Articles by Courtney Mares
Persecution of 10 Catholic bishops in China intensified after Vatican-China deal, report says
Oct 21, 2024 / 16:30 pmA new report by religious freedom advocate Nina Shea for the Hudson Institute sheds light on the repression faced by 10 Catholic bishops in China.
Pope Francis to release new encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’ on the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Oct 21, 2024 / 07:49 amThe encyclical, titled “Dilexit Nos,” meaning “he has loved us,” will be published on Oct. 24.
Pope Francis canonizes 14 new saints, including priests martyred in Syria
Oct 20, 2024 / 11:00 amIn a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 20, the pope declared three 19th-century founders of religious orders and the 11 “Martyrs of Damascus” as saints.
These are the 14 people who will be canonized saints this weekend
Oct 17, 2024 / 18:10 pmThe 14 soon-to-be saints each exemplified heroic virtue and witnessed to holiness within their unique vocations, including two married men.
Pope Francis hopes for ‘reconciled differences’ with Orthodox and Protestant Christians
Oct 16, 2024 / 09:10 amThe pope said “the climate of dialogue between the two Churches has lost the acrimony of the past and today allows us to hope for full mutual acceptance.”
Cardinal Zuppi returns to Moscow as Vatican peace envoy
Oct 14, 2024 / 11:45 amCardinal Matteo Zuppi returned to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian authorities as part of the peace mission entrusted to him by Pope Francis.
Pope Francis: ‘True wealth is being loved by God’
Oct 13, 2024 / 11:12 am“Let us remember this: True wealth is not the goods of this world. True wealth is being loved by God and learning to love like him,” Francis said Oct. 13.
Taiwan’s ambassador to Vatican highlights partnership in charity and peace
Oct 10, 2024 / 12:50 pmAmbassador Matthew Lee emphasized the importance of the Vatican-Taiwan partnership, particularly in promoting peace and religious freedom, in an interview.
Film composer Hans Zimmer to conduct Vatican concert for poor and homeless
Oct 10, 2024 / 09:15 amThe legendary composer will take center stage at the Vatican’s “Concert with the Poor” on Dec. 7 in the Paul VI Hall.
PHOTOS: Vatican to unveil restored baldacchino in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 27
Oct 9, 2024 / 14:35 pmJournalists donned hard hats on Tuesday to get a sneak peek of the nearly finished restorations, climbing the scaffolding to the top of the 94-foot-tall canopy.
Catholic bishops from mainland China and Taiwan in dialogue at Synod on Synodality
Oct 8, 2024 / 13:30 pmBishop Norbert Pu is the Catholic Church’s first bishop born in Taiwan and is a delegate in the nearly monthlong synod assembly.
Women deacons off the table? Synod delegate claims ‘some women sense a call to priesthood’
Oct 7, 2024 / 13:45 pm“I think we have to look at the question very much from … the Spirit. ‘Is the Spirit calling women?’” said Sister Mary Theresa Barron, OLA.
Pope Francis prays rosary for peace on eve of first anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack
Oct 6, 2024 / 13:10 pmOn the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, the pope implored Our Lady, Queen of Peace, to “dispel the dark clouds of evil.”
Pope Francis urges married couples to ‘be open to life’
Oct 6, 2024 / 10:43 amIn his Sunday Angelus address, the Holy Father asked couples to reflect on whether their married life is fully open to the gift of children.
Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including archbishops of Tehran and Toronto
Oct 6, 2024 / 07:41 amSince his election in 2013, Pope Francis has created 142 cardinals from 70 countries at nine consistories.
Pope Francis opens Synod on Synodality assembly with warning against personal ‘agendas’
Oct 2, 2024 / 12:17 pmThe second session of the 16th Ordinary Synod of Bishops, running from Oct. 2–27, marks a critical phase in the Church’s global synodal process.
Pope Francis calls for global day of prayer, fasting amid escalating conflict in Holy Land
Oct 2, 2024 / 06:49 amThe pope’s surprise announcement comes the morning after Iran launched hundreds of missiles toward Israel.
Decoding the Synod on Synodality: CNA’s essential terminology guide
Oct 1, 2024 / 13:05 pmAs the Catholic Church kicks off the second session of the Synod on Synodality this week, it’s helpful to understand some key terms and concepts.
Pope Francis lauds Belgian king who chose to abdicate rather than sign abortion law
Sep 28, 2024 / 14:15 pmThe pope also expressed hope that the sainthood cause for King Baudouin, who ruled as King of the Belgians from 1951 until 1993, will advance.
Pope Francis in Belgium: ‘Crisis of faith’ in the West requires a return to the Gospel
Sep 28, 2024 / 12:45 pmThe pope addressed more than 2,500 priests, deacons, religious sisters, seminarians, catechists, and bishops gathered inside the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart.