In his first Mass as cardinal, he acknowledged the flood of congratulations he had received from all quarters and all sects of his diocese. “Cardinals in our time are no longer the princes of the church,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said, “but its servants and those of the people of God.”

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley bring listener questions about the synod to America’s veteran Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell.

An inauspicious first day in Rome was also a chance for me to hit pause and and try to shed some of my own fears about the synod process.

In “Laudate Deum,” Pope Francis revisits the themes of “Laudato Si’” after eight years—a clear sign of urgency for a Catholic Church that thinks in centuries.

'The Seven Storey Mountain,' a book whose 75th anniversary is celebrated this month, is widely considered a spiritual classic, and it continues to find new readers every year.

Pope Francis sees secrecy as paramount for ensuring that synod participants can speak freely. But what if people start talking anyway?

As delegates prepare to gather in Rome for the Synod on Synodality, is clear that in the present moment, Pope Francis is calling us to be a truly listening church—a church of discernment.

A Reflection for Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time, by Rachel Lu

In this episode, host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell discuss the “dubia” and what Pope Francis’ responses, sent earlier this summer, reveal about the pope’s approach to these closely-watched topics as the synod begins.

Pope Francis asked forgiveness from journalists trying to cover the monthlong meeting but insisted “a certain fasting from public words” would be needed to ensure the proper spiritual atmosphere for synod members.

A Homily for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Father Terrance Klein

There is a deeper problem than the chaos in the U.S. House: the question of what a government is for, and how it is to function beyond matters that a bare majority can vote through.

Pope Francis did not attend Vatican II, but from the beginning of his pontificate, he set out with determination to continue its implementation.

I have spent the better part of the past two years trying to understand what synodality is. Today, it finally started to click.

During this coming election cycle, Americans (including Catholics) need to hear far more about the moral duty to protect the environment.

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi, by Simcha Fisher

I believe that the apostolic exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel” holds the key to understanding Pope Francis’ hopes for the synod. And that is why I’m hopeful about the synod.

In ‘Laudate Deum,’ Pope Francis takes square aim at the United States, noting that per-capita emissions in the U.S. are twice as high as China and seven times greater than the average in poor countries

“The five ‘dubia’ deal exclusively with the perennial doctrine and discipline of the church, not the agenda of the pope and certainly not the agenda of the five of us cardinals,” Cardinal Burke said Oct. 3 at a conference in Rome.