Essay: At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars

Scholar of Latin American Catholicism DAVID M LANTIGUA explores, in an article first published on The Conversation, why Pope Francis is seen as a “theologian of the tango”…
Pope Francis enshrines synod’s final report as church teaching

Vatican City RNS In a note released on Monday, Pope Francis reinforced that the final report issued by delegates to the recently ended Synod on Synodality constitutes church teaching. “Acknowledging the value of the synodal journey that we have made,” the pontiff wrote, “I now hand over the instructions contained in the Final Document to […]
Essay: Synod ends with disappointment and hope

US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE says with the synod’s job now over, it is up to the rest of the church to become synodal….
Inconclusive Vatican summit raises questions about Pope’s momentum

Vatican City Reuters After a Vatican summit on the future of the Catholic Church that ended without enacting any major reforms, Pope Francis is facing questions about whether his 11-year papacy is running out of steam. The pontiff, who turns 88 in December and has suffered bouts of poor health, invested four years in preparing […]
Vatican summit praises women’s leadership, but stops short on women clergy

Vatican City Reuters A major Vatican summit of global Catholic leaders ended on Saturday with a call for women to be granted more leadership roles in the church but stopped short of calling for women to be ordained as clergy. The gathering, which included cardinals, bishops and lay people from more than 110 countries, also […]
Essay: Synodality demands transparency and accountability from bishops

US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE says, in an article first published on Religion News Service, that while synodality requires a commitment of time and energy from bishops and laypeople, it will be worth it…
In letter citing Pope Francis, Vatican doctrine tsar ends push for women deacons

Vatican City RNS The head of the Vatican’s doctrinal department issued a letter on Monday dashing hopes that Pope Francis will approve the ordination of women as deacons in the Catholic Church. The statement, from Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, who heads the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, comes after Francis’ efforts to build […]
At forums outside Catholic synod, delegates talk about how to empower local churches

Vatican City RNS On Thursday, the Hall of the General Curia of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuit order’s headquarters in Rome, delegates to a worldwide Vatican summit gathered to talk about their hopes for a transformed Catholic Church, envisioning a church that de-emphasises hierarchy and where all faithful have a say on their local […]
Essay: The Catholic Church’s process for selecting bishops is still a concern among synod delegates

US Catholic commentator THOMAS REESE says, in an article first published on Religion News Service, that the selection of bishops has been a debated issue since apostolic times…
The Explainer: Vatican synod is opening the door a bit wider for Catholic women – but they’ve been knocking for more than 100 years

CAROL E HARRISON, in an article first published on The Conversation, says Catholic women have historically found ways to speak to and about their church leadership, even when they have been excluded from its proceedings…