This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell take a closer look at Pope Francis’ latest consistory, which created 21 new cardinals on Saturday, Dec. 7.

As the fighting in Gaza drags on, Pope Francis welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican. The Vatican press office said the two spoke privately for 30 minutes.

Trump, who has pledged to carry out “the largest deportation program in American history,” plans to scrap the longstanding ICE policy preventing immigration arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations.

Many Syrians remain apprehensive about how religious minorities, including Christians, will be treated in a new political reality being established by a Sunni militia that is still listed as a terror organization by the U.S. State Department.

Preparing the way of the Lord? Then lose some baggage.

The Nativity scene generated headlines when it was unveiled Dec. 7 because of the presence of the keffiyeh, the black-and-white checkered headscarf that has become a potent symbol of the Palestinian cause.

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr, by Jill Rice

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church, by Sebastian Gomes

A Reflection for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, by Leilani Fuentes

In places like Compton and East L.A., Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated as a symbol of hope and protection. She is the protector of the unborn, the oppressed and the immigrants.

A Reflection for Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent, by Michael Simone, S.J.

Perhaps even more shocking than the brazen killing of UnitedHealthcare C.E.O. Brian Thompson was the response in some places to this crime: celebration, lionization and valorization of the killer.

Bishop John Cummins had a significant and lasting impact on the Catholic Church in his own diocese and elsewhere through his quiet leadership and ministry. He was a reminder to many of what Pope Francis meant when he called for bishops who are “pastors, not princes.”

When Irish people went to the polls on Nov. 29, there had been concerns that the nation would see a far-right surge in the Dáil, or parliament, in keeping with trends within the rest of Europe. But Ireland continues to be an outlier.

Signs around the Eternal City declare “Roma si trasforma” — “Rome is transformed” as an explanation for the ubiquitous infrastructure projects underway ahead of Jubilee 2025.

The list of miracles that have taken place at the French Marian shrine in Lourdes now includes, for the first time, an English-speaking soldier.

A Reflection for Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent, by James T. Keane

A Homily for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Father Terrance Klein

We are at a critical juncture in the U.S. death penalty abolition movement. And we as Catholics—including President Biden—can heed the words of Pope Francis and light the way.