Courtney Mares

Courtney Mares

Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.

Articles by Courtney Mares

St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio). Public Domain.

Padre Pio was canonized on this day 20 years ago

Jun 16, 2022 / 09:36 am

An anniversary Mass was celebrated at San Giovanni Rotondo.

Pope Francis greets a participant in the World Day of the Poor in Rome, Nov. 16, 2017. L'Osservatore Romano.

Pope Francis: No Christian is exempt from aiding the poor

Jun 14, 2022 / 10:15 am

The pope made the remark in his message for the 2022 World Day of the Poor.

The beatification of Father Leonard Melki and Father Thomas Saleh in Jal el Dib, Lebanon, on June 4, 2022. Guitta Maroun/ACI MENA.

Catholic priests martyred under Ottoman Empire beatified in Lebanon

Jun 6, 2022 / 09:40 am

Father Leonard Melki and Father Thomas Saleh were martyred in 1915 and 1917 respectively.

Cross of the Martyrs. Aaron Groote via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Catholic charity urges world leaders to condemn Nigeria church massacre

Jun 6, 2022 / 04:08 am

At least 50 people were reportedly killed in the ‘Pentecost massacre’ on June 5.

Pope Francis sat at the front of the congregation in St. Peter's Basilica on the Solemnity of Pentecost on June 5, 2022. Vatican Media

On Pentecost, Pope Francis explained how to recognize the Holy Spirit’s voice

Jun 5, 2022 / 04:30 am

The pope delivered his homily from a wheelchair in front of the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon Claude Truong-Ngoc via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Vatican asks for suspension of ordinations in French diocese

Jun 3, 2022 / 11:00 am

The Vatican has asked a diocese in southern France to suspend its ordinations of priests and deacons scheduled for this month after a “fraternal visit” of the diocese.

Pope Francis meets with a delegation of priests and monks from Oriental Orthodox Churches at the Vatican on June 3, 2022. Vatican Media

Pope Francis to Oriental Orthodox priests: ‘Unity does not come about by standing still’

Jun 3, 2022 / 10:00 am

Pope Francis met with a delegation of priests and monks from Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Bishop Giorgio Marengo, Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, who will be elevated to cardinal Aug. 27, 2022. Amunra Magnus via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Bishop in Mongolia will be the youngest cardinal

Jun 2, 2022 / 14:15 pm

An Italian who has served as a missionary in Mongolia for nearly 20 years will soon become the world’s youngest cardinal.

Carlo Acutis’ tomb is opened for public veneration in Assisi, Italy, Oct. 1, 2020. Photos courtesy of Assisi diocese. null

Blessed Carlo Acutis’ tomb permanently reopened for public viewing

Jun 2, 2022 / 07:25 am

Visitors to Assisi can once again see the first millennial to be beatified in the Catholic Church, dressed in jeans and tennis shoes, through a viewing glass on his tomb.

Bishop Robert Barron. Photo courtesy of DeChant-Hughes Public Relations. null

Pope Francis appoints Bishop Barron to lead Minnesota diocese

Jun 2, 2022 / 04:05 am

Barron, who runs the Catholic media apostolate Word on Fire, has served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles since 2015.

Pope Francis meets participants in the international conference ‘Lines of Development of the Global Compact on Education’ in a room adjacent to the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, June 1, 2022. Vatican Media.

Pope Francis: Guarding ‘dead traditions’ is dangerous for the Church’s life

Jun 1, 2022 / 12:35 pm

The pope was speaking to participants in an international conference on education.

null Pope Francis photo courtesy of Vatican Media.

Pope Francis: Bring the love of Jesus’ Sacred Heart ‘to the ends of the earth’

Jun 1, 2022 / 07:25 am

The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Pope Francis’ general audience in St. Peter’s Square, June 1, 2022. Vatican Media.

Pope Francis: Old age is a time to rediscover trust in the Lord

Jun 1, 2022 / 06:20 am

The pope was speaking at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

Pope Francis’ general audience in St. Peter’s Square, June 1, 2022. Vatican Media.

Pope Francis: Do not use wheat as a ‘weapon of war’ in Ukraine

Jun 1, 2022 / 04:15 am

‘Please do not use wheat, a staple food, as a weapon of war,’ he urged at the general audience.

The official logo of the 2022 World Meeting of Families in Rome. Diocese of Rome.

Vatican unveils schedule for the 2022 World Meeting of Families in June

May 31, 2022 / 09:05 am

The 10th World Meeting of Families will be held in Rome on June 22-26.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian bishops’ conference. Screenshot from CEI Chiesa Cattolica Italiana YouTube channel.

Cardinal Zuppi announces report on clerical sex abuse in Italy

May 27, 2022 / 09:18 am

The report will only cover the years 2000 to 2021.

Carlota Valenzuela. Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.

This Catholic is trekking 4,000 miles across Europe to Jerusalem

May 27, 2022 / 08:12 am

Carlota Valenzuela began the epic foot pilgrimage in January.

Pope Francis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk and TuckerFTW via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Pope Francis cites JRR Tolkien in essay on storytelling

May 27, 2022 / 04:43 am

The pope referred to the ‘Lord of the Rings’ author in the afterword to a new book.

Cardinal Tagle at the beatification of Pauline Jaricot in Lyon, France, on May 22, 2022. In Your Name/Diocèse de Lyon Flickr photostream.

Cardinal Tagle: Missionary dioceses need support with abuse prevention protocols

May 26, 2022 / 09:40 am

‘They need psychologists. They need canon lawyers,’ the Vatican cardinal said.

Father Stephen Ojapah and Father Oliver Okpara, who were abducted in Nigeria’s Sokoto diocese on May 25, 2022. Father Chris Omotosho.

Gunmen kidnap 2 Catholic priests in Nigeria

May 26, 2022 / 06:00 am

The priests were abducted after the gunmen broke into a rectory in northwest Nigeria.