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 takes a selfie with pilgrims at the April 1, 2015 general audience in St. Peter’s Square. Vatican Media.

Digital Revolution Forces us to Rethink What it Means to be Human: Pope Francis

‘Today, a revolution is underway,’ the pope told the Pontifical Council for Culture.

The flag of Nigeria on a military uniform. Bumble Dee/Shutterstock.

Religious Freedom Advocates "appalled" as State Department Removes Nigeria from Watch List

Rights groups have documented thousands of killings of Nigerian Christians.

Pope Francis offers Mass for the fifth World Day of the Poor on Nov. 14, 2021. Vatican Media/CNA

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

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

Pope Francis gives his Angelus address on Nov. 14, 2021. Vatican Media/CNA

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

When one is faced with an important difficult decision, Pope Francis’ advice is to imagine standing before Christ at the...

Pope Francis meets with Vatican journalists on Nov. 13, 2021. Vatican Media/CNA

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

“We need journalists who are willing to ‘wear out the soles of their shoes,’ to get out of the newsroom,...

Pope Francis at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi, Italy, Nov. 12, 2021. Vatican Media.

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

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

Pope Francis’ general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Nov. 10, 2021. Vatican Media.

This is the Prayer to the Holy Spirit Pope Francis Wants Every Catholic to Know

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

French Catholic Bishops Announce "vast program of renewal" after Abuse Report

The bishops knelt in an act of penance in Lourdes.

Pope Francis inaugurates the new art gallery at the Vatican Apostolic Library, Nov. 5, 2021. Vatican Media.

"The Church must bear witness to importance of beauty": Pope Francis at Vatican Library

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

Pope Francis meets with a group of French bishops on their ad limina visit to Rome, Oct. 1, 2021. Vatican Media.

Pope Francis Urges French Catholic Bishops to Console Victims in Wake of Abuse Report

The bishops are currently meeting in Lourdes.

Pope Francis’ general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Nov. 3, 2021. Vatican Media.

In November, Pope Francis Asks Catholics to Pray for People Suffering Depression

The condition affects an estimated 280 million people worldwide.

Journalists Protest as Vatican Cancels Live Coverage of Joe Biden Greeting Pope Francis

The Vatican offered no explanation for the decision.

Pope Francis gives his Angelus address on Oct. 24, 2021. Vatican Media

Pope Francis Appeals That Migrants Not Be Sent Back to Unsafe Countries

Pope Francis called on the international community to stop deporting migrants to unsafe countries.

Pope Francis meets with the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in Rome on Oct. 22, 2021. Vatican Media

Pope Francis Asks Religious Sisters to Pray for Him: "It is not easy to be the Pope"

The pope also shared a story from the life of St. Therese of Lisieux.

Pope Francis meets with the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation at the Vatican on Oct. 23, 2021. Vatican Media

"Our response to injustice, exploitation must be more than mere condemnation": Pope

Denunciation is not enough when it comes to issues of injustice, the pope said this weekend.

Pope Francis greets members of the Biomedical University Foundation of the Biomedical Campus University, at the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Oct. 18, 2021. Vatican Media.

Catholic Healthcare is Called to Bear Witness to Human Dignity: Pope Francis

He was speaking on the feast of the patron saint of doctors.

Children in South Sudan participating in the rosary campaign. ACN

"One million children praying rosary": Kids Join Rosary Initiative Inspired by Padre Pio

Children from 44 countries have already registered to take part in the rosary campaign.

Sister Monica Chikwe, vice president, Slaves No More. U.S. Embassy to the Holy See

Meet the Catholic Nuns Leading the Fight against Human Trafficking

When a 26-year-old Nigerian girl was first forced out on the streets of Italy by her traffickers, she was told:...

Pope Francis’ general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Oct. 13, 2021. Vatican Media.

The Gospel Opens Every Culture to Greater Freedom in Christ: Pope Francis

He was speaking at his weekly general audience.

A stained-glass window by Lucien Bégule depicting St. Irenaeus at the Church of St, Irenaeus in Lyon, France. Gérald Gambier via Wikimedia (Public Domain).

Pope Francis to Declare St. Irenaeus a Doctor of the Church with Title "Doctor of Unity"

St. Irenaeus is revered by both Catholics and Orthodox Christians.