Closing the first week of meetings, Synod on Synodality participants from different continents put a spotlight on the plight of the world’s poor and vulnerable at a press briefing held in the Vatican on the Oct. 4 feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.

On Wednesday, Oct. 2, after Mass in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis viewed the historic relic of St. Peter’s chair in the Ottoboni sacristy. A photo of him before the chair went viral.

Pope Francis Announces Beatification Process for Belgian King Baudouin, a Faithful Defender of Unborn Life

On Oct. 2, at the Synod on Synodality, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández dismissed speculation on further theological study into the ordination of women as deacons.

Synod on Synodality: Embracing Dialogue without Radical Change in Church Governance

Pope Francis opened the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday with a Mass, urging over 400 priests, bishops, and cardinals to avoid imposing personal “agendas” during the monthlong discussions.

At the first meeting of the full assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Wednesday, Pope Francis said a bishop’s ministry should include cooperation with laypeople and that the synod will need to identify “differing forms” of the exercise of this ministry.

Pope Francis has called for a global day of prayer and fasting on Oct. 7 to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel amid escalating violence in the region.

The debate on women's participation in the Church, including the possibility of women as deacons, is not on the agenda for this month’s Synod, but discussions continue, some encouraged by Pope Francis.

Pope Francis Appoints Father Samuele Sangalli as Deputy Secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization

On Sept. 28, Cardinal Pietro Parolin addressed the UN General Assembly, discussing key international issues, including Nicaragua, Venezuela, and the wars in Ukraine and the Holy Land.

As the Church kicks off the second session of the Synod on Synodality this week, it’s helpful to understand some key terms and concepts. This glossary aims to clarify important vocabulary related to the synod.

On the eve of the second session of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis stated that the Catholic Church must acknowledge its sins and seek forgiveness to be credible in fulfilling the mission entrusted by Jesus Christ.

Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary-General of the Synod of Bishops, opened a two-day retreat for the Synod on Synodality participants, urging them and the Catholic faithful to pray the rosary throughout the Oct. 2–27 global meeting.

The Vatican has announced it will carry out an apostolic visitation to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), an institution whose priests celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) and which is in full communion with the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis during a Mass in Belgium’s national stadium in Brussels on Sunday gave a strong warning to Catholics about the sin of causing scandal.

Aboard the papal plane, Pope Francis addressed criticism of his remarks about women during a Sept. 28 visit to a Catholic university in Louvain, calling it "obtuse" to intentionally misinterpret his stance.

A “crisis of faith” in the West requires a return to the Gospel, Pope Francis told Belgian bishops on Saturday morning at the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Brussels.

Pope Francis lauded Belgian King Baudouin for choosing to temporarily abdicate the throne rather than sign a law legalizing abortion during a visit to the Catholic king’s tomb on Saturday in Belgium.

The military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah endangers Lebanon, including its Christians, and may reduce the presence of Eastern Catholic patriarchs from Lebanon at the Synod on Synodality.

Pope Francis told university professors to “seek the truth” in a speech critiquing academia’s tendencies toward relativism and “a technocratic culture” during a visit to a 600-year-old university in Belgium.

In Belgium’s Laeken Castle, Pope Francis confronted the Catholic Church’s long-standing clerical abuse crisis in the country, declaring unequivocally that “the Church should be ashamed” and must seek forgiveness for its failures.

Pope Francis has elevated the Apostolic Administration of Estonia to the status of a diocese, creating the first Catholic diocese in the Baltic country.

Cardinal Parolin calls on Europe to rediscover its Christian roots and address its demographic challenges with solidarity and hope.