Articles by Courtney Mares
Pope Francis: The resurrection of Jesus changes our lives completely and forever
Apr 1, 2024 / 09:00 am“Brothers, sisters, the joy of the Resurrection is not something far away. It is very close; it is ours because it was given to us on the day of our baptism.”
Pope Francis on Easter: May the risen Christ open a path of peace in the Holy Land
Mar 31, 2024 / 08:45 amIn his Easter Sunday blessing, Pope Francis asked the risen Lord to open paths of peace in the Holy Land, Ukraine, and all regions suffering from violence.
Pope Francis celebrates Easter 2024: ‘Jesus Christ is risen’
Mar 31, 2024 / 08:15 amPope Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday 2024 before giving the traditional urbi et orbi blessing.
On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis asks priests to weep over their sins
Mar 28, 2024 / 09:30 amPope Francis encouraged the priests to turn their gaze upon the crucified Lord and weep over their sins in repentance, saying tears can “purify and heal the heart.”
Cardinal leads Holy Week prayer vigil for recently martyred Christians
Mar 27, 2024 / 10:45 amCardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, presided over the vigil on March 26 in St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island.
Pope Francis to offer Mass in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square
Mar 25, 2024 / 11:45 amThe 87-year-old pope will travel by helicopter from Vatican City to Venice in under two hours and will land on Giudecca Island, home to Venice’s women’s prison.
Pope Francis gives thanks to young Nigerian priests and nuns who answered God’s call
Mar 25, 2024 / 09:30 amIn a meeting with Nigerians living in Rome on March 25, the pope said that he was grateful for all that Nigerian Catholics have done to bear witness to the Gospel.
Pope Francis to young people: ‘Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!’
Mar 25, 2024 / 08:51 am“Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!” Pope Francis wrote in a letter to young people signed on March 25.
Pope Francis prays for victims of Moscow terrorist attack at Palm Sunday Mass
Mar 24, 2024 / 11:52 amPope Francis offered prayers for the victims of the “vile terrorist attack” in Moscow at the end of his Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican.
Pope Francis on Palm Sunday: Jesus entered Jerusalem as a humble king
Mar 24, 2024 / 09:45 amPope Francis chose not to read the homily prepared for Palm Sunday Mass at the last minute without explanation.
Pope Francis: God’s glory does not correspond to human success
Mar 17, 2024 / 09:07 amPope Francis said Sunday that God’s glory and our true happiness are not found in success, fame, or popularity but in loving and forgiving others.
Vatican seeks to break new ground in Confucian and Christian dialogue
Mar 13, 2024 / 15:00 pmThe Vatican sponsored a dialogue in Taiwan this week as the Catholic Church prepares to release official guidelines for engagement with Confucianism.
Vatican’s Venice Biennale pavilion leads visitors in Catholic tradition of visiting prisoners
Mar 11, 2024 / 11:18 amVisitors will enter an active women’s prison on Venice’s Giudecca island, where inmates will play an active role in the exhibition of works by nine artists.
Pope Francis: We have a duty to help women accept the gift of life
Mar 10, 2024 / 09:30 amPope Francis said Sunday that governments and civil society have a fundamental duty to help ensure that women are able to accept the gift of life.
St. Thomas Aquinas’ relics carried in procession for 750th anniversary of his death
Mar 7, 2024 / 14:00 pmBishop Mariano Crociata led the procession to honor the medieval philosopher and theologian widely considered one of the greatest thinkers in Western civilization.
Pope Francis appoints American priest to role in Vatican’s highest court
Mar 5, 2024 / 11:40 amMonsignor Shane L. Kirby has been named the substitute promoter of justice of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.
Pope Francis urges ‘an immediate cease-fire in Gaza’ that frees hostages, grants aid
Mar 3, 2024 / 09:25 amIn his Angelus address on March 3, the pope made an emotional plea for a deal that both frees the hostages and grants humanitarian aid.
Here is Pope Francis’ schedule for Holy Week and Easter 2024 at the Vatican
Feb 29, 2024 / 12:10 pmThe schedule includes five papal liturgies, Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum, and other traditions to mark the most sacred week of the year.
Relic of martyr killed by Mafia to be used in prison ministry in Naples
Feb 29, 2024 / 09:15 amThe relics of Blessed Rosario Livatino, a Catholic judge brutally killed by the mafia in 1990, will be brought to a prison in Naples on Saturday.
Pope Francis visits hospital for diagnostic tests after Wednesday audience
Feb 28, 2024 / 07:43 am“Dear brothers and sisters, I still have a bit of a cold,” Pope Francis said in a soft-spoken voice on Feb. 28.