaurant employee tested positive.
Anyone entering the facility must show a negative virus test from the last 48 hours, Shenzhen Airport Group said in a statement on its official WeChat social media account.
In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni announced new restrictions, including the suspension of inland travel and an extended overnight curfew, as "the hospitals are full".
"The rapid surge in the intensity of the pandemic appears unprecedented, but still manageable" with curbs similar to those employed at the beginning of the outbreak, Museveni added.
Mandatory Jabs
In Russia, Moscow mayor Sobyanin extended closures announced last weekend of food halls in public spaces like malls, as well as overnight shuttering of bars and restaurants.
The city has also ordered mandatory vaccination for residents working in the service industry, saying some 60 per cent would have to be fully inoculated by August 15.
Saint Petersburg has announced it will try to vaccinate 65 per cent of its civil servants by August 15.
Although free jabs have been available to Russians since December, just 19.5 million out of a population of some 146 million have received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the Gogov website which tallies Covid figures from the regions and the media.
In Moscow, only 1.5 million of the capital's roughly 12 million people have been fully vaccinated.
A recent independent survey found that 60 per cent of Russians do not intend to be vaccinated.
Russia is among the countries hit hardest by the pandemic, with the sixth-highest number of cases in the world, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
It overtook Britain on Thursday as the European country having suffered the most Covid deaths, reaching 128,911 by Saturday. Kremlin critics argue the real figure is far higher due to undercounting by authorities.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-covid-cases-in-moscow-hit-record-high-for-second-straight-day-2467933">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-covid-cases-in-moscow-hit-record-high-for-second-straight-day-2467933</a>

news world Covid Cases In Moscow Hit Record High For Second Straight Day

Officials are now rushing to reintroduce COVID-19 restrictions in Moscow (File). Moscow: Russia's capital Moscow on Saturday report...

Joe Biden Goes To Church Day After Challenge From Bishops On Abortion

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Joe Biden Goes To Church Day After Challenge From Bishops On Abortion" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/9kgu3u9s_joebidenchurchafp650_625x300_20_June_21.jpg" title="Joe Biden Goes To Church Day After Challenge From Bishops On Abortion" /></div>
In 2019, a priest had refused holy communion to Joe Biden because of his stance on abortion.
</div>
Wilmington:
President Joe Biden went to church Saturday in his hometown a day after US Roman Catholic bishops issued a challenge to him over his support for abortion rights.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden spent time at St. Joseph on the Brandywine church in Wilmington. They also visited the church graveyard where the president's first wife Neilia, son Beau and infant daughter Naomi are buried.
Biden, 78, is a devout Catholic who attends mass at least once a week, and he supports the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision affirming a woman's right to an abortion.
On Friday, US bishops agreed to draft a statement on the meaning of holy communion which could potentially be used to deny that sacrament to the American leader.
The eucharist, also known as holy communion, is among the most sacred rituals in the Catholic Church and there have been calls from some conservative church leaders to deny the sacrament to politicians who support abortion rights.
Biden on Friday seemed to dismiss the possibility that he could be denied communion.
"That's a private matter and I don't think that's going to happen," he told reporters.
It is up to each local bishop to decide who receives communion in their diocese.
In 2019, a priest at a Catholic church in South Carolina refused holy communion to Biden because of his stance on abortion.
The Catholic News Service reported in May that the Vatican had warned US bishops to proceed cautiously with policies designed "to address the situation of Catholics in public office who support legislation allowing abortion, euthanasia or other moral evils."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/joe-biden-goes-to-church-day-after-challenge-from-bishops-on-abortion-2467931">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/joe-biden-goes-to-church-day-after-challenge-from-bishops-on-abortion-2467931</a>

news world Joe Biden Goes To Church Day After Challenge From Bishops On Abortion

In 2019, a priest had refused holy communion to Joe Biden because of his stance on abortion. Wilmington: President Joe Biden went to ch...

Joe Biden To Host Israel President Reuven Rivlin On June 28: White House

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Joe Biden To Host Israel President Reuven Rivlin On June 28: White House" src="https://i.ndtvimg.com/i/2016-11/reuven-rivlin-pti_650x400_71479762218.jpg" title="Joe Biden To Host Israel President Reuven Rivlin On June 28: White House" /></div>
President Rivlin's visit will highlight the partnership between US and Israel, said White House (File).
</div>
Washington:
US President Joe Biden plans to host Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin, at the White House on June 28, the White House said on Saturday.
"President Rivlin's visit will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Israel and the deep ties between our governments and our people," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Rivlin will visit shortly before he is due to end his seven-year term in July.
Isaac Herzog was elected the country's new president this month in elections that marked the end of the era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel.
The role of the president is largely ceremonial but also meant to promote unity among the ethnic and religious groups.
The government changed after last month's fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza also touched off rare mob violence among the Jewish majority and Arab minority within Israeli cities.
"President Rivlin approaches the end of his term, this visit will honor the dedication he has shown to strengthening the friendship between the two countries over the course of many years," Psaki said.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/joe-biden-to-host-israel-president-reuven-rivlin-on-june-28-white-house-2467928">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/joe-biden-to-host-israel-president-reuven-rivlin-on-june-28-white-house-2467928</a>

news world Joe Biden To Host Israel President Reuven Rivlin On June 28: White House

President Rivlin's visit will highlight the partnership between US and Israel, said White House (File). Washington: US President Jo...

Iranians Denied "Free And Fair" Election: US As Iran Elects New President

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Iranians Denied 'Free And Fair' Election: US As Iran Elects New President" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-06/jn0c08no_ebrahim-raisi-650_625x300_19_June_21.jpeg" title="Iranians Denied 'Free And Fair' Election: US As Iran Elects New President" /></div>
Iran's Ebrahim Raisi is seen as close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (File)
</div>
Washington:
The United States said Saturday it regretted Iranians were not able to participate in a "free and fair electoral process" in the country's presidential election.
In the first reaction from Washington to ultraconservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi's election win, a State Department spokesperson said "Iranians were denied their right to choose their own leaders in a free and fair electoral process."
The United States will nonetheless continue indirect talks with Iran on the US rejoining the 2015 nuclear accord that Donald Trump abandoned, the spokesperson also said.
In Iran's election, many political heavyweights were barred from running. Raisi is seen as close to 81-year-old supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate political power in Iran.
Many voters chose to stay away after the field of some 600 hopefuls, including 40 women, had been winnowed down to seven candidates, all men, excluding an ex-president and a former parliament speaker.
Three of the vetted candidates dropped out two days before Friday's vote.
On the Iran nuclear accord, the State Department spokesperson said indirect talks in Vienna between the US and Iran had made "meaningful progress" and that Washington wanted to build on this.
"We will continue discussions along with our allies and partners on a mutual return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," the spokesperson said.
The discussions in Vienna, brokered by European diplomats, have been locked in dispute on which sanctions imposed on Iran would be lifted.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-says-it-regrets-iranians-were-denied-free-and-fair-election-after-iran-elects-new-president-2467919">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-says-it-regrets-iranians-were-denied-free-and-fair-election-after-iran-elects-new-president-2467919</a>

news world Iranians Denied "Free And Fair" Election: US As Iran Elects New President

Iran's Ebrahim Raisi is seen as close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (File) Washington: The United States said Saturday i...