Among the many dynamics at the synod, one could note the difference of perceptions between bishops from different cultures. Some Western prelates seem to be of the view that synod fathers from Africa are impeding progress on questions that are important in their region—for example, the church&

In a highly significant intervention at the synod on the family on Oct. 6, Pope Francis warned the synod fathers against giving in to “the hermeneutic of conspiracy”—what in English might be called “the conspiracy theory”—which, he said, “is sociologically w

Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Gatineau, Quebec, said the Synod of Bishops on the family should reflect on the possibility of allowing female deacons as it seeks ways to open up more opportunities for women in church life. Where possible, qualified women should be given higher positions and decis

The 318 participants attending the meeting of the Synod of Bishops on the family have raised or discussed a wide range of topics during the first four days of this gathering. Among them are the terrible, destructive impact that war, armed conflict, poverty, unemployment, persecution and violence aga

Pope Francis made a passionate appeal to the international community to find ways to resolve the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Jerusalem and the West Bank of the Jordan, where there is “an escalation of violence” that is bringing destruction and great sufferings to the peoples living there.S

St. Joseph Parish in Roseburg, Ore., hosted an emotional Mass the evening of Oct. 1 to remember 10 people who died in a shooting that morning at Umpqua Community College. Authorities in Roseburg, a small town in green rolling hills 180 miles south of Portland, report that nine others were wounded.F.