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.

Msgr. Georg Ratzinger. / Paul Badde/EWTN.

Benedict XVI’s Brother Georg Ratzinger Has Died

Benedict XVI’s older brother Georg Ratzinger died Wednesday, just a little more than one week after the pope emeritus' visit.

Sister Stan Mumuni, founder of the Marian Sisters of Eucharistic Love. / Courtesy of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See.

Religious Sisters Risk Lives to Rescue the Vulnerable Amid Pandemic

Sister Stan Mumuni dedicates her life to caring for abandoned children with birth defects in Ghana. When the coronavirus pandemic...

Eucharistic adoration following the pope's Corpus Christi Mass June 14, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA.

The Eucharist Gives Us Christ's Healing Love: Pope Francis

Christ’s presence in the Eucharist heals wounds and transforms bitter negativity into the joy of Lord, Pope Francis said in...

Pope Francis prays in St. Peter's Basilica on June 14, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA.

After Discovery of Mass Graves in Libya, Pope Francis Appeals for Peace

Pope Francis expressed “great apprehension and sorrow” Sunday after eight mass graves were discovered in Libya amid the ongoing civil...

Pope Francis gives his Angelus address June 7, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA.

Catholics Cannot Ignore the Poverty Caused by the Pandemic: Pope Francis

Pope Francis said Saturday that the coronavirus pandemic has revealed poverty that Catholics cannot ignore.

Feet of a newborn baby in an incubator. Credit: Shutterstock.

Vatican Offers Online Book for Parents Facing Difficult Prenatal Diagnosis

The Vatican has published a free book online that can be a resource for parents facing a difficult or fatal...

The Sistine Chapel. Credit: Shutterstock.

Vatican Museums to Reopen June 1 as Italy Opens Borders to Tourists

The Vatican Museums announced Saturday that it will reopen on June 1, two days before Italy opens its borders to...

Nuns in Kenya among Catholics around the Globe Hoping Papal Mass Online can Continue

After the Vatican stopped livestreaming Pope Francis’ daily Masses this week, Catholics from around the world have urged the pope...

A view of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. Credit: Bohumil Petrik/CNA.

Vatican Museums to Reopen with Temperature Checks, Mandatory Face Masks

The Vatican Museums are preparing to reopen by reservation only with new health measures to prevent the spread of the...

Pope St. John Paul II in 1979. Credit: L'Osservatore Romano

Pope Francis Hails St. John Paul II's "great witness"' Ahead of Centenary

Pope Francis said that he has looked up to St. John Paul II throughout his priesthood in a book foreword...

Pope Francis offers Mass in Casa Santa Marta on April 30, 2020. / Vatican Media/CNA.

Pope Francis Honors Priests and Doctors Who Have Died in the Coronavirus Pandemic

On Good Shepherd Sunday, Pope Francis said he was thinking of all the priests and doctors who gave their lives...

Pope Francis offers a blessing from the window of the Apostolic Palance April 26, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA.

Pope Francis Asks for Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood on Good Shepherd Sunday

Pope Francis called on all Catholics to pray for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life on Good Shepherd Sunday,...

Pope Francis offers Mass in Casa Santa Marta on May 2, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA.

Pope Francis Prays for Government Leaders Facing the Coronavirus Crisis

Pope Francis prayed Saturday for mayors, governors, presidents, and legislators at a time when many government leaders are making decisions...

Pope Francis celebrates morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta April 30, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media.

Pope Francis Offers Mass for "anonymous" Coronavirus Victims

Pope Francis prayed Thursday for the many people who have died as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, especially the...

St. Peter's Basilica. Credit: Marco Mancini/CNA

Pope Francis Postpones Peter’s Pence Collection amid Pandemic’s Economic Downturn

Pope Francis has postponed this year’s Peter’s Pence collection until next fall as the Vatican confronts the economic consequences of...

Pope Francis May 15, 2019. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA.

Pope Francis Donates Ventilators in Honor of St. George’s Feast Day

Ventilators were delivered to hospitals in Romania, Spain, and Italy on April 23, the feast of St. George, the patron...

Pope Francis celebrates morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta April 23, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media.

Pope Francis Prays for Families Going Hungry amid Pandemic

Pope Francis asked people to pray on Thursday for families who are struggling to put food on the table during...

St. Peter's Basilica and square closed to public March 10, 2020. Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA.

Vatican City Prepares to Ease Coronavirus Restrictions in May

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with members of the Roman curia on Wednesday to discuss the gradual...

Pope Francis Makes Surprise Call to Nuns Treating COVID-19 Patients

Pope Francis made a surprise phone call after the Easter Vigil to a religious sister treating coronavirus patients as a...

Cardinal Tagle at the Synod of Bishops on October 9, 2015. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA.

Cardinal Tagle Urges Leaders to Ensure Healthcare for All in COVID-19 Crisis

In his Easter message, the president of Caritas Internationalis called on governments to ensure access to healthcare and social protections...