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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.

Pope Francis at the general audience, Oct. 19, 2022 — and St. Augustine of Hippo in a painting by Philippe de Champaigne, ca. 1650. | Daniel Ibáñez / CNA // Wikimedia (CC0)

Pope Francis: Be Like St. Augustine and Examine the Story of Your Life

St. Augustine’s Confessions recount the fourth-century bishop’s spiritual conversion from his restless youth to finding peace in Christ.

Fr. Giuseppe Bernardi and Fr. Mario Ghibaudo | Screenshot from Diocese of Cunio livestream.

They Died Praying for Others: Two Catholic Priests Martyred by Nazis Beatified in Italy

Two Catholic priests killed by Nazis while ministering to the dying amid the Boves massacre were beatified as martyrs on...

Pope Francis speaks from the window of the Apostolic Palace on 16 October 2022. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis: Prayer is Medicine for the Weary Soul

The best medicine for a weary soul is prayer, Pope Francis said Sunday with a reminder that like many medical...

Pope Francis delivered his Angelus address on 18 September 2022. | Vatican Media.

Pope Francis Announces Decision to Extend Synod on Synodality to 2024

Pope Francis announced on Sunday that the Synod on Synodality will be extended to 2024.  

Banner of St. Artemide Zatti at his canonization Mass on Oct. 9, 2022. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis Canonizes Two Saints: St. Artemide Zatti, St. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini

The Catholic Church gained two new saints on Sunday as Pope Francis canonized St. Artemide Zatti and St. Giovanni Battista...

Pope Francis meets participants at the "Holiness Today" conference on 6 October 2022. Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis: ‘Saints do not come from a parallel universe’

What does it look like to be a Catholic saint today? A Vatican conference taking place in Rome this week...

Pope Francis greeting pilgrims at St. Peter's Square 05 October 2022. Credit:  Daniel Ibáñez / CNA

Pope Francis Shares a Spiritual Life Hack: Know the ‘passwords’ of Your Heart

Pope Francis shared a spiritual life hack for discernment at his general audience on Wednesday.

Pope Francis dedicated nearly all of his Angelus address on Oct. 1 to the war in Ukraine. | Vatican News

Pope Francis Appeals to Putin for an Immediate Ceasefire in Ukraine

Pope Francis made a direct appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin for an immediate ceasefire on Sunday, imploring him to...

Pope Francis Says that He Tried to Help Ukraine, Russia Prisoner Swap

Pope Francis has said that he was involved in a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine.

Cardinal Joseph Zen. | Yung Chi Wai Derek/Shutterstock.

Hong Kong Cardinal's Second Day in Court: Magistrate Rules There is Sufficient Evidence

On Tuesday, Cardinal Joseph Zen’s second day in court in Hong Kong, five witnesses were cross-examined and the magistrate ruled...

Cardinal Joseph Zen. | Yung Chi Wai Derek/Shutterstock.

Cardinal Zen Stands Trial in Hong Kong

Cardinal Joseph Zen and five others stood trial in Hong Kong on Monday for failing to properly register a fund...

Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça celebrates Mass at Fatima, Portugal, May 13, 2021. | Courtesy of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.

Pope Francis Names New Head of Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education

Pope Francis has appointed a Portuguese cardinal as the head of the newly formed Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education.

Pope Francis prays at Italy's National Eucharistic Congress in Matera, Italy on 25 September 2022. Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis: The Eucharist Teaches us to Adore God Rather than Ourselves

Pope Francis traveled to the ancient Italian city of Matera, where he urged thousands of people gathered in a soccer...

Pope Francis speaks in his Angelus address after Mass in Matera, Italy on Sept. 25, 2022. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis Appeals for the Release of Kidnapped Catholics in Cameroon

Pope Francis has appealed for the release of nine Catholics kidnapped in southwest Cameroon.

Father Thomas Joseph White. Credit: Courtesy Photo

Leading Theologian Sees a ‘rise in interest in Aquinas’ Among Young Catholics

A new generation of young people are deeply invested in the study of St. Thomas Aquinas, according to Father Thomas...

The facade of St. Peter is barely visible: A preview of the illuminated display. | Vatican News YouTube channel (screenshot)

St. Peter’s Basilica to Light up with Video Projection Telling the Story of First Pope

Visitors to the Vatican in October will be able to see the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica illuminated with a...

Pope Francis delivers the Angelus address on 18 September 2022. Credit: Vatican Media

Christians Cannot be Indifferent to Corruption: Pope Francis

Pope Francis said Sunday that Christians should not become discouraged or remain indifferent to stories of corruption, but instead “be...

Pope Francis speaking at the Expo center in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, where he celebrated an outdoor Mass on Sept. 14, 2022. Vatican Media

Pope Francis Says His Thoughts Are with War-torn Ukraine on Feast of the Holy Cross

Pope Francis said that his thoughts are with Ukraine on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. 

Pope Francis speaking in Nur-Sultan hall in Kazakhstan , Sept 13. 2022. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis Urges Peace in "senseless and tragic war" in Ukraine

Pope Francis arrived in Kazakhstan Tuesday urging dialogue and peace in the face of Russia’s “senseless and tragic war” in...

Pope Francis speaks at the Angelus address on 11 September 2022. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis: Reach out to a Friend who Needs to Hear that God Loves them

Pope Francis urged Catholics Sunday to imitate the Lord’s dedicated search “for the lost sheep” by reaching out to friends...