Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu described synodality as “a new way of being a Church.”
On its opening day, synod leaders also highlighted the many ways in which the current gathering breaks the mold of past Synods of Bishops.
Originally submitted by the archbishop emeritus of Prague on July 13, the DDF’s response had been issued to the Czech cardinal on Sept. 25.
The pope’s responses, originally issued July 11, responded to requests for doctrinal clarification on the development of doctrine, same-sex unions, and more.
The pope shared a guiding image for the College of Cardinals: that of “a symphony orchestra, representing the harmony and synodality of the Church.”
Cardinal Anders Arborelius said the issue of ordaining women “cannot lead further, as priestly ministry is reserved to men in Catholic and Orthodox doctrine.”
Spiritual worldliness is one of the most dangerous temptations facing priests and the Church because it “reduces spirituality to appearance,” the pope said.
The pope also addressed “rigidity” in the Church and concerns about the Synod on Synodality.
At a gathering with Portuguese charity workers, Pope Francis went off script to insist that Christian love must be tangibly lived out in the world.
The Holy Father encouraged Church leaders in Portugal to overcome discouragement by spending time in adoration.
Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Alfonso Amarante, CSsR, to head the Pontifical Lateran University.
St. Benedict the Moor, a 16th-century Franciscan whose incorrupt body was interned at Santa Maria di Gesù Parish in Sicily, has been mostly incinerated.
Bishop Thomas Zinkula, 66, has led the Davenport Diocese in southeast Iowa since 2017.
Famed mosaic artist Father Marko Rupnik remains a priest and could be put into ministry by a sympathetic bishop.
Pope Francis met with Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, Monday morning.
The longtime personal secretary of Pope Benedict XVI has been given no permanent position in his home archdiocese but is living in the local seminary.
The visit to Washington comes weeks after the Biden administration announced it would send controversial “cluster bombs” to Ukraine.
A pair of U.S. college students, a religious sister who does karate, and two distinct sets of American bishops are among the voting members of the Synod of Bishops.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops has completed a formal investigation of Bishop Joseph E. Strickland and the Diocese of Tyler, Texas.
Delegates also elected members for a commission tasked with establishing a permanent, national Synodal Council.