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Pope Francis, the round tables at the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, Cardinal Joseph Zen, and Paolo Ruffini. | Credit: EWTN News

Synod on Synodality 2023: Facts, Anecdotes, and Analysis from the First Week

Oct 7, 2023

Facts, anecdotes, and analysis from the first week of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican.

Speaking at a press briefing on Oct. 6, Vatican spokesman Paolo Ruffini said that there needs to be “a certain amount of confidentiality about who takes the floor and who doesn't in order to leave the space open … for ‘conversation in the Spirit.’” | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Secrecy at the Synod on Synodality: What we know about delegates’ confidentiality requirements  

Oct 6, 2023

The Synod on Synodality’s official regulations no longer allow Synod delegates to share their personal interventions with the public. 

The Synod on Synodality convened on Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

What is Being Discussed During the First Week of the Synod on Synodality?

Oct 5, 2023

During the first full day of work Oct. 5, participants met in small groups of about 12 people where they received a homework assignment.

Cardinal Raymond Burke was part of a panel that convened on the eve of the Synod on Synodality, Oct. 3, 2023. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

“Dubia” Not an Attack on Pope Francis Nor His Agenda: One of Five Cardinal Authors Says

Oct 5, 2023

The cardinal was speaking at a conference in Rome on Oct. 3 on the theme “the synodal Babel” to discuss the main points of contention raised by the synod.

Synod on Synodality delegates in small groups listen to Pope Francis' guidance for the upcoming weeks on Oct. 4, 2023. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Pope Francis to Synod on Synodality Participants: "Do not sadden the Holy Spirit"

Oct 4, 2023

Pointing synod delegates to texts by St. Basil on the Holy Spirit, the pope emphasized the importance of listening over speaking.

Pope Francis at the Synod on Synodality, Oct. 4, 2023. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez

New "grammar of synodality" on Display at Start of Synod Gathering 

Oct 4, 2023

On its opening day, synod leaders also highlighted the many ways in which the current gathering breaks the mold of past Synods of Bishops.  

Cardinal Joseph Zen preaches a sermon during a Mass at the Holy Cross Church on May 24, 2022, in Hong Kong, China. | Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

Chinese Cardinal Expresses Concerns about Synod on Synodality in Leaked Letter to Bishops

Oct 4, 2023

Just days before the Synod on Synodality kicked off its first round of meetings at the Vatican, a letter from Cardinal Joseph Zen was leaked to media.

Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals from across the world at the Saturday morning, Sept. 30, 2023, consistory in St. Peter’s Square. | Credit: Vatican Media

Here’s what the Church’s Newest Cardinals Think About the Synod on Synodality

Oct 3, 2023

Six cardinals who are participating in this month’s Synod on Synodality — and five who are not — told CNA their ideas of and expectations for the assembly.

Post Francis' post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia in Vatican City on April 8, 2016. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Here’s the full text of the Vatican’s response to dubia on divorced and remarried Catholics

Oct 3, 2023

Czech Cardinal Dominik Duka had submitted to the Vatican a request for pastoral guidance.

Cardinal-elect Víctor Manuel Fernández was appointed by Pope Francis on July 1, 2023, to become the next prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. | Credit: Courtesy of Archdiocese of La Plata

Vatican Releases Pope Francis’ Responses to Pre-synod Dubia, Criticizes Cardinals

Oct 2, 2023

The pope’s responses, originally issued July 11, responded to requests for doctrinal clarification on the development of doctrine, same-sex unions, and more.

Left to right: German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, Mexican Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, American Cardinal Raymond Burke, and Chinese Cardinal Zen Ze-Kiun. | Credit: Bohumil Petrik/CNA; Intermirifica.net; Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

The Five Cardinals Behind the Latest Dubia Issued to Pope Francis

Oct 2, 2023

The prelates, who also issued a “Notification to Christ’s Faithful,” hail from the diverse ecclesiastical landscapes of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

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Read Pope Francis’ Response to the Dubia Presented to Him by Five Cardinals

Oct 2, 2023

Five cardinals have sent a set of questions known as “dubia” to Pope Francis to express their concerns and seek clarification on points of doctrine and discipline.

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/ACI Prensa

"Not much new" Will Come out of this Year’s Synod, Vatican’s Doctrine Chief Predicts

Oct 1, 2023

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández predicts that “those who expect big changes” to come out of this month’s Synod of Bishops will be “disappointed.”

Five children representing five continents speak with Pope Francis in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican on Oct. 1, 2023. The pope will hold a meeting with children at the Vatican on Nov. 6, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis to Hold Meeting with Children at the Vatican on Nov. 6

Oct 1, 2023

The theme of the event in the Paul VI Audience Hall will be “Let us learn from boys and girls.” 

Credit: Shutterstock

Pope Calls for an End to Global Food Waste

Sep 29, 2023

Food waste, the pope said, “shows an arrogant disregard for everything that, in social and human terms, lies behind food production.” 

Pope Francis speaks during a press conference aboard the papal plane from Marseille, France, to Rome on Sept. 23, 2023, at the conclusion of a two-day visit to the southern French port city to take part in the Mediterranean Encounter, a meeting of young people and bishops. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis Denounces "body-shaming," Admits to Bullying Overweight Friend as a Child

Sep 29, 2023

Pope Francis said his father made him go to the bullied child’s home to apologize.

Father Hans Zollner. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez / ACI Prensa

Celibacy is not a Direct Cause of Sexual Abuse, Jesuit Expert Says

Sep 29, 2023

The psychologist said that “celibacy is not a direct cause of abuse; what can become a risk factor is a ministry poorly lived and not fully accepted.” 

Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba and his episcopal coat of arms (top left); Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong and his episcopal coat of arms (top right); Bishop Américo Aguiar of Setúbal, Portugal, and his coat of arms (bottom left); Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town and his coat of arms. | Credit: ACI Africa; Archdiocese of Juba; Society of Jesus/Diocese of Hong Kong; Patriarchate of Lisbon; Archdiocese of Cape Town

Catholic Church’s New Cardinals Explain Why They Chose Their Spiritual Mottos

Sep 28, 2023

Episcopal mottos are selected when a Catholic priest is consecrated as a bishop and are traditionally found at the base of his coat of arms.

Pope Francis speaks at the at the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens on May 31, 2021, against the backdrop of an image of Our Lady, Undoer (or Untier) of Knots. | Credit: Vatican Media

How Pope Francis Spread Devotion to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots

Sep 28, 2023

This popular devotion traces its origins to Germany, in 1612, when a priest ministered to a couple in a difficult marriage.

Pope Francis meets with Latin American university rectors on Sept. 21, 2023, at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis’ Next Environmental Document to be Called "Laudate Deum"

Sep 26, 2023

Pope Francis’ new document on the environment will be, he said, “a look at what has happened and say what needs to be done,” Vatican News reported.