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May 25, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — In this episode of The John-Henry Westen Show, I speak with Phil Lawler, Catholic journalist, author, and founder of Catholic World News to discuss the COVID lockdowns during the last year. We talk specifically about the shutting down of churches and the ban on the sacraments ordered by most bishops around the world.

Phil Lawler’s latest book, Contagious Faith: Why the Church Must Spread Hope, Not Fear, in a Pandemic, describes the vaious responses to COVID-19 taken by the Church’s shepherds as “the health-first heresy.” This heresy is “the idea that your physical health is more important than your spiritual health,” which totally contradicts Church doctrine.

He also says that the suspension of public Masses was “terribly wrong,” and that it displays how a true sense of faith has been lost by so many Catholics, but especially the clergy.

Lawler points out that every person takes risks in life, and that the risks associated with the coronavirus could never justify the “disproportionate reaction” of shutting down churches to the public.

However, Lawler praises several courageous clergy that continued to provide the faithful with spiritual nourishment despite being ordered otherwise by their bishops. He calls on Catholics to seek out these priests and true shepherds to spread the truth as strongly and fearlessly as possible, and to continue to “have faith and confidence” that Jesus Christ wins at the end.

The John-Henry Westen Show is available by video on the show’s YouTube channel and right here on my LifeSite blog.

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John-Henry is the co-founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews.com. He and his wife Dianne have eight children and they live in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada.

He has spoken at conferences and retreats, and appeared on radio and television throughout the world. John-Henry founded the Rome Life Forum, an annual strategy meeting for life, faith and family leaders worldwide. He is a board member of the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family. He is a consultant to Canada’s largest pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, and serves on the executive of the Ontario branch of the organization. He has run three times for political office in the province of Ontario representing the Family Coalition Party.

John-Henry earned an MA from the University of Toronto in School and Child Clinical Psychology and an Honours BA from York University in Psychology.