A New York Times story meant to prove churches are a major source of COVID-19 outbreak actually did just the opposite, some Christian leaders say.

The story referenced cases tied to churches in Texas, Louisiana, Oregon and other states and said “more than 650 coronavirus cases have been linked to nearly 40 churches and religious events across the United States since the beginning of the pandemic,” with “many of them erupting over the last month as Americans resumed their pre-pandemic activities, according to a New York Times database.”

The news aggregator website The Drudge Report linked to the story, which ran under the headline, “Churches Were Eager to Reopen. Now They Are a Major Source of Coronavirus Cases.”

But as author and blogger Ed Stetzer noted, the 650-plus nationwide church cases are only a sliver of the total number of cases nationwide.

“There are now 3 million people infected in the United States,” Stetzer wrote in his blog at Christianity Today. Stetzer is the executive director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. “Furthermore, there were 60,000 cases each of the past two days in America. That’s almost 100 times the 650 cases that the New York Times reports in churches – and that is since the beginning of the pandemic.”

Others agreed with Stetzer’s take.

“This NY Times story is a joke. 650 cases = ‘major source’ of cases,” tweeted…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Being a tour guide at the Vatican Museums is a little bit like going to hell.

Livia Galante, an experienced archaeologist and tour guide, described it as a bit like a scene from Dante’s Inferno — filled with masses of people jammed together.

Galante, who is experienced at navigating the intricate corridors of the Vatican collection, has nearly fainted and had panic attacks twice during her tours.

The museums normally host over 6 million visitors a year and on some days up to 45,000 tourists fill its galleries.

Galante recently scrolled through a dozen pictures of overcrowded halls at the Vatican Museums on her phone. The images show people packed together in the majestic halls, with only disembodied limbs sticking out from the crowd, occasionally holding out phones or umbrellas.

“Hell,” she called it.

During the coronavirus pandemic, things have changed. The museums shut down for three months and only reopened June 1.

Today, the halls are largely emptied.

Visitors can stop and take in the beauty of the recently restored Raphael Rooms and the jaw-dropping ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

“We are reclaiming ownership of space,” Galante said.

Tourists now can enjoy the museums as they were originally intended, with pause and contemplation, she said.

Before COVID-19, guides and tourists clamored for a less crowded, more enjoyable…

A church in Fort Myers, Florida says the church did not host a party where a 17-year-old girl attended and later died of COVID-19.

“Over the past 24 hours, First Assembly of God of Fort Myers has been accused of hosting ‘COVID-19 parties.’ Nothing could be farther from the truth,” the church said in a statement according to the Christian Post. “First Assembly of God of Fort Myers is following all of the health protections and protocols recommended by the state and local government with regard to holding its church services.

“Let us be clear – media reports and postings accusing the church of ignoring protocols or actively engaging in behavior intended to expose our congregation to the virus are absolutely false and defamatory.”

The teenage girl, Carsyn Leigh Davis, died June 23 from COVID-19– about two weeks after she attended a church function.

The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department said in its report: “On June 10, the decedent attended a church function with 100 other children. She did not wear a mask. Social distancing was not followed.”

The church reportedly hosted a “party” on June 10. The church’s social media page advertised the event as a “release party” with a DJ, karaoke and basketball. The Facebook – has since been deleted from the church’s page.

Davis had previously battled cancer. On June 13, the teen complained…

A new report released last week showed that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) rescued over 665,000 jobs for churches and ministries across the country.

The PPP was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March in order to help struggling businesses make payroll as the country reels from the effects of COVID-19. According to Christianity Today, it also marked the first time the US government sought financial protection for clergy and ministry workers as part of a stimulus package.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) released the list, which revealed that at least 11,500 Christian organizations received loans of $150,000 or more. Willow Creek Church in Chicago received one of the highest loans of over $5 million that kept 353 jobs while Life.Church in Edmond, Oklahoma received the same amount and preserved 451 jobs.

The program allowed companies with 500 employees or less to request up to two and half months of payroll costs. The average amount churches took were between $150,000 to $300,00 and kept around 60 jobs.

The SBA compiled the list with a keyword search of church, Christian, Catholic, and diocese. More than 7,000 recipients who received $150,000 or more included the word church in their name. For those churches who included denominations in their names, Catholic and Baptist congregations received the most funds. More than 2,000 Catholic…