Articles by Hannah Brockhaus
Vatican nativity scene, Christmas tree unveiled
Dec 8, 2017 / 08:55 amIn an inauguration ceremony Thursday, the Vatican officially unveiled this year’s nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square, also lighting the 69-foot Christmas tree for the first time this year.
Beauty advice from Pope Francis: Be virtuous like Mary
Dec 8, 2017 / 04:37 amOn Friday’s Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis offered his own ‘beauty secret’ – with Mary as model – saying beauty does not come from age or appearance, but from living a virtuous life rooted in scripture.
Pope names new archbishops for Paris, Mexico City dioceses
Dec 7, 2017 / 10:37 amPope Francis on Thursday named the next archbishops of two major metropolitan sees – Archbishop Michel Aupetit to Paris and Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes to Mexico City, the world’s largest diocese.
Pope Francis: It's good for young people to study Latin
Dec 6, 2017 / 10:08 amIn a message to the Pontifical Academies on Tuesday, Pope Francis praised the study of Latin, especially for young people, and encouraged scholars and teachers to promote its study as a positive guide for students as they navigate life.
Kidnapped twice, missionary priest returns to Nigeria
Dec 6, 2017 / 09:42 amAfter he was kidnapped in Nigeria in October, Italian missionary priest Fr. Maurizio Pallù has returned to the country, attributing his kidnapping to the work of the devil and crediting the Virgin Mary with his protection and release.
Pope appoints Washington auxiliary as new bishop of Richmond
Dec 5, 2017 / 04:13 amOn Tuesday the Vatican announced Pope Francis’ appointment of Bishop Barry C. Knestout, until now one of three auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Washington, as the next bishop of the Diocese of Richmond.
Pope Francis: God is calling you. Don’t make excuses.
Dec 4, 2017 / 11:59 amDo not wait to begin living out your vocation, Pope Francis said on Monday, encouraging people to stop making excuses for not answering God’s call to share in his mission in a particular way.
Pope Francis is praying for grandparents this December
Dec 4, 2017 / 10:14 amIn his prayer video for the month of December, Pope Francis prays for grandparents and the elderly, urging people to respect and support them, that their wisdom may continue to be passed down to new generations.
Mexican-born priest appointed auxiliary bishop of Brownsville
Dec 4, 2017 / 05:01 amOn Monday the Vatican announced Pope Francis' appointment of Oratorian Fr. Mario Alberto Aviles as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville.
Pope Francis: We’ve reached an ethical limit to nuclear weapons
Dec 2, 2017 / 16:30 pmAboard his flight from Bangladesh to Rome on Saturday, Pope Francis said that the destructive potential of nuclear weapons is so great that humanity has reached the limit of morally possessing them or using them as deterrents.
Pope tells Bangladesh bishops to make laity a priority, especially youth
Dec 1, 2017 / 04:01 amOn Friday Pope Francis met with the bishops of Bangladesh, urging them to be close to the laity, especially young people and families, and to encourage them to serve the Church according to their particular gifts.
Pope lands in Bangladesh, visits two national landmarks
Nov 30, 2017 / 05:21 amAfter landing in Bangladesh Thursday afternoon, Pope Francis made visits to two of the country’s important landmarks – the National Martyr’s Memorial in Savar and the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.
True justice and peace are for all people, Pope tells Buddhist leaders
Nov 29, 2017 / 03:34 amIn a meeting with Buddhist monks in Burma on Wednesday, Pope Francis stressed that true and lasting justice and peace cannot be achieved unless the dignity of all people is protected.
Pope stresses peace in unscheduled meeting with Burma's religious leaders
Nov 28, 2017 / 03:50 amIn an impromptu meeting on Tuesday morning, Pope Francis urged religious leaders in Burma to work toward peace, each according to the gifts and traditions of their faith.
Pope Francis: What matters in the end is how well we loved
Nov 26, 2017 / 06:07 amOn Sunday Pope Francis said that when the Final Judgment comes, what will matter most is how much we loved God and others, especially through daily, concrete acts of charity toward those most in need.
Pope: For Christians, work is more than an occupation, it's a mission
Nov 24, 2017 / 11:46 amIn a letter for the conclusion of a conference on labor on Friday, Pope Francis said work is about more than just doing something for money, but about cooperating with Christ’s work of redemption in how we care for others and the earth.
Find hope in the sign of the cross, Pope tells Eastern Christians
Nov 24, 2017 / 07:38 amPope Francis on Friday encouraged Eastern Christians in the Middle East, who are experiencing persecution and violence, to take hope in the cross, where Christ sacrificed himself not to eliminate wounds, but to transform them.
When you serve others, stay humble, Pope tells Franciscans
Nov 23, 2017 / 07:20 amPope Francis said on Thursday to always be humble when serving others, especially the least of these, remembering how much you yourself have received that you did not deserve.
A Seminarian Thanksgiving in Rome
Nov 22, 2017 / 15:00 pmSeminarians studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome have a lot to be thankful for come Thanksgiving Day. Among them is their community, and also for home-baked pumpkin pie, made by their fellow students, the fifth-year student priests of the college.
Pope Francis: At Mass we participate in Calvary
Nov 22, 2017 / 03:40 amOn Wednesday Pope Francis said that when we attend Mass, it is as if we are approaching Jesus on the Cross at Calvary, and that at every Eucharist we not only experience Christ’s redemption, but we participate in it.