The synod, which took place at the Vatican Oct. Oct. 6-27, addressed the challenges facing large dioceses with few resources to minister to Catholics in remote areas.

In his Nov. 6 weekly audience in Rome, Pope Francis urged his listeners to be open in dialogue with people of other faiths and cultures, in much the same way that St. Paul did.

Stories about Cardinal Becciu's involvement in investment in a property in London were published shortly after the announcement that Vatican police conducted a raid on offices in the Secretariat of State and its financial oversight office Oct. 1.

The pope reflected on the day's reading from St. Paul's letter to the Romans, in which the apostle says his sufferings are "nothing compared to the glory to be revealed for us."

Creating an Amazonian-rite liturgy and new ministries for laypeople, including the ordination of women deacons, are some of the recurring proposals made by small groups at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon.

"We told the Holy Father that we are afraid because we are forgetting our language; it is being extinguished because we are asphyxiated by the models of development that come from outside that do not respect life."

A hashtag mix-up caused a papal tweet meant to give thanks for the Catholic Church's newest saints to be read as Pope Francis showing support for the New Orleans Saints' football team.

Sister Birgit Weiler told journalists on Oct. 11 that such changes would allow the church to become “a community of sisters and brothers, sharing faith, discerning together.”

Proposals in the Oct. 8 morning session of the Synod included discussing the "possibility of diaconal ordination for women, so as to emphasize their ecclesial vocation."

"We know that calumny always kills," said the pope.