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 offers condolences after 69 die in Nepal plane crash

Jan 16, 2023 / 07:55 am

The plane was carrying 72 passengers from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a popular base for trekkers in the Annapurna mountain range in the Himalayas.

Islamic State bombs church service in Congo

Jan 16, 2023 / 03:00 am

At least 10 people were killed and more than three dozen injured in the terrorist attack on a church in the eastern Congolese town of Kasindi.

Catholic priest burned to death in Nigeria

Jan 15, 2023 / 07:02 am

Another priest was shot in the Jan. 15 bandit attack but survived.

Pope Francis announces ecumenical prayer service, reflects on St. John the Baptist’s ‘spirit of service’

Jan 15, 2023 / 06:17 am

An ecumenical prayer vigil will take place in St. Peter’s Square as part of the Church’s ongoing Synod on Synodality.

Pope Francis: God’s justice frees us from the snares of evil

Jan 8, 2023 / 04:55 am

On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the pope said in his Angelus address that “Jesus reveals God’s justice.”

Pope Francis: Celebrate the date of your baptism like a birthday

Jan 8, 2023 / 03:20 am

On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Jan. 8, the pope baptized 13 babies and presided over Mass beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes.

A look back: Benedict XVI’s life as pope emeritus

Jan 7, 2023 / 08:00 am

Pope Benedict XVI spent the final years of his life largely out of the public eye, living in retirement as pope emeritus in a monastery in Vatican City.

Pope Francis: the Three Kings found God in poverty

Jan 6, 2023 / 05:20 am

The Solemnity of the Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Magi who came with gifts to worship the Child Jesus shortly after his birth.

Pope Francis on Epiphany: Get out of your comfort zone to seek God like the Magi

Jan 6, 2023 / 03:00 am

In his homily for the Church’s celebration of the three kings on Jan. 6, the pope warned that today’s world is full of “tranquilizers for the soul.”

People attending Benedict XVI’s funeral recall their personal memories of a ‘humble pope’

Jan 5, 2023 / 08:36 am

More than 50,000 people attended the Jan. 5 funeral for the pope emeritus who died at the age of 95 last Saturday. 

Missed Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral? Watch it here

Jan 5, 2023 / 04:50 am

Watch EWTN's live coverage of the funeral Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

Benedict XVI’s funeral: Tens of thousands attend simple, solemn liturgy for beloved pope emeritus

Jan 5, 2023 / 03:21 am

Royalty, cardinals, patriarchs, government officials, and many Catholic families and religious attended the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on a cold and foggy morning at the Vatican.

Cardinal Zen attends Benedict XVI funeral after Hong Kong authorities release passport

Jan 5, 2023 / 02:25 am

The 90-year-old cardinal from Hong Kong arrived in St. Peter’s Square dressed in red and walking with a cane to concelebrate the funeral Mass on Jan. 5.

President Joe Biden will not attend Benedict XVI’s funeral

Jan 4, 2023 / 06:33 am

The Vatican’s press office has confirmed that only two official state delegations — from Italy and Germany — were invited to the funeral of the late pope emeritus.

Here are the prayers and readings for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s funeral Mass

Jan 3, 2023 / 09:07 am

Pope Francis will preside over the funeral of Benedict XVI on Thursday, Jan. 5, at 9:30 a.m. (Rome time) in St. Peter’s Square.

Cardinal Zen: Benedict XVI will be a ‘powerful intercessor in heaven’ for China

Jan 3, 2023 / 04:38 am

In a reflection posted on his blog on Jan. 3, Cardinal Joseph Zen remembered Benedict XVI as a “great defender of the truth.”

VIDEO AND PHOTOS: Thousands gather to pay final respects to body of Benedict XVI

Jan 2, 2023 / 04:54 am

The mortal remains of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica through Jan. 4.

Here are the last words spoken by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Jan 1, 2023 / 12:12 pm

The retired pope spoke the words shortly after his longtime personal secretary Archbishop Georg Gänswein briefly stepped out of the room, according to a Vatican News account.

Benedict XVI: A look back at the cat-loving pope’s favorite feline friends

Jan 1, 2023 / 12:10 pm

The late pope emeritus had a great love for cats was known to feed the many cats that lived in the Vatican gardens.

Pope Francis entrusts the late Benedict XVI to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Jan 1, 2023 / 03:17 am

At the first papal Mass of 2023, thousands of Catholics gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica prayed for the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.