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.
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.
“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.