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

Cardinal Turkson to Davos forum: Human dignity must not be compromised

Jan 29, 2021 / 13:00 pm

Cardinal Peter Turkson told a virtual summit organized by the World Economic Forum on Thursday that the human person must be at the center of efforts to counter the coronavirus pandemic.

Vatican cardinal visits Cameroon as Catholic Church seeks to resolve Anglophone crisis

Jan 28, 2021 / 12:00 pm

The Vatican’s Secretary of State kicked off a week-long trip to Cameroon on Thursday in which he will visit a region blighted by clashes between government forces and separatists.

Pope Francis to meet top Shiite cleric on Iraq visit, says cardinal

Jan 28, 2021 / 08:00 am

Pope Francis will meet with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani during his trip to Iraq, a cardinal said on Thursday

Vatican official: Catholics can add value to ‘Green New Deal’ debate

Jan 27, 2021 / 07:04 am

The Vatican Secretary for Relations with States has said that Catholics can apply the Church’s social teaching to evaluate aspects of Green New Deal proposals and pointed out that many of its policies’ philosophical underpinnings contain a modern assumption that technological progress inevitably yields good results.

Cardinal calls for 3-day ‘Nineveh fast’ for return to peace and stability in Iraq

Jan 26, 2021 / 09:30 am

Chaldean Catholics in Iraq are undertaking a three-day “Nineveh fast” this week to pray for peace and security in their country ahead of Pope Francis’ scheduled visit in March.

Cardinals offer funeral Mass for homeless man in Rome

Jan 25, 2021 / 12:19 pm

Papal almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski offered a funeral Mass Monday for a 64-year-old homeless man who died in Rome.

Pope Francis: May the Holy Trinity make Christians grow in unity

Jan 25, 2021 / 11:39 am

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity concluded Monday with Vespers at the tomb of St. Paul.

Vatican Secretary of State calls for synergy in fight against poverty and climate change

Jan 25, 2021 / 08:30 am

The Vatican Secretary of State has called for a new model of development built on “the synergistic bond” between the fight against climate change and the struggle against poverty.

Pope Francis tells Latin American Ecclesial Assembly not to be elitist 

Jan 25, 2021 / 05:30 am

Pope Francis sent a video message Sunday to Latin American Church leaders organizing a “synodal” regional assembly, in which he asked them not to be ideological elites, but to remain close to the people of God.

Catholic bishops of Hiroshima and Nagasaki hail nuclear weapons ban treaty

Jan 22, 2021 / 07:30 am

The Catholic bishops of Hiroshima and Nagasaki welcomed the United Nations treaty banning nuclear weapons that came into force Friday, while expressing disappointment that Japan was not a signatory.

Pope Francis decries men who sustain ‘reprehensible’ trade in preface to trafficking victim’s biography

Jan 22, 2021 / 04:00 am

Pope Francis has written the preface to a biography of a human trafficking victim in which he decries the men who sustain the “reprehensible” trade by their choices.

Pope Francis sends condolences after 32 killed in suicide bombings in Iraq

Jan 21, 2021 / 08:15 am

Pope Francis said on Thursday that he was praying for the victims of two suicide bombings in Baghdad, which took place less than two months before his scheduled visit to Iraq.

Recently ordained Catholic priest dies after Madrid parish explosion

Jan 21, 2021 / 04:30 am

A recently ordained Catholic priest died in hospital early Thursday morning after an explosion destroyed a parish building in the Spanish capital, Madrid.

Pandemic forces changes to Roman Curia’s annual Lenten retreat

Jan 20, 2021 / 06:30 am

Pope Francis has asked members of the Roman Curia to make their own arrangements for a private retreat at the beginning of Lent this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Pope Francis: Ask God for unity to ‘overcome scandal of division’ among Christians

Jan 20, 2021 / 05:00 am

Pope Francis urged Christians to pray for “the gift of unity” on Wednesday, saying that the devil always seeks to sow division and discord.

Pope Francis: The greatest joy for every believer is to respond to God’s call

Jan 17, 2021 / 06:00 am

Pope Francis said Sunday that great joy is found when one offers his life in service to God’s call.

Nine Catholic bishops with COVID-19 die in a single week

Jan 15, 2021 / 14:00 pm

In the past week, nine Catholic bishops have died worldwide after testing positive for COVID-19.

Catholics remember Shahbaz Bhatti 10 years after his assassination in Pakistan

Jan 15, 2021 / 07:00 am

The diocese of Rome will host a memorial Mass on Friday for Servant of God Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic politician in Pakistan assassinated by an Islamic terrorist group 10 years ago.

Catholic Church resumes Sunday Masses in Iceland

Jan 14, 2021 / 12:00 pm

The Catholic Church is resuming public Sunday Masses in Iceland after the government raised the number of people permitted to attend Mass from 10 to 20.

Vatican Museums hope to reopen in February

Jan 14, 2021 / 10:00 am

Vatican Museums are expected to reopen in February if coronavirus restrictions permit it, according to the museums’ director.