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 to attend G7 summit to speak on artificial intelligence

Apr 27, 2024 / 12:30 pm

The Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations summit is being held in the southern Italian region of Puglia from June 13–15.

Pier Giorgio Frassati could be canonized during 2025 Jubilee, cardinal says

Apr 27, 2024 / 11:30 am

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, announced on April 26 that Frassati’s canonization is “on the horizon.” 

Cisco CEO meets Pope Francis, signs AI ethics pledge at Vatican

Apr 24, 2024 / 11:06 am

Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of the multinational digital communications conglomerate, met privately with Pope Francis on April 24.

Pope Francis to canonize new female saint known as ‘an apostle of the Holy Spirit’

Apr 20, 2024 / 08:30 am

A friend of Pope Leo XIII and the teacher of St. Gemma Galgani, Elena Guerra (1835–1914) is known for her spiritual writings and her devotion to the Holy Spirit.

Pope Francis names Filipino priest an auxiliary bishop of Sacramento

Apr 20, 2024 / 07:40 am

The Vatican announced Saturday that the priest ordained in the Philippines and incardinated into the Sacramento Diocese in 2004 will be consecrated a bishop.

Pope Francis issues motu proprio on Vatican judiciary retirement age and benefits

Apr 19, 2024 / 10:07 am

Vatican magistrates will retire at the end of the judicial year in which they turn 75 and cardinal judges at the age of 80, unless the pope asks them to stay on.

Cardinal Gregory recalls time when Black Catholics could not study in U.S. seminaries

Apr 18, 2024 / 15:00 pm

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, received this year’s Rector’s Award at an April 11 banquet at the Pontifical North American College.

Sainthood cause of Father Luigi Giussani: Milan Archdiocese to begin collecting testimonies

Apr 16, 2024 / 10:30 am

Archbishop Mario Delpini will hold the first public session of the testimonial phase of Giussani’s cause in the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio on May 9.

Pope Francis to travel to Indonesia, Singapore, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea

Apr 12, 2024 / 06:45 am

Pope Francis will travel to the Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore, the Vatican announced Friday.

Pope Francis decries how ‘the unborn with disabilities are aborted’ in throwaway culture

Apr 11, 2024 / 11:15 am

The pope warned “the throwaway culture” turns into “a culture of death” when people “presume to be able to establish ... when a life has value and is worth being lived.”

Vatican official meets Vietnam’s prime minister during historic diplomatic trip

Apr 11, 2024 / 09:40 am

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican secretary for relations with states, spoke with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh about a possible papal visit.

Woman born of surrogacy shares why she supports Pope Francis’ call for a global ban

Apr 7, 2024 / 15:34 pm

Born via surrogacy in the United States in 1991, Olivia Maurel is now a leading campaigner for the abolition of “womb renting.”

Diocese of Rome shake-up: Pope Francis transfers vicar to Vatican post

Apr 6, 2024 / 08:57 am

The reassignment of Cardinal Angelo De Donatis is part of a major reform of the Diocese of Rome by Pope Francis.

Pope Francis makes peace appeal while holding rosary of slain Ukrainian soldier

Apr 3, 2024 / 12:30 pm

Speaking in St. Peter’s Square on April 3, the pope revealed that the rosary belonged to a boy named Oleksandre, who was killed in Avdiïvka in eastern Ukraine.

Pope Francis: The resurrection of Jesus changes our lives completely and forever

Apr 1, 2024 / 09:00 am

“Brothers, sisters, the joy of the Resurrection is not something far away. It is very close; it is ours because it was given to us on the day of our baptism.”

Pope Francis on Easter: May the risen Christ open a path of peace in the Holy Land

Mar 31, 2024 / 08:45 am

In his Easter Sunday blessing, Pope Francis asked the risen Lord to open paths of peace in the Holy Land, Ukraine, and all regions suffering from violence.

Pope Francis celebrates Easter 2024: ‘Jesus Christ is risen’

Mar 31, 2024 / 08:15 am

Pope Francis presided over Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday 2024 before giving the traditional urbi et orbi blessing.

On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis asks priests to weep over their sins

Mar 28, 2024 / 09:30 am

Pope Francis encouraged the priests to turn their gaze upon the crucified Lord and weep over their sins in repentance, saying tears can “purify and heal the heart.”

Cardinal leads Holy Week prayer vigil for recently martyred Christians

Mar 27, 2024 / 10:45 am

Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, presided over the vigil on March 26 in St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island.

Pope Francis to offer Mass in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square

Mar 25, 2024 / 11:45 am

The 87-year-old pope will travel by helicopter from Vatican City to Venice in under two hours and will land on Giudecca Island, home to Venice’s women’s prison.