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

Catholic charity announces $5.6M to help Lebanon and Syria’s Christians

Nov 17, 2021 / 06:10 am

The funds will help to support young newlyweds.

Nearly 1,000 hate crimes against Europe’s Christians recorded in 2020

Nov 16, 2021 / 13:00 pm

Poland had the most hate crimes reported against Christians, with 241 incidents in 2020.

Pope Francis: ‘This world will pass away and only love will remain’

Nov 14, 2021 / 07:00 am

When one is faced with an important difficult decision, Pope Francis’ advice is to imagine standing before Christ at the “threshold of eternity” because that is what ultimately matters.

Pope Francis on World Day of the Poor: Be ‘tireless builders of hope’ amid suffering

Nov 14, 2021 / 05:35 am

The pope offered Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in the presence of 2,000 people living in poverty and the volunteers who assist them.

Benedict XVI meets with recipients of the Ratzinger Prize

Nov 13, 2021 / 13:35 pm

The meeting lasted one hour and allowed each of the academics to discuss their work with the pope emeritus.

Pope Francis: 'The Church is not a political organization that has left and right wings'

Nov 13, 2021 / 11:30 am

“We need journalists who are willing to ‘wear out the soles of their shoes,’ to get out of the newsroom, to walk around the city, to meet people, to assess the situations in which we live in our time,” Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis: Governments must act urgently against child pornography

Nov 12, 2021 / 13:00 pm

‘The groups responsible behave like mafias,’ the pope said.

Pope Francis in Assisi: ‘It is time that the poor be given back their voice’

Nov 12, 2021 / 08:15 am

The pope met with a group of more than 500 poor people from across Europe.

Pope Francis: Care for creation is one of the ‘great moral issues of our time’

Nov 11, 2021 / 05:00 am

The pope said he regretting not being able to attend the UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland,

The poor will be at the heart of Pope Francis’ fifth visit to Assisi

Nov 10, 2021 / 13:00 pm

The pope will travel to the hometown of his namesake, St. Francis, on Nov. 12.

This is the prayer to the Holy Spirit that Pope Francis wants every Catholic to know

Nov 10, 2021 / 05:17 am

The pope urged Catholics to keep a copy of the prayer with them.

Pope Francis prays for Iraqi PM after assassination attempt

Nov 9, 2021 / 06:00 am

A papal telegram described the drone attack as a ‘vile act of terrorism.’

French Catholic bishops announce ‘vast program of renewal’ after abuse report

Nov 8, 2021 / 08:00 am

The bishops knelt in an act of penance in Lourdes.

Pope Francis: ‘The Church must bear witness to the importance of beauty’

Nov 5, 2021 / 13:00 pm

The pope inaugurated a new art gallery at the Vatican Library.

It’s official: Pope Francis will travel to Cyprus and Greece in December

Nov 5, 2021 / 06:40 am

The five-day trip will include a stop on the Greek island of Lesbos.

Pope Francis urges French Catholic bishops to console victims in wake of abuse report

Nov 5, 2021 / 06:00 am

The bishops are currently meeting in Lourdes.

Pope Francis meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at Vatican

Nov 4, 2021 / 12:00 pm

The Holy See has long supported a two-state solution.

Pope Francis calls for ‘process of conversion’ in the Church to prevent all forms of abuse

Nov 4, 2021 / 06:05 am

The pope said that ‘the culture of death’ leads to sexual abuse.

‘No more coffins piled up’: Palermo archbishop laments lack of burial space

Nov 3, 2021 / 13:00 pm

The archbishop blessed 800 bodies still awaiting burial.

Pope Francis asks Catholics to pray in November for people suffering depression

Nov 3, 2021 / 09:00 am

The condition affects an estimated 280 million people worldwide.