Mags GarganPope Francis telephoned Mr Foley’s family and offered his condolonces.
US journalist James Foley – who was murdered by Islamic extremists in Iraq – was sustained by praying the rosary during a previous captivity.
Video footage of Mr Foley's murder, apparently by a British fighter, circulated on the internet last week. The Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation said they had killed him in northern Iraq.
Mr Foley, a Catholic, revealed that while he was detained in Libya while covering the war there, he drew consolation from the recitation of the rosary.
Focused
"I began to pray the rosary. It was what my mother and grandmother would have prayed. I said ten Hail Marys between each Our Father. It took a long time, almost an hour to count 100 Hail Marys off on my knuckles. And it helped to keep my mind focused.
"Clare [a fellow captive] and I prayed together out loud. It felt energising to speak our weaknesses and hopes together, as if in a conversation with God, rather than silently and alone," he said of his captivity in Libya.
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis telephoned Mr Foley's family and offered his condolonces on the brutal murder. Mr Foley's mother Diane said simply: "we thank God for the gift of Jim. We are so, so proud of him." She added that he was "a courageous, fearless journalist – the best of America".