Articles by Elise Harris
How St. Frances of Rome became the inspiration for ‘a blessing on cars’
Mar 9, 2024 / 05:00 amFrancesca Romana dreamed of becoming a nun but found sanctity in her vocation to marriage and for her service to the poor.
What was Sr. Lucia's advice after Fatima visions? Pray. Everyday.
Oct 13, 2021 / 14:00 pmThe niece of Fatima visionary Sr. Lucia dos Santos said her aunt was a normal person like everyone else, but shared some personal advice that her saintly relative used to give: to pray every single day.
Dublin archdiocese seeks 4,000 Eucharistic ministers for papal Mass
Jul 20, 2018 / 04:39 amWith less than a month to go until Pope Francis visits Dublin for the World Meeting of Families, organizers are moving forward with spiritual preparations as well as the practical, and have called for some 4,000 Eucharistic ministers to serve at the event's closing Mass.
Papal aides say prosperity gospel is distorted take on the ‘American Dream’
Jul 19, 2018 / 23:00 pmAfter publishing a highly controversial essay in July 2017 alleging the existence of an “ecumenism of hate” between Catholics and Evangelicals in the U.S., close papal confidantes Fr. Antonio Spadaro SJ and Marcelo Figueroa in a new article issue a scathing critique of the “prosperity gospel,” which they say is based on a reductionist view of the American Dream.
Study questions authenticity of bloodstains on Shroud of Turin
Jul 18, 2018 / 13:56 pmA study on the Shroud of Turin based on bloodstain pattern analysis used to investigate crime scenes has sparked fresh debate on what is believed to be Christ's burial cloth, saying the marks left by the blood flow are not authentic.
Vatican's former legal chief says canon law should include care of creation
Jul 17, 2018 / 11:14 amChurch law should include care of creation, Vatican legal expert says
Love is the heart of doctrine on family, Pope Francis says
Jul 16, 2018 / 10:32 amIn a message to Antillean youth, Pope Francis said love is the core of the Church's doctrine on the family, which is something every young person is responsible for carrying forward.
Beatification cause opens for Jesuit Pedro Arrupe, early mentor to Pope Francis
Jul 13, 2018 / 11:43 amA cause has begun in the Diocese of Rome for the beatification of Fr. Pedro Arrupe SJ, former superior general of the Society of Jesus. The priest, who served as a mentor to the future Pope Francis, was a controversial figure within the Society of Jesus.
Venezuelan bishops say country is going in 'suicidal' direction under Maduro
Jul 12, 2018 / 12:37 pmThe bishops of Venezuela issued Wednesday a scathing critique of the country's political leadership, calling for greater respect for basic needs and rights.
After new appointments, will Pope Francis' stalled curial reform start moving?
Jul 11, 2018 / 12:15 pmA long-time priority of Pope Francis, curial reform – specifically the overhaul of Vatican finances and communications – has been hanging by a thread for the past few years, and some wonder about the pope’s ability to make any meaningful or lasting changes in the Vatican’s way of doing business.
What happens when a church is no longer a church?
Jul 10, 2018 / 13:49 pmSt. Catherine of Siena Church was built by immigrants in a Catholic Boston neighborhood, in the late nineteenth century. For more than a century, it welcomed the poor, the lost, and the searching. Then in 2008, the church was closed.
Pope: God doesn't meet our expectations – he surprises us instead
Jul 8, 2018 / 03:24 amPope Francis said Sunday that God always surprises people with the way he works, and because of this, believers should be open to the Lord's way of thinking and acting, rather than expecting him to conform to their aspirations.
Peace cannot be built with walls, Pope Francis says in Bari
Jul 7, 2018 / 04:41 amPope Francis said Saturday that peace in the Middle East will never be achieved through division, violence or the pursuit of private interests, and called for negotiation on issues such as the status of Jerusalem and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In Bari, Pope decries 'murderous' indifference to a weeping Middle East
Jul 7, 2018 / 00:43 amJoined by heads of Christian Churches in the Middle East, Pope Francis Saturday condemned the “complicit silence” and indifference of the world to the conflicts tearing the region apart, and urged Christians to pray for peace.
Convicted Australian archbishop says he'll step down if appeal fails
Jul 6, 2018 / 09:56 amIn the continued fallout of his conviction for failing to report allegations of child sexual abuse, Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has faced calls both inside and outside of the Church to resign.
Cardinal Tauran, leader in Catholic-Muslim dialogue, dies at 75
Jul 6, 2018 / 03:21 amAfter a long battle with Parkinson's Disease, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, a seasoned Vatican diplomat who announced Pope Francis' election to the world in 2013, died Thursday at a hospital in the United States.
Pope taps Italian layman Paolo Ruffini as chief communications officer
Jul 5, 2018 / 03:35 amAfter the Vatican's former communications head stepped down in the fallout of a major fake-news scandal, Pope Francis has tapped layman Paolo Ruffini for the job, pulling him from a post with the Italian bishops conference.
Religious structures next step in Iraqi building process
Jul 4, 2018 / 07:24 amSince 2014 international charity organization Aid to the Church in Need has spent some 40 million euros [$46.6 million] funding relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, with the majority of support going toward basic needs such as housing.
Pope Francis asks Catholics to pray for their priests in July
Jul 3, 2018 / 10:08 amIn his latest prayer video, Pope Francis asked Catholics to dedicate the month of July to giving a spiritual gift to their pastors by praying for them, especially the priests who are tired or lonely.
Christians an 'essential element of balance' in the Middle East
Jul 3, 2018 / 09:20 amFor two cardinals helping to organize Pope Francis' upcoming trip to Bari, the event is a chance to highlight not only the historic religious presence of Christianity in the Middle East, but also the social contribution the various rites and churches bring to the region.