Articles by Elise Harris
God did not create us to remain crushed by sin, Pope says
Mar 4, 2016 / 13:35 pmLeading his annual penitential service on Friday, Pope Francis told attendees to stand tall and be open to forgiveness, and not to let themselves remain under the heavy burden of sin.
Vatican: the Church has been anything but indifferent to clerical abuse
Mar 4, 2016 / 10:05 amVatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi cautioned Friday that the recent Oscar-win for “Spotlight” and the lengthy deposition of a top Vatican official on institutional responses to clerical sex abuse could paint a false picture of how the Church has responded to the issue.
Cardinal Pell shares emotional meeting with abuse survivors
Mar 3, 2016 / 21:01 pmCardinal George Pell and a dozen survivors of clerical sex abuse met in Rome on Thursday, where they shared an emotional encounter and drafted a joint statement committing to work toward peace and healing.
As abuse hearing ends, Cardinal Pell says he 'should have done more'
Mar 3, 2016 / 10:13 amSpeaking to an Australian committee investigating institutional responses to child sex abuse cases, Cardinal George Pell has expressed his regret for failing to take more action against abusive priests in the 1970s and '80s.
Pope Francis: The Church doesn't need 'dirty money'
Mar 2, 2016 / 10:37 amOn Wednesday, Pope Francis issued a harsh condemnation of those who exploit others and then donate to the Church, telling them their “dirty money” isn’t wanted.
Cardinal Pell: I was not a part of Church's 'indefensible' cover up
Feb 29, 2016 / 09:48 amOn the first day of his video testimony to Australia's Royal Commission investigating institutional responses to child sex abuse cases, Cardinal George Pell said that while the Church has made “enormous mistakes” in the handling of abuse cases, he had no role in covering them up.
Pope Francis prayed at Vatican employee's coffin before meeting new president of Argentina
Feb 27, 2016 / 10:04 amBefore meeting with the president of Argentina Saturday, Pope Francis stopped by the funeral of Miriam Wuolou, a Vatican employee who died last week along with her unborn child, to pray and leave a bouquet of white roses.
Is a Catholic concept of mercy at the heart of true Islam?
Feb 27, 2016 / 09:23 amProfessor Saeed Khan, an expert in Islam, has said that mercy is the core of the Muslim faith – a mercy with roots in Catholicism and which is opposed to the misguided, fundamentalist interpretations of some extremist groups.
Vatican media guru brings digital perspective to new post
Feb 26, 2016 / 15:25 pmThere are probably very few people who understand Church communications better than Msgr. Paul Tighe.
Pope Francis spends his Friday with people in drug, alcohol recovery
Feb 26, 2016 / 11:35 amContinuing his knack for surprises, Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop at a rehabilitation center for those addicted to drugs and alcohol as part of monthly works of mercy, which he carries out on Fridays during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
God's love is the 'beating heart' of the Church, Pope Francis says
Feb 26, 2016 / 05:40 amPope Francis marked the 10th anniversary of Benedict XVI’s encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” by telling participants in a conference commemorating the document that not only is love God’s identity, but it’s also the very heart and life of the Church.
Did Pope Francis like to dance? And other questions from kids
Feb 26, 2016 / 03:02 amIn his first children's book Pope Francis touches on a variety of both lighthearted and sensitive topics from war and solving the world’s conflicts, to Sunday school, miracles and his preference for tango.
Pope Francis cancels appointments due to a slight fever
Feb 25, 2016 / 07:32 amOn Thursday Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ announced that after Pope Francis celebrated his usual morning Mass, he canceled the rest of his appointments due to a small fever.
Pope: wealth and power are good, but only when used to serve
Feb 24, 2016 / 05:06 amOn Wednesday Pope Francis cautioned that unless wealth and power are put at the service of society, especially the poor, they risk becoming instruments of corruption, private interests and various forms of abuse.
Pope Francis to Curia: Your job is to be faithful
Feb 23, 2016 / 11:23 amPope Francis celebrated the feast of the Chair of St. Peter with a reflection and Mass for members of the Roman Curia, during which he told them to be faithful in their work, and to keep their eyes on Christ.
Make a daily commitment to spreading God’s mercy, Pope Francis says
Feb 20, 2016 / 04:46 amOn Saturday Pope Francis held his second Saturday general audience of the Jubilee, encouraging pilgrims to make a daily commitment to spreading God’s mercy both in the small things, and to those most in need.
These pop-singing nuns rocked Pope Francis' Juarez Mass
Feb 19, 2016 / 14:06 pmAfter taking the Internet by storm last fall with their hit “Confia en Dios,” this group of singing sisters was invited to perform at Pope Francis’ U.S.-Mexico border Mass in Juarez earlier this week.
Cardinal Pell strikes back at allegations of child abuse
Feb 19, 2016 / 10:05 amOn Friday Cardinal George Pell forcefully denied an alleged police investigation's claim of “multiple offenses” of child sexual abuse, calling the accusations patently untrue.
UPDATED: If Trump only builds walls he's not Christian, Pope Francis says
Feb 18, 2016 / 10:00 amDuring his inflight news conference en route from Juarez to Rome, Pope Francis responded to recent criticism from Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, who called the Pope “political” and has threatened to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.
No one is beyond God's mercy, Pope tells inmates in Juarez
Feb 17, 2016 / 12:22 pmOn his last day in Mexico, Pope Francis traveled to a city notorious for its violence and drug activity, meeting with inmates at a prison to deliver the message that no matter what their regrets, it’s never too late to start again.