Archbishop Zbigņev Stankevičs of Riga, Latvia, a participant in this month’s Synod of Bishops on Synodality, has said homosexuals are called to live in chastity in accord with Church teaching, but credited Pope Francis for what he called his own “personal conversion” on the issue, becoming less judgmental.
Amid international tensions surrounding the war in Gaza following the deadly bombing of a hospital, Pope Francis has called for another day of prayer and fasting for peace, saying war “cancels the future” and breeds hatred and revenge.
At a Mass celebrating Las Vegas becoming the 33rd U.S. archdiocese, Cardinal Christophe Pierre told those in attendance that the growth of Catholicism in Sin City is the outcome of synodality, that is, “women and men working together on the shared journey of faith.”
The synodal way is not an invention of Pope Francis, but it is based on Jesus’ way of inclusivity and listening, and on divine revelation itself, said Redemptorist Father Vimal Tirimanna, a leading moral theologian from Sri Lanka.
Amid the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war, a top Catholic leader in the Middle East said he would be willing to trade places with Israeli children who have been among those taken hostage by Hamas terrorists.
Catholic colleges and universities throughout the U.S. have condemned a devastating attack on Israel, while calling for prayers for peace.
The global Synod on Synodality has been two years in the making, but even as the synod’s universal stage in Rome is underway, the synod’s public discussions are revealing how this process is starting to free the church to realize the vision of a missionary church Pope Francis advanced at the very beginning of his pontificate with the publication of “Evangelii Gaudium.”
Pope Francis opened his Synod on Synodality Oct. 4 by urging members to abstain from speaking to journalists in order to maintain what he said was the “priority of listening,” and lamented the influence of public opinion on past synod gatherings.
In his opening Mass for the keenly anticipated Synod of Bishops on Synodality, Pope Francis said modern global challenges require the Church to be a warm and welcoming presence, free of the politicking, ideology, and “rigidity” that he said have divided much of the world.
Responding to a group of five conservative cardinals who posed critical questions about his upcoming Synod of Bishops on Synodality, Pope Francis largely upheld the Church’s ban on women priests, while suggesting the doctrine can still be studied, but signaled openness to giving blessings to same-sex couples provided that doing so is not confused with the sacrament of marriage.
