The Synod on Synodality has raised the question of the role and authority of bishops’ conferences. In 1998, another moment when the question gained prominence, a leading authority on ecclesiology weighed in.

There has been an alarming lack of transparency around the work of the synod’s ‘Study Group 5,’ tasked with examining, among other things, the subject of women deacons.

The Vatican and the Chinese government are renewing their agreement on the appointment of bishops for four years.

Around 100 synod delegates filed into the Vatican’s old synod hall yesterday afternoon seeking answers about the secretive Vatican-instituted study group that had, among other issues, been tasked with looking into the possibility of ordaining women deacons.

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.

On this week’s episode of “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle is joined by Laurence Gien, a survivor of clerical sexual abuse spoke about his experience as part of a penitential celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Oct. 1, 2024.