The Indian cardinal described his experience during the synod so far as an “eye-opener,” allowing him to discover connections to what indigenous communities in his native land are experiencing.

Signers of the new document promised to defend the Amazon rainforest, to promote an "integral ecology" of care for people and for the Earth and, "before the avalanche of consumerism," to live "a happily sober lifestyle."

If solidarity extends only as far as national or cultural borders, refugees will not receive the support they need.

Lebanon's Catholic patriarchs -- who have repeatedly raised their voices against political corruption, imploring the government to address the country's dire economic situation -- expressed their solidarity with the demonstrators.

"What instructions does the Lord give us for going forth to others? Only one, and it's very simple: Make disciples. But, be careful: his disciples, not our own," the pope said Oct. 20 as he celebrated World Mission Sunday.

Polls indicate Trudeau's Liberal Party could lose to the rival Conservatives, or perhaps win but still fail to get a majority of seats in Parliament and have to rely on an opposition party to remain in power.

Video of the pre-dawn theft from the Santa Maria in Traspontina church was shared and celebrated on conservative social media on Oct. 21. The Vatican's communications czar, Paolo Ruffini, termed it a "stunt" that violated the idea of dialogue.

The Rev. James Martin, S.J., leads listeners through an Examen on paying attention to and appreciating the beauty of creation.

The synod is “not a discussion, not a parliament,” but there is “a spiritual dynamic,” said Giacomo Costa, S.J., the synod’s secretary for information, at a Vatican press briefing on Oct. 16. The biblical image, he said, is “the blind man who throws away his cloak to go to God,” and for the synod it means “to leave behind the safety of your arguments.”

The overall tone of the evening was lighthearted and provided a chance for prominent business executives, church leaders and politicians to come together in friendship and charity. This unity was helped by the fact that no one was safe from the jokes of Martin Short, the master of ceremonies for the evening.

The National Council on Disability said in a new study that "the dangers and harms" physician-assisted suicide laws present to people with disabilities "appear to be as significant today" as they were in 1997 and 2005, when the council earlier analyzed the harms of such laws.

Written in the 1930s, George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” has always been controversial.

Turkey's long-threatened incursion into northeast Syria after the sudden pullout of U.S. military forces from the country in early October raises serious moral questions on the responsibility to protect civilians caught in the middle of a new conflict.

Creating an Amazonian-rite liturgy and new ministries for laypeople, including the ordination of women deacons, are some of the recurring proposals made by small groups at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon.

As Cummings notes, our future saints, some of whom have already passed beyond the veil, will disclose to us as much about ourselves and our church as they will about their own heroic virtue.

Darkness and light are but one, the psalmist tells us. Our lives are filled with both. Sugar and skulls. Flowers and dust. Love and loss. You cannot embrace one without allowing the other.

Listeners of Jesuitical offer their own answer to the podcast's recurring question.

The natural world is Wendell Berry’s primary teacher: its rhythms, its largesse, its mysteries.