Pope Francis warned against building walls and ignoring the traditions of those often on the margins of society in his final message to the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon.
International News
Synod Offers Cautious Support For Married Priests, Study of Women Deacons
Catholic communities in the Amazon might be able to ordain married men to the priesthood under limited circumstances, based on the outcome of a meeting of bishops in Rome that issued its final report Saturday – although the document stopped short of a full-throated endorsement for the ordination of either married men or women deacons.
Analysis: Amazon Synod Ends by Leaving an Awful Lot on the Pope’s Plate
The ordination of married men to the priesthood and women to the diaconate, and the creation of a special “Amazon rite” of the Mass — All three ideas generated enthusiasm but also blowback during the synod.
Analysis: Pope Francis to Visit Asia as it Faces ‘Unholy Trinity’ of Christian Persecution
Pope Francis has said that Asia would be a priority in his pontificate, and he will be visiting the region again next month, when he visits Japan and Thailand in November. The pontiff has spoken about a desire in his youth to serve as a missionary in Asia, but he never got the opportunity with the Jesuits.
Vatican Releases Book Compiling Pope’s Theology of Ecology
The global ecological crisis is just one of the effects of a distorted and diseased view people have of the world, themselves and each other, Pope Francis said in a new book.
U.S. Bishop Says Ecology, Synodality at Heart of Amazon Discussions, Not Married Priests
While the Amazon region has been the focus of this month’s Vatican meeting of bishops, one of the Americans taking part says he hopes the gathering’s reverberations will be felt in the United States.
Church in Syria and Iraq Could ‘Vanish’ if Islamic State Regroups, New Report Claims
A new report says Christians are faring better in conflict-ravaged regions in the Middle East, but the precarious situation means the Church could vanish in places like Syria and Iraq if the Islamic State mounted another campaign in the region.
Cardinal Says Synod Seeks to Give Women Greater Role in Church Governance
Catholic bishops are not fully utilizing Church law to maximize the role of women in decision making capacities, Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai said on Oct. 23.
Group Advocates for Women’s Ordination on the Sidelines of the Synod
As the Vatican’s meeting on the Amazon draws to a close this week, one group is using the occasion to seek new roles for women in leadership, hosting a prayer vigil on Oct. 23 in support of women’s ordination to the priesthood and the diaconate.
Vatican Confirms Election of Msgr. Peter Vaccari to be President of CNEWA
Monsignor Peter Vaccari, currently rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York, has been elected to succeed Monsignor John E. Kozar as president of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association/Pontifical Mission for Palestine.