A Reflection for Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time, by Tim Reidy

If heaven is like a wedding banquet, then purgatory may be understood as preparation for a great celebration. It is not a dreary waiting room at the D.M.V., but a place of lively hope.

The incident allegedly involved the priest touching a female student’s long hair during a presentation as he was joking with about 200 students gathered to venerate the relic.

Spanish Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, who dedicated his priestly life and ministry to building bridges between Catholics and Muslims, died in Rome Nov. 25 at the age of 72.

In “a note of accompaniment” to the final document, the pope made clear that Catholic bishops throughout the world are to lead their churches in building a synodal and missionary church in the 21st century.