Articles by Courtney Mares
Microsoft president to unveil ‘AI-enhanced experience’ of St. Peter’s Basilica
Nov 8, 2024 / 06:00 am“The Basilica of St. Peter’s: AI-Enhanced Experience” is a collaboration between Microsoft and the Fabric of St. Peter.
‘Dilexit Nos’: wisdom from 20 saints on the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Nov 1, 2024 / 04:00 am“Dilexit Nos,” meaning “He Loved Us,” describes how devotion to the heart of Christ “reappears in the spiritual journey of many saints.”
Vatican publishes first report on Church safeguarding efforts worldwide
Oct 29, 2024 / 10:00 amThe 50-page report by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is the first in an annual series that aims to provide analysis of safeguarding measures.
Meet ‘Luce’: The Vatican’s cartoon mascot for Jubilee 2025
Oct 28, 2024 / 12:55 pmThe mascot, named Luce — which means “light” in Italian — is intended to engage a younger audience and guide visitors through the holy year.
Pope Francis in Angelus address mourns Catholic priest murdered in Mexico
Oct 27, 2024 / 11:40 amThe pope called the slain priest “a zealous servant of the Gospel and God’s faithful people” and said he joined the local diocese in Mexico in mourning his loss.
In synod closing Mass, Pope Francis calls for ‘a Church that hears the cry of the world’
Oct 27, 2024 / 08:55 amAt the Synod on Synodality closing Mass on Sunday, Pope Francis said that a synodal Church must be “on the move” following Christ in serving those in need.
Tokyo’s new cardinal shares what he is looking for in the next pope
Oct 26, 2024 / 06:00 am“If a conclave happens very soon, I think what we need is somebody to succeed the policy of Pope Francis,” Cardinal-elect Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi said.
Dilexit Nos: 7 takeaways from Pope Francis’ new encyclical on the Sacred Heart
Oct 25, 2024 / 15:20 pmThe encyclical, issued on Oct. 24, examines the transformative power of Jesus’ heart as a font of healing for a divided world.
Vatican-China bishop deal renewed for four more years
Oct 22, 2024 / 08:53 amThe renewal comes days after a report from the Hudson Institute detailed how seven Catholic bishops in China have been detained without due process.
Persecution of 10 Catholic bishops in China intensified after Vatican-China deal, report says
Oct 21, 2024 / 16:30 pmA new report by religious freedom advocate Nina Shea for the Hudson Institute sheds light on the repression faced by 10 Catholic bishops in China.
Pope Francis to release new encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’ on the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Oct 21, 2024 / 07:49 amThe encyclical, titled “Dilexit Nos,” meaning “he has loved us,” will be published on Oct. 24.
Pope Francis canonizes 14 new saints, including priests martyred in Syria
Oct 20, 2024 / 11:00 amIn a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 20, the pope declared three 19th-century founders of religious orders and the 11 “Martyrs of Damascus” as saints.
These are the 14 people who will be canonized saints this weekend
Oct 17, 2024 / 18:10 pmThe 14 soon-to-be saints each exemplified heroic virtue and witnessed to holiness within their unique vocations, including two married men.
Pope Francis hopes for ‘reconciled differences’ with Orthodox and Protestant Christians
Oct 16, 2024 / 09:10 amThe pope said “the climate of dialogue between the two Churches has lost the acrimony of the past and today allows us to hope for full mutual acceptance.”
Cardinal Zuppi returns to Moscow as Vatican peace envoy
Oct 14, 2024 / 11:45 amCardinal Matteo Zuppi returned to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian authorities as part of the peace mission entrusted to him by Pope Francis.
Pope Francis: ‘True wealth is being loved by God’
Oct 13, 2024 / 11:12 am“Let us remember this: True wealth is not the goods of this world. True wealth is being loved by God and learning to love like him,” Francis said Oct. 13.
Taiwan’s ambassador to Vatican highlights partnership in charity and peace
Oct 10, 2024 / 12:50 pmAmbassador Matthew Lee emphasized the importance of the Vatican-Taiwan partnership, particularly in promoting peace and religious freedom, in an interview.
Film composer Hans Zimmer to conduct Vatican concert for poor and homeless
Oct 10, 2024 / 09:15 amThe legendary composer will take center stage at the Vatican’s “Concert with the Poor” on Dec. 7 in the Paul VI Hall.
PHOTOS: Vatican to unveil restored baldacchino in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 27
Oct 9, 2024 / 14:35 pmJournalists donned hard hats on Tuesday to get a sneak peek of the nearly finished restorations, climbing the scaffolding to the top of the 94-foot-tall canopy.
Catholic bishops from mainland China and Taiwan in dialogue at Synod on Synodality
Oct 8, 2024 / 13:30 pmBishop Norbert Pu is the Catholic Church’s first bishop born in Taiwan and is a delegate in the nearly monthlong synod assembly.