A number of assumptions continue to float around the synod that are only partially true or largely false.

In a letter to Catholics in the Middle East on the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, Pope Francis cited words from the Gospel of John that have sparked enmity toward Jews for centuries.

The only way to counter the excessive impact that influencers have on the life of the church is to promote more critical thinking among the Catholic faithful, who must be able to recognize attempts to manipulate the faith for political and economic ends.

Confusion at this stage in the synod may not be a bad thing. As Pope Francis has often said, the Holy Spirit first creates confusion and then brings harmony.

As Catholics, we must work to block harms where we see them, do our part to build the world we want to inhabit, and embody our fundamental dignity as human beings.

Avery Dulles was widely respected across the Catholic theological spectrum for his scholarly acumen and even-handed, measured approach to complex doctrinal questions.

The cry for peace and unity at the synod’s ecumenical vigil struck me as particularly moving at a time of war that has exacerbated the fractures between the three “People of the Book”—Christians, Jews and Muslims.

A Reflection for Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time, by Zac Davis

Cardinal Steiner said they would like to call these women “deaconesses,” but they do not want to “confuse them with the ordained ministry,” and so, for now, they have not found a title that is “suitable.”

Pope Francis met with a group of transgender and intersex Catholics, along with LGBTQ+ allies and a medical doctor specializing in transgender healthcare, during a nearly 90-minute audience at his residence.