Cardinal Stephen Brislin, 67, the archbishop of Cape Town, said he sees “enormous signs of hope” for South Africa today, notwithstanding the poverty and “enormous” corruption.

In his first Mass as cardinal, he acknowledged the flood of congratulations he had received from all quarters and all sects of his diocese. “Cardinals in our time are no longer the princes of the church,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said, “but its servants and those of the people of God.”

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley bring listener questions about the synod to America’s veteran Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell.

An inauspicious first day in Rome was also a chance for me to hit pause and and try to shed some of my own fears about the synod process.

In “Laudate Deum,” Pope Francis revisits the themes of “Laudato Si’” after eight years—a clear sign of urgency for a Catholic Church that thinks in centuries.

Pope Francis sees secrecy as paramount for ensuring that synod participants can speak freely. But what if people start talking anyway?