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. She is the author of “Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers” (Ignatius, 2023), https://ignatius.com/carlo-acutis-sscap/.

Articles by Courtney Mares

Pope Francis donates ambulance, opens war trauma center in Ukraine

Jun 25, 2024 / 13:15 pm

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner and prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, is traveling to Ukraine to inaugurate the clinic.

Pope Francis appoints Gänswein to diplomatic role in Baltic states

Jun 24, 2024 / 07:30 am

The diplomatic appointment comes after months of speculation and rumor as to Gänswein’s future after the death of Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Francis: Jesus in the Eucharist strengthens us in times of trial

Jun 23, 2024 / 10:26 am

Speaking from an Apostolic Palace window on June 23, Pope Francis asked the crowd in St. Peter’s Square to reflect on how they usually deal with times of trial.

Pope Francis fields questions from students about gender identity and LGBTQ discrimination

Jun 20, 2024 / 16:15 pm

In the one-hour conversation on June 20 organized by the Building Bridges Initiative, Pope Francis spoke directly to students from across the Asia-Pacific region.

From alcoholic to future saint: The inspiring conversion of Ireland’s Matt Talbot 

Jun 19, 2024 / 06:00 am

Venerable Matt Talbot has inspired many who struggle with addiction and is being considered for sainthood in the Catholic Church. 

Pope Francis: The seeds of the Gospel take time to bloom

Jun 16, 2024 / 08:23 am

Reflecting on Jesus’ parable comparing the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, the pope said Christians should have an attitude of “confident expectation” in the Lord.

Vatican publishes papal primacy document aimed at ‘a reunited Church’

Jun 13, 2024 / 09:42 am

The study document is the first Vatican text since Vatican II to outline the entire ecumenical debate on papal primacy.

Vatican commemorates 80th anniversary of Pius XII’s meeting with Allied troops

Jun 12, 2024 / 15:30 pm

On June 12, 1944, Pius XII gave an enthusiastic speech in English thanking the members of the 38th (Irish) Brigade as he welcomed them to the Vatican.

Pope Francis: Keep your homilies short or ‘people will fall asleep’

Jun 12, 2024 / 09:35 am

Speaking at his Wednesday catechesis on June 12, the pope explained that the goal of a homily is to “help move the Word of God from the book to life.”

Vatican to publish new document on papal primacy

Jun 11, 2024 / 14:15 pm

The document, titled “The Bishop of Rome: Primacy and Synodality in Ecumenical Dialogue and Responses to the Encyclical Ut Unum Sint,” will be released June 13.

Workers discover human skeleton during Jubilee construction dig in Rome

Jun 11, 2024 / 10:15 am

The skeleton was unearthed during excavations to create an underground motorway that will create a pedestrian-only road to St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Francis reflects on Roman Empire in visit to ancient Capitoline Hill

Jun 10, 2024 / 13:00 pm

The pope made the trip to the Capitoline Hill to speak to local government officials on June 10 in the Senatorial Palace, home to Rome’s city hall.

Pope Francis: Money, power, pleasure can enslave us

Jun 9, 2024 / 09:05 am

Speaking in his Angelus address on June 9, the pope asked people to contemplate the temptations that can imprison us and the freedom found in Christ.

Pope Francis to take 8-week break in liturgical schedule this summer

Jun 5, 2024 / 15:27 pm

The 87-year-old pope does not have any public Masses on his schedule for eight weeks in July and August, according to the official schedule published this week.

Pope Francis appoints new members to Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

Jun 4, 2024 / 13:22 pm

The new appointments come as the Vatican office continues to grapple with the ecumenical fallout from Fiducia Supplicans.

Pope Francis appoints California priest to remote island post in Polynesia

Jun 3, 2024 / 12:33 pm

Father Eliseo Napiere, pastor of St. James the Less Parish in the Diocese of San Bernardino, California, will take up a new post on the island nation of Tuvalu.

Pope Francis joins in Corpus Christi celebration in Rome for first time in years

Jun 2, 2024 / 16:44 pm

Pope Francis gave a solemn blessing with the Blessed Sacrament from the steps of the Basilica of St. Mary Major on Sunday.

Pope Francis: In the Eucharist, Jesus offers himself for the world

Jun 2, 2024 / 08:59 am

On the solemnity of Corpus Christi, Pope Francis explained that Christians are called to make their lives a gift for others.

From Hinduism to Catholicism: How Blessed Carlo Acutis inspired a man to convert

May 27, 2024 / 07:00 am

The son of a Brahman Hindu priest became a Catholic through young Carlo Acutis’ joyful witness to the Eucharist and his love for the poor.

10 things you should know about Blessed Carlo Acutis

May 23, 2024 / 15:21 pm

Who was Carlo Acutis? Was his body found incorrupt? Was he really a gamer? What did he play? Here are 10 things you should know.