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 responds to questions from the press aboard the return flight to Rome from Mongolia. | Vatican Media

What Pope Francis Had to Say about Synod on Synodality at In-flight Press Conference

In his in-flight press conference returning from Mongolia on Monday, Pope Francis outlined his vision for the upcoming synodal assembly...

Khamba Nomun Khan, the head of the Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar, accompanied Pope Francis as he made his entrance at the interreligious dialogue event at the Hun Theater in Mongolia on Sept. 3, 2023. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis Quotes Buddha At Interreligious Event in Mongolia

In a meeting with Mongolian Buddhists, Shamans, Shintoists, and other religious representatives, Pope Francis said Sunday that interreligious dialogue is...

Pope Francis' arrival in Mongolia | Courtney Mares

Pope Francis Becomes First Pope in History to Set Foot in Mongolia

Pope Francis made history Friday morning when he became the first pope to travel to Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely...

Mongolia is a democratic country sandwiched between the authoritarian powers of Russia and China. | Credit: Shutterstock

What Pope Francis’ Trip to Mongolia Could Mean for Vatican Relations with Russia and China

Pope Francis’ next international trip will bring him to Mongolia, a democracy sandwiched between the authoritarian powers of Russia and...

Pope Francis speaks at the general audience on Aug. 23, 2023. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis: Synod "truly important" Despite Being "of little interest to general public"

Pope Francis acknowledged Saturday that the upcoming Synod on Synodality may be “of little interest to the general public,” but...

Pope Francis meets with Hungary President Katalin Novák at the Vatican on Aug. 25, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Discusses Family Values, Ukraine War with Hungarian President

Pope Francis discussed family values, religious freedom, and the Ukraine war with Hungary’s President Katalin Novák at the Vatican on...

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

Pope Francis: The Eucharist Can Fill "the wounds and voids produced by sin"

Jesus’ healing presence in the Eucharist can “fill with tenderness” the voids and wounds produced by sin in individual lives...

Pope Francis offers Mass on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Peter's Basilica on Dec. 12, 2020. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis: Like Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mothers Can Be Great Evangelizers Today

Our Lady of Guadalupe proclaimed the Gospel in “mother tongue,” Pope Francis said Wednesday in a message that highlighted the...

Pope Francis at his general audience in St. Peter's Square on May 17, 2023. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis Condemns Assassination of Ecuadorian Presidential Candidate

After Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was gunned down at a campaign rally this week, Pope Francis appealed for a...

St. Josemaria Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei | Flick Torreciudad Sanctuary (CC BY 2.0)

Pope Francis Changes Canon Law on Opus Dei and Any Future Personal Prelatures

Pope Francis changed canon law on Tuesday regarding the governance of Opus Dei and any future personal prelatures.

Vatican Announces That Artificial Intelligence Will be Theme of Next World Day of Peace

The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Francis’ annual peace message for 2024 will focus on artificial intelligence (AI).

Pope Francis prays the rosary in Fatima, Portugal with young people with disabilities on Aug. 5, 2023. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis Prays the Rosary in Fátima with Young People with Disabilities

Pope Francis visited Fátima, Portugal, on Saturday morning, where he prayed the rosary with young people with disabilities.

Young people participate in Stations of the Cross at World Youth Day in Eduardo VII Park in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 4, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis at WYD Stations of the Cross: "Jesus wipes away our hidden tears"

Pope Francis told the estimated 800,000 young people praying the Stations of the Cross together at World Youth Day in...

Prior to a private meeting with survivors later in the day, Pope Francis addressed the clergy sex abuse scandal in his address during a vespers service in Lisbon, Portugal, on Aug. 2, 2023. | Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Pope Meets with Clerical Abuse Survivors, Urges Church to Hear Victims’ "anguished cry"

Pope Francis met with 13 survivors of clerical sex abuse on his first day in Portugal and urged the Church...

The lunette of a side door depicting St. Thomas Aquinas, detail of the facade of the Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy. | Credit: Zvonimir Atletic/Shutterstock

Vatican Grants Plenary Indulgence for St. Thomas Aquinas Jubilee Celebrations

The Vatican is granting a plenary indulgence to anyone who participates in the two years of jubilee celebrations of St....

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

Vatican: Seal of Confession Not Violated in "Vatican girl" Investigation

In the latest twist in the 40-year-old cold case of the disappearance of 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi, who lived in Vatican...

The opening day of the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican Synod Hall on Oct. 3, 2018. | Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.

Synod on Synodality: Vatican Publishes Full List of Participants

The Vatican published Friday the full list of participants who will take part in the upcoming Synod on Synodality assembly...

Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, pictured here in 2014, is the archbishop of La Plata, Argentina. He will take up his new post as prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in September 2023. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

"I will do it my way": Newly Appointed Head of Doctrine of Faith Dicastery

When asked about the controversy surrounding his recent appointment as the Vatican’s doctrinal chief, Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández responded: “I...

Pope Francis waves to the crowd in St. Peter's Square during his Angelus address on June 25, 2023. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis: Do Not be Afraid to Suffer Criticism to be Faithful to Gospel

Pope Francis has urged Christians not to be afraid of suffering criticism, economic loss, and persecution for being faithful to...

A portrait of Blaise Pascal from a miniature that dates to the 1700s. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican Library Showcases First-edition Works by 17th-century Philosopher, Blaise Pascal

On the 400th anniversary of the birth of Blaise Pascal, the Vatican Library displayed first editions of some of his...