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.

Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Gyumri, Armenia, June 25, 2016. | L'Osservatore Romano/CNA

Pope Francis Entrusts All Mothers to Blessed Virgin Mary on Mother’s Day

On Mother’s Day, Pope Francis entrusted all mothers, including those in heaven, to the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

Pope Francis greets the crowd at his Regina Caeli address on May 14, 2023. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis Prays for Cease-fire Between Israelis and Palestinians

Pope Francis prayed Sunday that the recently signed cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians will be maintained and that “the weapons...

Pope Francis at his general audience in St Peter’s Square on April 26, 2023. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis: Monks and Nuns are "the beating heart" of Evangelization

It is no accident that the patron saint of foreign missionaries is a cloistered nun, Pope Francis said Wednesday.

Hungary’s ambassador to the Holy See Eduard Habsburg told EWTN News that Pope Francis will find “a vibrant Christian country” when he visits Hungary April 28–30, 2023. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Pope Francis to Find "a vibrant Christian country" in Hungary: Ambassador to Holy See

Hungary’s ambassador to the Holy See Eduard Habsburg says that Pope Francis will find “a vibrant Christian country” when he...

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square on March 22, 2023. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis Says He Will Travel to Mongolia

Pope Francis said Friday that he plans to visit Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country.

In response to the long wait times to enter St. Peter's Basilica, those who wish to enter for Mass, confession, or adoration can now do so via a special "prayer entrance" immediately to the right of the barricades to enter through the metal detectors on the right side of the piazza. | Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

St. Peter’s Basilica Introduces New "prayer entrance" Amid Influx of Tourism

With 100,000 people cramming into St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, the lines to enter the Vatican basilica have returned...

Pope Francis prays at his Wednesday audience in St. Peter’s Square on April 12, 2023. | Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis Changes Law Regulating Vatican City Court System

Pope Francis revised a law regulating the Vatican’s judicial system on Wednesday, reversing some aspects of the pope’s prior reform...

Pope Francis at his Wednesday general audience on April 12, 2023. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis Tells "keyboard warriors" to Put Aside Online Polemics to Proclaim the Gospel

Pope Francis has told “keyboard warriors” to put aside online polemics and get out from behind their desks to proclaim...

Committee Begins Writing Synod on Synodality Working Document Behind Closed Doors

A committee of 22 people this week kicked off the writing process for the Synod on Synodality’s working document that...

From the Netflix documentary series, "Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi" | Netflix

Pope Francis Wants the Truth About "Vatican girl" Case: Vatican Prosecutor

The chief prosecutor of the Vatican City State court met Tuesday with the brother of Emanuela Orlandi, a teenage girl...

Pope Francis gives his homily at the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on April 8, 2023. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis at Easter Vigil: "Rediscover the grace of God’s resurrection within you"

At the Vatican’s Easter Vigil Mass, Pope Francis urged people to “roll away the stones of sin and fear” to...

Pope Francis kisses the crucifix at the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion in St. Peter's Basilica on April 7, 2023. | Vatican Media

Good Friday: Papal Preacher Warns against Relativism, “black hole of spiritual universe”

At the Vatican’s Good Friday liturgy, the papal preacher warned against the danger of believers being drawn into the “vortex...

Pope Francis presided over a Chrism Mass at which more than 1,880 priests, bishops, and cardinals renewed the promises made at their ordinations on April 6, 2023. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis Celebrates "birthday of priesthood" with 1,800 Priests on Holy Thursday

On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis presided over a chrism Mass at which more than 1,880 priests, bishops, and cardinals renewed...

Pope Francis greets pilgrims from the pope mobile in St. Peter’s Square on April 5, 2023. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis’ Advice for Holy Week: Look to the Cross, Our Hope is There

Pope Francis has offered advice for how to have a fruitful Holy Week, urging people to focus on the essentials...

Pope Francis greets staff at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, July 11, 2021. | Vatican Media.

Pope Francis Returns to the Vatican After 3 Days in the Hospital

Pope Francis was discharged from the hospital Saturday morning after a three-night stay in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.

Pope Francis speaks at the general audience in Vatican City's Paul VI Hall on Feb. 22, 2023. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis Extends Norms to Prevent, Counter Sexual Abuse to Cover Lay Leaders

Pope Francis permanently decreed Saturday an updated version of Vos estis lux mundi, his landmark legislation to counter sexual abuse in...

Pope Francis prays at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal on May 12, 2017. | Vatican Media.

Renew Consecration to Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25: Pope Francis to Catholics

Pope Francis has invited Catholics to annually renew an act of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March...

Pope Francis: Christian Witness Requires Consistency Between Lifestyle, What one Proclaims

To effectively witness to the Gospel, Christians need to be consistent in what they believe, how they live, and what...

Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu. | Credit: Christian Peschken/EWTN News

Meet the New Nigerian Secretary for the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization

From a childhood as a war refugee to a career as a Holy See diplomat, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu will now...

A detail from Joseph with the Child and the Flowering Rod, by Alonso Miguel de Tovar (1678–1752). Public Domain.

How a Forgotten Nun’s Visions Shed "new light" on the Life of St. Joseph

St. Joseph does not have any words recorded in sacred Scripture, but the published meditations of an 18th-century Italian nun...