by Courtney Mares Assisi, Italy, Oct 10, 2020 / 09:46 am MT (CNA).- With the beatification of Carlo Acutis in Assisi Saturday, the Catholic Church now has its first “Blessed” who loved Super Mario, Pokémon, and above all the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. “To be always united …

By Courtney Mares Vatican City, Oct 7, 2020 / 04:45 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis invited Catholics to rediscover the beauty of the rosary prayer this month, encouraging people to carry a rosary with them in their pockets. “Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. I invite …

By Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Oct 2, 2020 / 06:00 am MT (CNA).- A diocese in northern Vietnam is expanding its seminary in response to an increasing number of priestly vocations. Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Vietnamese diocese of Thái Bình will be able to house 200 to 300 …

By Courtney Mares Vatican City, Sep 27, 2020 / 06:30 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis said Sunday that the Christian life requires concrete commitments and spiritual combat in order to grow in holiness. “There is no path to holiness without some renunciation and without spiritual combat,” Pope Francis said in …

By Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Sep 21, 2020 / 05:00 am MT (CNA).- After President Alexander Lukashenko announced that he was putting troops on high alert and closing Belarus’ borders, a Vatican diplomat called Friday for dialogue and respect for the human rights of Belarusian protesters, who continue to take …

by Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Sep 17, 2020 / 11:00 am MT (CNA).- When asked by his superior if he wanted to leave Aleppo during the Syrian Civil War, Fr. Edward Tamer replied that he would remain with the people “to die with them and for them.” Now, having survived …

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Sep 6, 2020 / 05:45 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis implored Catholics Sunday not to gossip about one another’s faults, but instead to follow Jesus’ directive on fraternal correction in the Gospel of Matthew. “When we see a mistake, a defect, a slip of a …

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Sep 5, 2020 / 05:20 am MT (CNA).- The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Francis will sign the third encyclical of his pontificate in Assisi on Oct. 3. The encyclical is entitled Fratelli tutti, which means “All Brothers” in Italian, and will focus on the …

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Aug 12, 2020 / 05:00 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis said Wednesday that Christian faith demands conversion from individualism and a commitment to defending the inherent dignity of every person. “While we work for the cure of a virus that affects everyone without distinction, faith …

by Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Aug 10, 2020 / 07:30 am MT (CNA).- The Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghurs is “one of the most egregious human tragedies since the Holocaust,” two Asian cardinals and 74 other religious leaders wrote in a statement released August 8. Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, archbishop …