Catholic clergy and laypeople will gather at the Vatican Oct. 4-29 for a synod, or summit of bishops and laypeople, to discuss synodality, with an emphasis on communion, participation and mission. While some might dismiss the highly anticipated event as a meeting on meetings, the term synodality under Pope Francis has expanded to reflect his Read more
A growing chorus within Catholic media is pressing Pope Francis not to shut down the Synod on Synodality under the veil of the Pontifical Secret. Rather, they are urging him to open up the much-anticipated Synod on Synodality deliberations to the media. The Catholic media professionals argue that given the global involvement in preparation for Read more
A recent Vatican decision to not allow a progressive theologian to become the dean of a theological university in Italy highlights the fractures within the Catholic Church over sexual morality while also hinting at divisions inside the Vatican itself. The Rev. Martin Lintner was selected by its faculty to become dean of the prestigious Theological Read more
In Pope Francis’ vision for the future of the Catholic Church, bishops will no longer make decisions alone but in dialogue and discernment with the faithful in their community. The new, expanded two-year process to prepare for synods will begin in October and promises to flip the power structures in the church. When it comes Read more
In 2001, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was a rapporteur for the summit of bishops at the Vatican — and he did not like what he saw. The Catholic Church had adopted a top-to-bottom approach that stripped local churches of any decision-making power, and the synod of bishops was reduced to nothing more than a stamp of Read more
On Sunday, May 16, Pope Francis celebrated a Mass in Rome for Myanmar Catholics on the Feast of the Ascension, underlining his religious and diplomatic efforts to promote peace and reconciliation in the troubled Southeast Asian country. Myanmar, once known as Burma, spiralled into violence when military forces took over the country on Feb. 1, Read more
When Pope Francis was elected pope, the Vatican was in trouble. The Roman Catholic Church’s mishandling of sexual abuse and a series of financial scandals had challenged the credibility of the institution and emptied its pews. For Francis, the root of the church’s problems was clericalism: the belief that religious people belong to a superior Read more
Since the fall of the fascist dictator Mussolini, the state in Italy has been a rather nebulous entity. Governments rise and fall — 61 since the end of the Second World War, but who’s counting? – yet things have kept on just fine. Where the state was for the most part invisible, the Catholic Church Read more
Though 500 years have passed since the Protestant Reformation began in the eastern German town of Wittenberg, traditional and conservative Catholics find themselves eyeing the German church with concern once again. The country’s Catholic bishops recently launched a two-year summit aimed at “newly assessing” long-held Catholic beliefs on sexuality, love and priestly life, including how Read more
Catholic women attending the summit of bishops at the Vatican on the Amazon region praised the climate of inclusivity and openness ushered in by Pope Francis but insisted that equality demands they also have a right to vote. “As many other religious women, we believe we have come to the point that our superior generals Read more