The Diocese of Pittsburgh says it will have to wait until the coronavirus crisis passes before determining precisely how it will communicate with its flock in the wake of last week’s suspension of publication of the Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper.

The diocese terminated all of the weekly newspaper’s employees last week and suspended publication. The diocese would not comment on what severance or other assistance it offered the former employees, citing the confidentiality of personnel matters.

The main points of distribution of the newspaper, founded in 1844, were parishes. But those points are cut off now, with Masses and other public worship suspended.

The “current decision was to suspend the printing and publication of the Pittsburgh Catholic effective immediately and until further notice,” said chancellor Ellen Mady.

“Things are changing rapidly, but for the foreseeable future, it looks like the majority of people in our diocese (and beyond) will be staying home, with online, TV, and radio services the main way people are staying informed and connected and those are the channels we're focusing on using,” she said in a statement.

Whether the newspaper might be restarted is unclear.

“When the dust settles a bit, we will re-evaluate all of our channels of communication and at that point will determine how best to move forward,” she said.

First Published: March 24, 2020, 6:57 p.m.