Posts Tagged
Courtney Mares
Pope Francis: The Lord does not permit darkness to have the last word

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Feb 28, 2021 / 05:30 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis said Sunday that it is important to remember when facing a difficult trial that the “Lord is risen and does not permit darkness to have the last word.” “At times we go through moments of …
Pope Francis says seeing a psychiatrist helped him with anxiety when he was younger

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Feb 27, 2021 / 08:30 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis has said that seeing a psychiatrist in Argentina helped him with anxiety when he was a younger priest in an interview published in an Argentine newspaper Saturday. The pope spoke with an Argentine journalist about …
St. Dominic entrusted this Marian icon to nuns in Rome 800 years ago

by Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Feb 27, 2021 / 06:00 am MT (CNA).- Eight hundred years ago, a barefoot St. Dominic carried an icon of the Virgin Mary across Rome to entrust the Marian image to a new community of cloistered nuns, who have safeguarded the icon within the walls …
Where is Pope Francis going in Iraq and why? A CNA Explainer
by Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Feb 25, 2021 / 12:00 pm MT (CNA).- In a week’s time, Pope Francis is expected to make history by becoming the first pope to travel to Iraq. His March 5-8 trip will take him from excavations of historical biblical sites dating back thousands of …
Pope Francis praises ‘exemplary witness’ of Italian ambassador killed in Congo

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Feb 24, 2021 / 04:15 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis expressed his condolences on Tuesday after three people were killed in an attack on a United Nations convoy traveling in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Luca Attanasio, the Italian ambassador to Congo, died of his …
Pope Francis gives Roman Curia 17th-century text as Lenten reading

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Feb 19, 2021 / 05:00 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis has given each member of the Roman Curia a book to include in their spiritual reading for their Lenten retreat this year. The book was written by an unnamed Cistercian monk in the 17th century …
Holy Week 2021: Vatican issues guidelines for Catholics amid ongoing COVID-19 restrictions

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Feb 17, 2021 / 07:00 am MT (CNA).- The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued guidelines on Wednesday for the celebration of Holy Week this year in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In the note signed Feb. 17 …
Iraqi government imposes COVID restrictions weeks before papal visit

by Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Feb 15, 2021 / 06:30 am MT (CNA).- The Iraqi government has announced new COVID-19 restrictions, including the closure of all places of worship, less than three weeks before Pope Francis’ scheduled trip to Iraq. On Feb. 14 the health ministry of Iraq wrote that …
Lourdes shrine invites the sick to find hope through virtual visit

by Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Feb 11, 2021 / 08:00 am MT (CNA).- On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the papal delegate for the Marian shrine urged masked pilgrims and virtual viewers alike not to lose hope in the face of sickness and difficulties. “Lourdes is the place …
Pope Francis: Without liturgy, Christianity is without the whole of Christ

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Feb 3, 2021 / 04:10 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis said on Wednesday that it is essential for Christians to participate in the liturgy and the sacraments to encounter the Real Presence of Jesus. “Every time we celebrate a baptism, or consecrate the bread and …