Articles by Hannah Brockhaus
Kiss from Pope Francis a wish come true for boy with Down syndrome
Mar 28, 2018 / 09:07 amWhen Peter Lombardi was diagnosed with leukemia in 2015, his wish was to get a kiss from Pope Francis, but his family’s plans to see him at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia fell through when Peter was in the hospital.
Pope accepts resignation of Irish bishop criticized for handling of abuse report
Mar 26, 2018 / 11:35 amOn Monday, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop John McAreavey of Dromore, Ireland, who had asked to step down earlier this month following media claims that he mishandled an abuse report in the early ‘90s.
Pope sends prayers for victims of attack in France, fire in Russia
Mar 26, 2018 / 08:52 amOn Monday Pope Francis sent his prayers and condolences for victims of an alleged terrorist attack in southern France, and for those affected by a fire inside a shopping mall in Russia which has killed at least 64 people.
Young people bring faith, simplicity to meditations for papal Via Crucis
Mar 25, 2018 / 14:02 pmAs the Vatican gears up for the Synod on youth in October, Pope Francis has chosen a group of Italian high school students to write the meditations for his Good Friday Way of the Cross at the Colosseum.
US pre-synod delegates: Youth need authentic Catholic witnesses
Mar 22, 2018 / 10:47 amThe United States delegates to a pre-synod gathering in Rome this week have said they think young Catholics in the nation need – and desire – faithful and authentic accompaniment in order to live the faith and to form a relationship with Christ.
Holy Communion unites us to Christ, Francis says
Mar 21, 2018 / 03:58 amAt Wednesday's general audience, Pope Francis said our participation in the Holy Eucharist at Mass is not a merely spiritual communion, but a sacramental one, uniting us to Christ and his Church.
Pope Francis' Holy Thursday Mass will be at a prison
Mar 20, 2018 / 09:04 amContinuing his custom of saying Holy Thursday Mass outside a sacred place, Pope Francis this year will visit one of Rome’s most well-known prisons, the Regina Coeli, located in the historic Trastevere neighborhood.
Pope Francis sends condolences for death of Cardinal O’Brien
Mar 20, 2018 / 06:38 amOn Tuesday Pope Francis offered his condolences for the death of Cardinal Keith Patrick O’Brien, the disgraced former archbishop of Edinburgh, who died Monday at the age of 80 in a hospital in northern England.
Pope Francis: The crucifix is for prayer, not decoration
Mar 18, 2018 / 05:58 amOn Sunday Pope Francis said that the crucifix is not just something decorative to hang on the wall or wear, it is an important sign of our beliefs – and should be truly looked at and prayed before as the source of our salvation.
Benedict’s praise for Francis booklets came with previously unmentioned caveats, letter shows
Mar 17, 2018 / 11:36 amAmid accusations of concealment, the Vatican's communications department has released the entirety of a letter written by Benedict XVI, revealing a previously unpublished paragraph which contains Benedict’s comments about a theologian known for his “anti-papal initiatives.”
Prayer is about being with God, not stress relief, Francis says
Mar 17, 2018 / 06:33 amOn Saturday Pope Francis asked Catholics if they try to pray as Jesus did – out of love for God – or if they only pray when they need something from God or want a ‘shot’ of stress relief.
Pope Francis in Pietrelcina: Padre Pio loved Mother Church
Mar 17, 2018 / 03:40 amSpeaking Saturday in Pietrelcina, the town where St. Padre Pio was born, Pope Francis encouraged devotion to Holy Mother Church, explaining how despite the imperfection of its members, it was beloved by Padre Pio.
Update: Guilty verdict for Guam archbishop, appeal to follow
Mar 16, 2018 / 05:13 amOn Friday the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced the conclusion of a year-long trial against an archbishop in Guam, stating that he has been found guilty of some charges stemming from allegations of sexual abuse of minors and has been removed from office.
Pope Francis to visit towns where Padre Pio lived and died
Mar 14, 2018 / 18:00 pmOn Saturday, Pope Francis will make a short trip to the Italian towns of Pietrelcina and San Giovanni Rotondo, the places where St. Padre Pio was born and lived his life, and where his work continues today in the form of the hospital he founded.
Pope: In praying the Our Father, do you know to whom you’re talking?
Mar 14, 2018 / 05:18 amAt the general audience Wednesday, Pope Francis spoke about the importance of the recitation of the Our Father at Mass, asking if when we pray it, we understand whom we are praying to and the relationship we are called to have with him.
Updated: Benedict XVI says there is 'inner continuity' between himself, Pope Francis
Mar 12, 2018 / 15:11 pmIn a personal letter reportedly sent to the head of the Secretariat for Communications, Benedict XVI said that he sees continuity between himself and his successor, Pope Francis.
Pope Francis sends condolences for death of controversial German cardinal
Mar 12, 2018 / 11:58 amOn Monday Pope Francis sent condolences for the death of Cardinal Karl Lehmann, the retired archbishop of Mainz, Germany, who died March 11.
Good Friday collection will aid Christians in Middle East
Mar 12, 2018 / 09:22 amAs the Vatican’s annual Good Friday Collection approaches, the head of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches has encouraged people to take pilgrimages to the Holy Land, in addition to supporting the local Christian communities through prayer and monetary assistance.
Students 'hack' away at global problems during Vatican hackathon
Mar 9, 2018 / 13:58 pmA March 8-11 “hacking marathon” at the Vatican is in full swing, with 120 students of different backgrounds, faiths, and disciplines working to “hack” into global social problems in 36 hours of innovative brainstorming.
Pope Francis: We abandon God through sin, but he never abandons us
Mar 9, 2018 / 12:09 pmAt his annual Lenten penitential service on Friday, Pope Francis said that it is not God who abandons us when we sin, but we who separate ourselves from him by choosing to sin, and that no matter what we do, God never stops loving us.