The church's teachings on just war place limits on the permissible methods to bring someone to justice. So too does international law, and hiding explosives in everyday items like pagers and walkie-talkies is a violation of the 1899 Hague Convention, which prohibits “treacherous killing.”

Father Orobator, a Nigerian Jesuit and voting member of the synod, understands the skepticism that has crept in since last year’s session. But he still has hope for the synodal process.

When Catholics in the global North are “obsessed” with the issue of women’s ordination, “women who in many parts of the church and world are treated as second-class citizens are totally ignored,” Bishop Anthony Randazzo said.

Focus on the fate of Israel, its hostages in Gaza and the people of Gaza and south Lebanon means that little attention is being paid to other continuing crises around the world—Sudan, Haiti, Myanmar among them.

One South African theologian described “a deep sense of disillusionment that the church, on the one hand, is saying we need to be a synodal listening church, and has yet again taken the diaconate for women off the table.”

In this episode of "Inside the Vatican," Gerry and Colleen discuss the most newsworthy moments from Pope Francis’ visit to Belgium.

Conversion is never easy, but participants from all continents must undergo conversion if the synod is to successfully carry out its task, Gerard O’Connell writes.

Pope Francis said he wanted to respond to a "storm of chattering" that had developed around his expansion of synod membership.

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the Vatican’s doctrine chief, announced today that “based on the analysis so far…there is still no room for a positive decision” on ordaining women deacons.

Catholics in the audience may not have been as startled by Senator Vance’s emphatic, sympathetic invocation of the second response of the Kyrie eleison.