Articles by Courtney Mares
Pope Francis returns to the Vatican after 3 days in the hospital
Apr 1, 2023 / 04:16 amPope Francis was discharged from the hospital Saturday morning after a three-night stay in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
Social media apostolate brings the beauty of Rome’s historic churches to Instagram
Mar 27, 2023 / 07:53 amJacob Stein is visiting a church in Rome each day of Lent this year.
Pope Francis extends ‘Vos estis’ decree to counter both lay and clerical abuse
Mar 25, 2023 / 08:20 amThe decree promulgated March 25 extends the Church’s norms for handling of abuse to cover lay leaders of international associations.
On this day in 1944 the Ulma family was martyred by the Nazis
Mar 24, 2023 / 09:00 amOn March 24, 1944, all nine members of the Ulma family were killed by the Nazis — including a child still in the womb — for hiding a Jewish family.
Pope Francis invites Catholics to renew consecration to Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25
Mar 22, 2023 / 06:40 amThe solemnity of the Annunciation on Saturday marks one year since Pope Francis consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pope Francis: Christian witness requires consistency between how one lives and what one proclaims
Mar 22, 2023 / 05:20 amTo effectively witness to the Gospel, Christians need to be consistent in what they believe, how they live, and what they preach, Pope Francis said.
Meet the new Nigerian secretary for the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization
Mar 21, 2023 / 13:00 pmThe Nigerian archbishop was recently appointed by Pope Francis as a secretary for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization.
How a forgotten nun’s visions shed ‘new light’ on the life of St. Joseph
Mar 19, 2023 / 04:00 amWhy a little-known book by an 18th-century visionary could be inspiring reading on this feast of St. Joseph.
Pope Francis hears confessions at Roman parish: God lifts us up when we hit ‘rock bottom’
Mar 17, 2023 / 12:30 pmIn the presence of eucharistic adoration, the pope presided over a Lenten penitential service on March 17 to open “24 Hours for the Lord.”
Signs of hope and renewal amid the dramatic decline of the Catholic Church in Ireland
Mar 17, 2023 / 08:32 amFather Owen Gorman remembers when Masses in Ireland were so crowded on Sundays that people had to sit on the steps outside the church.
Catholic gap year program in Ireland prepares young people for lifelong mission
Mar 15, 2023 / 13:42 pmA new gap year program gives young people the opportunity to spend one year living in Ireland in an intentional Catholic community.
Vatican-China deal ‘not the best deal possible,’ top Holy See diplomat says
Mar 14, 2023 / 08:54 amArchbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said that negotiations are underway to make the the Vatican-China deal “work better.”
Pope Francis: Gender ideology is ‘one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations’ today
Mar 11, 2023 / 05:20 am“Why is it dangerous? Because it blurs differences and the value of men and women,” the pope said.
Pope Francis says imprisonment of Nicaraguan bishop reminds him of Hitler’s dictatorship
Mar 10, 2023 / 08:00 amPope Francis also speaks about Russia's “imperial” agenda, his thoughts on retirement, and Benedict XVI's funeral in a new round of interviews.
Pope Francis discusses revising priestly celibacy in new interview
Mar 10, 2023 / 05:45 amMarried priests are common in the Eastern Catholic Church, the pope noted, while the discipline of priestly celibacy is a “temporary prescription” in the Western Church.
Pope Francis meets with two Nigerian girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram
Mar 8, 2023 / 11:45 amThe women, who both saw members of their families murdered by Boko Haram, met with the pope at the end of his general audience March 8.
Pope Francis: There is no option to be passive Catholics when it comes to evangelization
Mar 8, 2023 / 05:00 am“Every baptized person … whatever his position in the Church or level of education in the faith, is an active subject of evangelization,” the pope said.
Rupnik concelebrated Mass in a basilica in Rome despite restrictions
Mar 7, 2023 / 11:12 amFather Marko Rupnik concelebrated Mass at a basilica in Rome on Sunday despite restrictions prohibiting “any public ministerial and sacramental activity.”
Pope Francis adds Hollerich and four other cardinals to his council of advisers
Mar 7, 2023 / 06:45 amThe Vatican announced March 7 the nine members of the pope’s Council of Cardinals tasked with assisting the pope “in the governance of the universal Church.”
Pope Francis, Biden commend ‘peacemaker’ Bishop O’Connell as memorial services begin
Mar 2, 2023 / 13:27 pmThe messages came at the start of memorial services for the late Los Angeles auxiliary bishop, who was murdered in his Hacienda Heights home Feb. 18.