Articles by Courtney Mares
Italian cardinal calls for restoration of public Masses and church funerals
Apr 24, 2020 / 07:30 amThe president of the Italian bishops’ conference has written a letter calling for Sunday Mass to resume in Italy as the country begins to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Pope Francis donates ventilators in honor of St. George’s feast day
Apr 23, 2020 / 07:45 amVentilators were delivered to hospitals in Romania, Spain, and Italy on April 23, the feast of St. George, the patron saint of Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
Pope Francis prays for families going hungry amid pandemic
Apr 23, 2020 / 06:00 amPope Francis asked people to pray on Thursday for families who are struggling to put food on the table during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pandemic may revive Islamic State and hurt Iraq’s minorities, say NGOs
Apr 22, 2020 / 11:00 amFor Iraqi Christian and Yazidi communities still recovering from the trauma and destruction wreaked by the Islamic State, the coronavirus poses significant risks, NGOs have said in a joint statement.
Vatican City prepares to ease coronavirus restrictions in May
Apr 22, 2020 / 10:10 amVatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with members of the Roman curia on Wednesday to discuss the gradual reopening of Holy See offices as Italy prepares to end its national lockdown.
Memphis priest named bishop of Alexandria
Apr 21, 2020 / 06:00 amPope Francis has appointed Fr. Robert W. Marshall as the next bishop of Alexandria, Louisiana. It is unclear when his ordination and installation Mass will be able to take place due to coronavirus restrictions.
Pope Francis: Prayer opens the door to freedom through the Holy Spirit
Apr 20, 2020 / 02:40 amFreedom is found in the Holy Spirit who provides the strength to fulfill God's will, Pope Francis said in his Monday morning Mass homily.
Pope to offer Divine Mercy Sunday Mass in church with St. Faustina’s relics
Apr 17, 2020 / 09:00 amOn Divine Mercy Sunday Pope Francis will offer Mass in a church containing the relics of both St. Faustina Kowalska and St. John Paul II.
Pope Francis again calls for 'justice, charity, and solidarity' after coronavirus pandemic
Apr 17, 2020 / 07:00 amPope Francis continued his call Friday to see the coronavirus pandemic in light of Christ’s resurrection, in a Spanish-language article published Friday.
Pope Francis prays for the elderly afraid of dying alone amid pandemic
Apr 15, 2020 / 07:05 amPope Francis prayed for the elderly who are afraid of dying alone at his morning Mass on Wednesday.
One year after the fire, a French priest's tribute to Notre-Dame
Apr 14, 2020 / 22:01 pmFor Fr. Pierre Amar, Notre-Dame de Paris has always been a masterpiece, “the very example of supreme beauty,” but now the Marian cathedral is also “a great burnt victim.”
Updated: Call claiming to be pope was 'a prank,' sister says
Apr 14, 2020 / 04:30 amSister Angel Bipendu told CNA Tuesday that the call she received on Holy Saturday claiming to be from Pope Francis thanking her for her medical treatment of coronavirus patients was a prank call.
Cardinal Tagle urges leaders to ensure healthcare for all in coronavirus crisis
Apr 13, 2020 / 04:00 amIn his Easter message, the president of Caritas Internationalis called on governments to ensure access to healthcare and social protections for all amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Pope Francis’ Easter blessing: May Christ dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity
Apr 12, 2020 / 04:05 amIn his Easter blessing, Pope Francis called on humanity to unite in solidarity and look to the risen Christ for hope amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis recalls priests dying amid pandemic
Apr 9, 2020 / 12:30 pmPope Francis recalled the priests who have lost their lives during the coronavirus crisis as he offered the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in a nearly empty St. Peter’s Basilica.
China’s first saint was martyred on a cross in Wuhan
Apr 9, 2020 / 07:00 amChina’s first canonized saint was martyred by suffocation on a cross in Wuhan, the epicenter of today’s coronavirus pandemic.
Retired Scripture professor is first priest known to die in Rome of coronavirus
Apr 8, 2020 / 13:45 pmFr. Miguel Ángel Tábet is believed to be the first priest to die of the coronavirus in Rome. Two other priests living in the same residence of Opus Dei in Rome remain hospitalized.
Notre-Dame Cathedral to broadcast crown of thorns veneration on Good Friday
Apr 7, 2020 / 06:00 amOne year after the world watched the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris burn, the Archbishop of Paris will display the relic of Christ’s crown of thorns for veneration during a Good Friday broadcast.
Raphael revisited: Vatican offers virtual tour 500 years after artist's death
Apr 6, 2020 / 11:10 amToday marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael, the Renaissance painter responsible for “The School of Athens” and “The Transfiguration.”
God will judge us by how we treated the poor, says Pope Francis
Apr 6, 2020 / 04:00 amMany people suffering from poverty are victims of the “structural injustice” of today’s global economy, Pope Francis said in his daily Mass homily on Monday.