Articles by Courtney Mares
A look back at Queen Elizabeth II’s encounters with five popes
Sep 8, 2022 / 10:12 amEngland’s longest-serving monarch had her first meeting with a pope in 1951 while still a princess.
How Eduardo Verástegui’s latest film inspired him to fight human trafficking
Sep 7, 2022 / 07:29 amCatholic actor Eduardo Verástegui has launched a national campaign in Mexico to combat human trafficking.
Could Pope Francis meet Xi Jinping in Kazakhstan next week?
Sep 6, 2022 / 06:51 amChinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit Kazakhstan on the same day Pope Francis will be in the Central Asian country next week.
Pope Francis jokes that either he or John XXIV will attend World Youth Day next year
Sep 5, 2022 / 07:59 amWith the next World Youth Day less than a year away, Pope Francis has promised that a pope will be in attendance, but joked that it may be “Pope John XXIV.”
Pope Francis beatifies John Paul I, pope for 33 days
Sep 4, 2022 / 06:20 amIn one of the shortest pontificates in papal history, John Paul I gained a reputation for his humility and his dedication to teaching the faith in an understandable manner.
Pope Francis’ prayer intention for September: ‘Abolition of the death penalty’
Aug 31, 2022 / 10:45 amPope Francis has asked Catholics around the world to pray in September for an end to the death penalty.
New cardinal from Ghana to undergo heart surgery in Rome
Aug 31, 2022 / 08:08 amCardinal Richard Kuuia Baawobr is expected to undergo heart surgery in Rome by the end of this week, according to the spokesman for the Ghana Catholic bishops' conference.
Discernment is ‘indispensable for living’: Pope Francis launches new catechesis series
Aug 31, 2022 / 03:15 am“God invites us to evaluate and choose: He created us free and wants us to exercise our freedom. For this reason, discernment is demanding,” Pope Francis said.
Pope Francis becomes first pope in more than 700 years to open the Holy Door in L’Aquila
Aug 28, 2022 / 04:15 amDuring a trip to the Italian city of L’Aquila, Pope Francis participated in a centuries-old tradition established by Pope Celestine V in 1294.
The date is set: 'Apostle of the Catechism' to be declared a saint of the Catholic Church
Aug 27, 2022 / 08:34 amA renowned Italian priest and bishop dedicated to evangelization and teaching the Catechism will be declared a saint of the Catholic Church.
In phone call, Zelenskyy thanks Pope Francis for praying for Ukraine
Aug 13, 2022 / 04:45 am“Our people need support of world spiritual leaders who should convey to the world the truth about acts of horror committed by the aggressor,” the Ukrainian president said.
Pope Francis: The desire for ‘eternal youth’ and ‘unlimited well-being’ is delusional conceit
Aug 10, 2022 / 04:48 amPope Francis said Wednesday that it is “delusional” to try to stop the natural passage of time in pursuit of “eternal youth” and “unlimited well-being.”
New leader of African bishops conference says ‘greatness is service’
Aug 6, 2022 / 05:00 amBishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr of Wa, who is to be made a cardinal later this month, has been elected head of the African bishops’ conference.
Pope Francis to Canada’s Jesuits: ‘When there is conflict the liturgy is always mistreated’
Aug 4, 2022 / 10:59 amPope Francis told Jesuits in Canada about how his experience in Latin America formed his beliefs about synodality, liturgy, and divisions in the Church, in a private meeting in Québec last week.
Pope Francis appoints nurse as his ‘personal health care assistant’
Aug 4, 2022 / 09:40 amThe Vatican announced Thursday that Pope Francis has appointed a “personal health care assistant.”
Pope Francis calls for 'justice and truth' ahead of Beirut blast anniversary
Aug 3, 2022 / 05:05 amLebanon will mark the anniversary of the Beirut port explosion with a National Day of Mourning.
Pope Francis: Canada is ‘writing a new page’ in Church’s relationship with indigenous peoples
Aug 3, 2022 / 03:05 amThe pope said that his visit to Canada was "a different journey” from the other international trips of his pontificate.
Pope Francis to Medjugorje youth festival: 'Follow the example of Mary'
Aug 2, 2022 / 09:30 amPope Francis has urged the thousands of young people gathered at Medjugorje this week to follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who leads us closer to Christ.
Pope Francis on birth control: Can the teaching of the Church on contraception change?
Jul 30, 2022 / 04:38 amCan the Church’s teaching on birth control change? During Pope Francis’ return flight from Canada, a journalist asked him about the possibility of a development in the Church’s teaching on contraception.
Pope Francis: ‘The Lord will say’ when it is time to retire
Jul 30, 2022 / 01:47 amPope Francis said Saturday that he is “open” to the possibility of retiring if he discerns that it is God’s will.