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.

Bishops process into St. Peter's Basilica for the closing Mass of the first assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 29, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media

Decoding the Synod on Synodality: CNA’s Essential Terminology Guide

As the Church kicks off the second session of the Synod on Synodality this week, it’s helpful to understand some...

Addressing more than 2,500 priests, deacons, religious sisters, seminarians, catechists, and bishops gathered inside the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Brussels, Pope Francis emphasized the urgency of evangelization in Europe. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

"Crisis of faith" in the West Requires a Return to the Gospel: Pope Francis in Belgium

The pope addressed more than 2,500 priests, deacons, religious sisters, seminarians, catechists, and bishops gathered inside the National Basilica of...

Pope Francis prays at the tomb of Belgian king who chose to abdicate rather than sign an abortion law. Sept. 28, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Lauds Belgian King Who Chose to Abdicate Rather Than Sign Abortion Law

During a visit to the Catholic king’s tomb on Saturday in Belgium, Pope Francis lauded Belgian King Baudouin for choosing...

Pope Francis meets with academics at KU Leuven, a Belgian Catholic research university, on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis Urges Professors to "seek the truth" in Visit to 600-year-old Belgian University

The pope addressed academics at KU Leuven, a Belgian Catholic research university, on Friday afternoon to mark the 600th anniversary...

Pope Francis sits next to Queen Mathilde and listens as King Philippe (far right) speaks during a meeting between the pope and dignitaries in the Grand Gallery of Belgium’s Laeken Castle on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

In Belgium, Pope Francis Says "Church should be ashamed" of Clerical Abuse

Speaking before approximately 300 dignitaries, the pope remarked that child abuse is “a scourge that the Church is tackling resolutely...

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich (right), relator general of Synod on Synodality, speaks to the media on June 20, 2023, at the temporary headquarters of the Holy See Press Office in Vatican City. Beside him is Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general for the Synod of Bishops. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

What You Need to Know Bout Part 2 of the Synod on Syno wedality

The second Vatican assembly for the global Synod on Synodality will kick off in October, bringing together clerics and laity...

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at his general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis Says the Catholic Church is "more alive" Outside of Europe

In his first general audience since returning from the longest international trip of his pontificate, the pope expressed gratitude to...

A reliquary containing relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis at the Church of Sant’Angela Merici in Rome, Oct. 11, 2021. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis Tells Young People to Prioritize the Eucharist Like Carlo Acutis

“As Blessed Carlo Acutis said, the Eucharist is the highway to heaven,” the pope wrote in his message for diocesan...

Pope Francis speaks to journalists aboard the papal plane during an in-flight press conference on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, on his return from his nearly two-week tour of Southeast Asia. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

U.S. Presidential Election a Choice Between "the lesser evil": Pope Francis

Speaking aboard the papal plane, Pope Francis encouraged U.S. Catholics to vote with their conscience in the upcoming Nov. 5...

Pope Francis during Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu in Dili, Timor-Leste, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis’ Mass in East Timor Draws 600,000 Catholics, Almost Half of Country’s Population

The pope celebrated the youthfulness of East Timor at the outdoor Mass where the crowd appeared like a sea of...

Pope Francis arrives in East Timor on Sept. 9, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Pope Francis Arrives in East Timor, Asia’s Youngest and Most Catholic Country

Francis is the first pope to visit East Timor since it gained independence from Indonesia in 2002, becoming the first...

Pope Francis arriving at the meeting with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and catechists in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Sept. 10, 2024. / Vatican Media

Catholics in East Timor Welcome Pope Francis to their Island "oasis" of Religious Vocations

Speaking in Dili's cathedral, Pope Francis challenged East Timor's Catholic leaders to renew evangelization efforts, declaring that the nation's position...

Two children, one of them holding a statue of Blessed Peter To Rot, await the visit of Pope Francis at the Caritas Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 7, 2024 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Remembering the Missionary Martyrs of Papua New Guinea

Here is a closer look at three remarkable individuals who shaped the Catholic mission in Papua New Guinea.

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

"Open yourselves to the joy of the Gospel": Pope Francis at Mass in Papua New Guinea

Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Papua New Guinea on Sunday, urging openness to God and others while praying for peace...

Pope Francis visits the Caritas Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis Asks Papua New Guinea Catholics to Spread the Gospel to "peripheries"

Pope Francis called on Catholics in Papua New Guinea to continue to bring the Gospel to the most marginalized and...

A man stands in front of a poster of Pope Francis outside APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to welcome the Roman pontiff, Sept. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis Urges Stewardship of Papua New Guinea’s Resources, Peace among Tribes

In his address to officials in Port Moresby, Pope Francis called for responsible use of natural resources, an end to...

Pope Francis participates in a meeting at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Jakarta on Sept. 4, 2024, with bishops, priest, religious, seminarians, and catechists. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Francis Invites Indonesia’s Catholics to Share "joy of encountering Christ"

“Proclaiming the Gospel … [means] giving and sharing the joy of encountering Christ always with great respect and fraternal affection...

Pope Francis Begins Indonesia Visit with Call for Catholic-Muslim Dialogue

On Pope Francis’ first full day of public appearances in Indonesia on Wednesday, the pope called upon the political leaders...

Pope Francis is greeted by children in traditional dress on his arrival in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 3, 2024 | Vatican Media

Pope Francis Arrives in Indonesia, the First Leg of His Longest Trip Ever

Pope Francis arrived Tuesday in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, the first stop in the pope’s four-country tour of Southeast...

Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus prayer on Sept. 1, 2024, the pope called for peace in the Holy Land, urging the release of the remaining hostages and humanitarian aid for the polio outbreak in Gaza. The pope also expressed his closeness to the people of Burkina Faso after hundreds of people were killed in a terrorist attack there on Aug. 24. Afterwards the pope asked for prayers for his apostolic journey beginning tomorrow to Oceania and Southeast Asia. / Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Urges Release of Hostages, Aid for Polio Outbreak in Gaza

The pope appealed for peace in Gaza and for humanitarian aid to continue and also expressed his closeness to the...