Articles by Elise Harris
On Annunciation, Pope says God still seeks hearts like Mary
Mar 25, 2017 / 09:19 amPope Francis celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation in Milan, telling mass-goers that even today God is still searching for hearts like Mary’s that are open to welcoming his invitation and providing hope, even when it’s hard.
Don't fret about numbers, but your mission, Pope tells Milan religious
Mar 25, 2017 / 05:31 amDuring his daytrip to Milan Saturday, Pope Francis told the diocese’s priests and religious not to fear the challenges that come with their ministry nor the increasing number of empty convents, urging them instead to focus on the core of their mission: bringing Christ to his people.
Protection of minors event draws swath of top Vatican leaders
Mar 24, 2017 / 14:32 pmIn a significant show of unity, officials from every Vatican department – including at least half a dozen cardinals who head various dicasteries – attended a recent Rome seminar on safeguarding minors.
Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries
Mar 23, 2017 / 05:44 amOn Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions.
Pope Francis prays for victims of deadly London attack
Mar 23, 2017 / 05:08 amAfter four people died in an apparent terrorist attack in London yesterday, Pope Francis has voiced his sorrow and solidarity for the victims and their families, entrusting them and the nation to God’s mercy.
Pope Francis: When we want to give up, God helps us persevere
Mar 22, 2017 / 02:57 amOn Wednesday Pope Francis said each person must strive to imitate the perseverance and consolation of God, which not only gives us the strength to keep going, but also to help others who are in difficulty.
Pope Francis' schedule for Fatima visit released
Mar 20, 2017 / 08:48 amOn Monday, the Vatican released the official program for Pope Francis’ two-day visit to Portugal in May, where he’ll celebrate the centenary of the Fatima Marian apparitions and make a brief stop at an air base to meet the country’s president.
Pope meets Rwandan president, apologizes for Church failure during genocide
Mar 20, 2017 / 07:46 amDuring a brief meeting with Rwandan president Paul Kagame Monday, Pope Francis voiced his sadness for members of the Church who participated in the 1994 genocide, asking for forgiveness and assuring those who still suffer of his prayer.
Confession must be a pastoral priority, Pope Francis says
Mar 17, 2017 / 10:16 amPope Francis told priests Friday to make confession a priority in their parishes, and, if they want to be good confessors, to have a strong prayer life focused on growing in humility and closeness to the Holy Spirit in order to evangelize.
Here's what Pope Francis is doing for Holy Week
Mar 16, 2017 / 23:08 pmWith Easter only a month away, plans have already been set in the Vatican for the celebrations surrounding the big day, and the lead-up to Holy Week will be filled with several papal daytrips, Masses, and liturgies.
Cardinal to Harvard students: You need to be courageous
Mar 16, 2017 / 01:50 amThis week Cardinal George Pell sat down with some 20 students from Harvard visiting Rome, with the goal of challenging them to both set firm ideals and to work hard to achieve them – something the Church can help with by providing a basic framework for moral leadership.
My life isn't a tragedy – a Rwandan woman's incredible story of survival
Mar 13, 2017 / 02:02 amShe begged and scrounged for food in the forest; she drank water from a stream with dead bodies in it; she wrapped grass on her feet in order to walk long distances in the hot sun in order to survive, facing starvation and malnourishment, all before the age of six.
The Transfiguration prepares us for the Cross, Pope says at parish visit
Mar 12, 2017 / 11:07 amIn his brief homily at a Roman parish Sunday, Pope Francis reflected on the beautiful faces of Jesus during the Transfiguration and the Resurrection, saying they give us the hope and courage needed to handle the face that comes between the two: the face of the Crucifixion.
The Cross is more than jewelry – it's a call to love, Pope Francis says
Mar 12, 2017 / 05:03 amOn Sunday Pope Francis said Lent is a time to really contemplate the sacrifice Jesus made for each of us on the Cross, which is more than just a devotional symbol, but an exhortation to imitate the love of Christ.
It's official: Pope Francis will visit Colombia September 6-11
Mar 10, 2017 / 08:21 amThe Vatican announced Friday that Pope Francis will make a six-day trip to Colombia in September with four cities on his itinerary, almost a year after the government and FARC rebels signed a major peace agreement.
For women, Vatican's new female advisory group 'a good start'
Mar 8, 2017 / 03:02 amA new advisory group for the Pontifical Council for Culture is being hailed as the beginning of a greater representation of women in leadership at the Vatican.
Vatican event to highlight key role of women in peace-building
Mar 6, 2017 / 17:05 pmTo mark International Women's Day, the Vatican invited women from across the globe to discuss not only their work as peacemakers in a conflict-filled world, but their contributions to the Church as well.
How to save biodiversity? Curb wasteful habits, Vatican event says
Mar 2, 2017 / 20:02 pmA Vatican conference on biodiversity has found that wasteful attitudes when it comes to consumption could be leading to the extinction of certain species, and that changing personal habits and a promoting more equal distribution of the earth’s resources could make the difference.
Abuse survivor resigns from commission for protection of minors
Mar 1, 2017 / 06:42 amOn Wednesday the decision of clerical abuse survivor Marie Collins to resign from her post on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors was announced, citing frustrations with “a lack of cooperation” by the Curia as leading factor.
Humility is the first step to unity, Pope tells Catholics, Anglicans
Feb 26, 2017 / 11:31 amDuring his Sunday visit to Rome’s Anglican parish of All Saints, Pope Francis voiced gratitude for the good relations Catholics and Anglicans now enjoy, and said that on the path toward full communion, humility has to be the point of departure.