The cardinal archbishop of Westminster came to Rome with 15 English and Welsh bishops to concelebrate the Mass in which Pope Francis declared Newman a saint, the first British saint to be born after 1800.

But the Pan-Amazon Synod’s organizers say much of the unhappiness with the its working document simply reflects Eurocentricism. Many critics “have little knowledge of the Amazon and in some cases have no commitment to its people.”

We spend billions each year on avoiding pain through pharmaceuticals or self-medicating through alcohol and drugs. But we must not forget that pain and suffering are not the enemy.

God is not some petulant deity sending disaster upon those who disobey; God is the God who meets us in disaster.

Love created us to be distinct from itself so that we could choose to love. It will not annihilate us, overwhelm who we are.

Doctrines and dogmas do not exist to provide esoteric data. Their purpose is always to tell us who we are, to proclaim who we can be in Christ.