Vanessa R. Corcoran

Vanessa R. Corcoran

Vanessa R. Corcoran is the director of Catholic studies and assistant teaching professor at Georgetown University. In addition to NCR, her writing has been published in America, Commonweal and Foreign Policy. She tweets @VRCinDC.

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As Pope Leo visits Assisi, art can help us better understand St. Francis

"An examination of some of the most notable works of Franciscan art will help us better appreciate the legacy of the Italian preacher," Vanessa Corcoran writes.

In 1972, a man took a hammer to Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica, breaking the Renaissance sculpture into at least 100 pieces. A team repaired the sculpture, which is now protected by bulletproof and shatterproof glass. (CNS/Lola Gomez)

Violence against the virgin: The long history of Marian art defacement

 "For centuries," writes Vanessa R. Corcoran, "attacks on female religious imagery have continued (outpacing vandalism against images of Jesus), and have typically been orchestrated by men."

Groups of tourists walk around the Basilica of the Holy Family, known in Spanish as Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona, Spain, June 30, 2025. (OSV News/Reuters/Albert Gea)

How pope's visit to Sagrada Família resonates in the wake of 'Magnifica Humanitas'

Visiting Sagrada Familia provides Leo with the perfect opportunity to expand on his first major teaching document. In fact, the basilica is a physical demonstration of Leo's essential message," Vanessa R. Corcoran writes. 

3 Marian paintings that frame the past year in church history

 "Just like the unexpected movement of these three works of art, the historic elections of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV have reflected surprising turns in the history of the church," Vanessa Corcoran writes. 

Clockwise from left, artistic depictions of: St. Augustine of Hippo (Wikimedia Commons/Nheyob); St. Hildegard of Bingen (CNS/Paul Haring); St. Isadore of Seville (Wikimedia Commons/Javier Perez Montes); St. Catherine of Siena (OSV News/Wikimedia Commons-cc 4.0); St. Francis of Assisi (NCR photo/Joshua J. McElwee)

Five ancient and medieval saints who can speak to our modern world

These saints from centuries ago still speak urgently with timeless messages on community, knowledge, creativity, environmental care, and peacemaking in times of war.

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